Kia ora,
I’ve just returned from the Singapore FinTech Festival and… wow. Among 50,000+ attendees, one signal was clear: AI and tokenised finance are moving from pilots to core infrastructure, with regulators working hard to keep pace. Keep an eye on agentic commerce (Ant Group, Mastercard, Visa, Stripe), my geeky favourite “pay‑by‑palm” tech, the rapid growth and adoption of stablecoins and tokenisation, and the looming need to prepare for “Q Day” — quantum readiness. Check out my full debrief later in the newsletter.
November was another packed month with momentum across policy, product, and community — and great progress on the Hui Taumata, mark your calendar for 11-12 March 2026.
In this issue:
- Special feature: Singapore FinTech Festival — Jason’s notes and what to watch
- DeFi x TradFi: Event wrap
- Hui Taumata: Announcing our new Insights Forum and expanding the conference to a 1.5-day format
- Latest Research: Watch KPMG’s video/report + 2025 TIN Report highlights
FinTechNZ Updates
Jason’s Key Takeaways from the Singapore Fintech Festival
‘ve just got back from the Singapore FinTech Festival, and the message was unmistakable: AI and tokenised finance are shifting from pilots to the core architecture of modern markets, with regulators moving at pace. It was also great to see Kiwi representation — NZTech, KPMG, Squirrel, Kernel, Radium, LexisNexis, UKDIT, and Vestr — flying the flag and building connections.
Agentic commerce is moving fast from theory to live products (Ant Group, Mastercard, Visa, Stripe), reshaping e‑commerce, marketing, and even browser behaviour. In parallel, stablecoins, tokenisation, and digital money rails are maturing beyond early central‑bank experiments, creating real‑world efficiencies and programmable finance opportunities. Real‑time “atomic” settlement is becoming common and high priority, but in the context of Aotearoa, it depends on robust, portable digital identity and real-time payments — a gap Aotearoa must close to keep pace. Quantum risk is also rising; several experts forecast a 2–3 year window to prepare for “Q‑day,” (the day when quantum computers can crack current encryption). This need not be a black swan moment with migration to quantum‑safe cryptography now a practical roadmap, not theory. The FCA–MAS regulatory bridge is a powerful framework that Aotearoa could leverage and follow. For Aotearoa, the takeaway is clear: show up, partner, and prioritise the building blocks (identity, open finance, tokenised money) and investing in core finance infrastructure.
My ones to watch:
- AI as infrastructure and Agentic commerce (Ant Group/Mastercard/Visa/Stripe)
- New payment UX: “pay by palm” terminals, which use the biometric technology of vein‑pattern authentication.
- Stablecoins and tokenisation across assets, deposits, and money movement
- In payments, Real‑time/atomic settlement plus credentialed digital identity
- Quantum‑safe cryptography and Q‑day readiness
Read the full blog for deeper notes and why this momentum connects to our Hui Taumata priorities.
DeFi x TradFi Event Wrap
It was great to see TradFi and DeFi come together for a lighthearted debate about the future of finance.
Congratulations to the winners of last night’s TradFi vs DeFi debate — Team DeFi! Rachael Gemming, Paul Quickenden and Alan Crofts, you fully committed to the brief and absolutely looked the part.
Huge thanks to our TradFi speakers Lenka Kulhava, Sean Preston and Peter Dingle. for bringing strong arguments to the table, and to everyone who joined us and cast their votes — the energy in the room made the night.
Grateful to our collaborators BlockchainNZ and our hosts at Worldline.
FinTechNZ Hui Taumata: Announcing the New Insights Forum
As part of our refreshed 1.5‑day FinTechNZ Hui Taumata format, the inaugural Insights Forum is now a core part of why you should be at.
Held under Chatham House Rules, this high‑impact, three‑hour session precedes the main Hui. It brings together senior national and international thought leaders to connect, share perspectives, and explore how Aotearoa New Zealand can accelerate its journey toward an Open Finance and Open Data economy. With a vision to position Aotearoa as a globally recognised fintech nation, the Forum blends strategic discussion with practical exploration shared between our delegates and experts to identify next steps for building a trusted, digitally enabled financial future. The format features a moderated roundtable with leading voices from finance and technology, followed by facilitated breakout sessions to unpack key themes and shape actionable outcomes. Participants will engage directly with senior policymakers, regulators, technologists, and (inter)national leaders; reflect on global developments in Open Finance and digital commerce; and collaborate to define shared priorities and a clear pathway for sector alignment. Designed for those who want to directly shape the national fintech vision.
More announcements will be coming soon!
Secure your spot now. Super Saver ticket sales end on Monday.
Policy and Advocacy
Tokenisation in financial markets submission
FinTechNZ advocates a principles‑based, tech‑neutral tokenisation framework, clearer custody/consumer protections, legal coherence, and international alignment. It urges FMA facilitation and cross‑agency investment in enabling rails (open finance, digital identity, real‑time payments) to move from pilots to safe, scaled adoption.
Consultations and submission opportunities
The Government has released a new wave of consultations three of which we think might be of interest to our fintech community.
Inland Revenue (IRD) is consulting on the GST treatment of supplies of payment processing or facilitation services to merchants. The draft interpretation statement covers emerging payment technologies and how GST rules should apply to modern financial services and platforms. This is directly relevant to fintechs and digital payment providers.
Closes 8 December.
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) has released Tranche 1 DTA Standards Exposure Drafts covering Liquidity, the Depositor Compensation Scheme, Lending, and Incorporation Outside New Zealand. Feedback will shape the supervisory and compliance settings for deposit takers under the new regime.
Closes 30 January 2026.
RBNZ is also consulting on the Group Supervision Policy for deposit takers, outlining how entities with local and overseas subsidiaries will be supervised within group structures. This has implications for cross‑border activities under the Deposit Takers Act.
Closes 30 January 2026.
Community Noticeboard
5 Fintech Startups from New Zealand to Watch in 2026
Our Fintech News Australia spotlights five NZ fintech startups to watch in 2026 across payments, lending, wealth, identity, and regtech, highlighting product traction, funding, and Asia–Pacific expansion. A handy snapshot of who’s breaking out next year and why they matter.
Navigating tomorrow for Aotearoa’s banking and finance sector
KPMG’s second Navigating Tomorrow explores how AI, embedded finance, digital assets, and regulatory change are reshaping Aotearoa’s banking and finance sector—highlighting opportunities, risks, and the leadership and collaboration needed to compete globally.
2025 TIN Report is Out Now!
The TIN Report is out now. Headline for fintech: funding rebounded in 2025, improving from ~$20m to ~$35m after a 2024 dip — a positive signal of renewed investor confidence heading into 2026.
Get the full benchmarks and insights here
2026 Mood of the Sales Leader Survey
Indicator’s 9th Mood of the Sales Leader survey (now NZ and Australia) is open to salespeople, revenue leaders, owners, and marketers. It’s anonymous; respondents receive the full report and an early‑2026 event invite.
Share wins, challenges, and 2026 pressures here
Welcome to our New Members
We’re delighted to welcome several new organisations to the FinTechNZ community over the past few months: API Connects, Auckland Council, MBIE, Pilot, Sandstone Technology and TSB Bank. Great to have you on board.
Looking Ahead
It’s great to see the year finishing with real momentum across the community. As 2025 wraps, we’ll keep sharing updates on programmes, partnerships, and events — with more Hui Taumata news as the programme takes shape.
Thanks for being part of it; we’re excited to keep building together in the months ahead.
Ngā mihi nui,
Jason Roberts
Executive Director
Read full news here: SFF insights, AI/agentic commerce, Hui progress, and DeFi x TradFi wrap