The Fintech Australia Census

The report is conducted annually in Australia and global editions have also been set in place at different intervals.

The FinTech Census and Adoption Index series was established to provide a comprehensive, evidence-based view of the rapidly evolving fintech ecosystem: both within Australia and globally. Across ten editions, the series has served as a foundational reference point for policymakers, regulators, investors, incumbents and fintech founders seeking clarity in a sector defined by innovation, disruption and structural change.

At its core, the Census component was designed to profile and define the fintech industry from the inside out. By surveying founders, CEOs and industry participants, it created a detailed fact base on company maturity, capital flows, talent constraints, regulatory engagement, customer focus and international expansion. Importantly, it tracked the progression of fintech from a young, emerging start-up community to a more mature, revenue-generating and globally ambitious industry. It also highlighted the development of a national ecosystem hubs that underpinned this growth spanning accelerators, policy reform, open banking frameworks and increased collaboration with incumbents.

Complementing this supply-side perspective, the Adoption Index examined fintech through the lens of the consumer. Conducted across multiple global markets, it measured the extent to which digitally active consumers were actually using fintech services and identified the drivers of adoption. It explored the role of simplicity, convenience, personalization and digital-first engagement in accelerating mainstream acceptance. By benchmarking adoption against innovation diffusion theory, the series demonstrated fintech’s transition from early experimentation to broad-based uptake.

Together, the reports positioned fintech not as a niche vertical but as a structural reconfiguration of financial services. They examined the interplay between talent, capital, demand, policy and infrastructure, while also analysing competitive dynamics between fintechs, incumbents and emerging technology players.

Key Areas of Coverage Across the Series

Industry Definition & Structure

  • Working definition of fintech

  • Sub-sector categorisation (payments, lending, wealth, regtech, data, insurtech, etc.)

  • Geographic distribution and ecosystem hubs

  • Company age, stage and scale

Capital & Funding

  • Sources of capital (private, commercial, equity platforms)

  • Average capital raised and burn rates

  • Profitability trends

  • Investor sentiment and funding outlook

Talent & Capability

  • Talent shortages (engineering, software, sales, UX)

  • Workforce composition and gender participation

  • Recruitment approaches

  • Skills required for scaling and international expansion

Customer & Market Focus

  • B2C vs B2B orientation

  • End-customer segments (retail, SME, corporate, FSI)

  • Value propositions and pricing models

  • Competitive positioning vs incumbents

Consumer Adoption (Global Perspective)

  • FinTech usage rates across markets

  • Adoption by product category (payments, borrowing, savings, insurance)

  • Drivers of adoption (ease, convenience, personalization)

  • Digital channel preference and behaviour

  • Super-user trends and projected adoption growth

Policy & Regulatory Environment

  • Open banking and data-sharing frameworks

  • Regulatory sandboxes

  • Licensing and compliance issues

  • R&D incentives and government support

Ecosystem Development

  • Role of accelerators and hubs

  • Collaboration with incumbents

  • International expansion priorities

  • Comparative global competitiveness