Australia’s gone mad for fintech, but whether it will prove the country’s golden ticket as the mining boom dries up is another question.

The industry has certainly captured the Australian government’s imagination, however. A speech can hardly go by without fintech being name-checked by politicians standing in warehouse-turned-startup hubs across the nation

In the 2016 Budget passed down Tuesday, fintech startups were among the most prominent beneficiaries of federal largesse. The government set aside A$200,000 to promote Australia internationally as a fintech market and it’s considering creating an idea-testing “sandbox”, which will let fintech startups operate without certain regulations for up to six months. Read more…