The finalists for the 2026 Finnies Awards have been announced with winners announced in Sydney on June 18, 2026.
The Finnies celebrate achievements in the fintech sector, which contributes $13.8 billion in direct value added to the Australian economy and 50,200 jobs directly within fintech businesses..
This year’s awards received 312 entries, across 22 categories with 160 finalists and will be celebrated at ILUMINA in Sydney on June 18. The Gala night will bring together more than 500 founders, investors, and fintech thought leaders for the announcement of winners.
The judging process for the Finnies Awards involves two rounds, featuring more than 90 independent experts from the Australian fintech ecosystem.
This week, 35 professionals have started judging the second round to pick one winner from each category.
FinTech Australia CEO Rehan D’Almeida congratulated the finalists, saying the quality of entries showcased how the sector continues to thrive despite a challenging economic environment, and arrives at a pivotal moment for Australian fintech. The Government is progressing reforms to payments licensing, scams prevention and the Consumer Data Right, areas where fintech innovation is directly relevant to consumer outcomes.
“Behind each of these 160 finalists is a business that is measurably changing how Australians access finance, move money, insure their assets or protect their data,” D’Almeida said.
Collectively they represent an industry that Deloitte Access Economics has forecast will add $37 billion to GDP by 2035 with the right infrastructure and policy settings.
“This shortlist is effectively a snapshot of where that growth is coming from and the choice fintech continues to deliver to consumers, small businesses and enterprises,” D’Almeida said.
These finalists highlighted the critical role fintech plays in driving innovation and competition, as well as improving choice for Australian consumers and small businesses.
THE FINALISTS:
Positive Impact Award
Outstanding FinTech Leader of the Year
- Alfonso Porcelli – DoxAI Austral
- Caroline Tran – Hello Clever
- Chris Brycki – Stockspot
- Danny Pezeshki – Instantia
- Kym Whitford – Remitly
- Tom Rundle – Azupay
- Trevor Wistaff – Zepto
- Anish Sinha – upcover
Best Workplace Diversity
Best Innovation in Open Banking / Open Finance
Excellence in Insurtech
- Kanopi
- myVal
- The FreightSafe Group
- upcover
Most Innovative Fintech Product or Service
Most Innovative Application of AI in Finance
FinTech Organisation of the Year
Female FinTech Leader of the Year
- Delia Burrage – Macropod
- Emma Fawcett – Compare Club
- Erica Xie – Tanggram
- Irene Tsang – LIFTwomen
- Kym Whitford – Remitly
- Rebecca del Rio – Bizcap
- Sarah King – Stockspot
- Skye Theodorou – upcover
Excellence in WEB3 (Blockchain or Crypto)
Excellence in Wealth Management (including PFM and Robo)
Excellence in Regtech
Excellence in Industry Collaborations & Partnerships (Single or Multiple)
- Aussie and Bridgit
- BNDRY and CherryHub
- DoxAI Australia and WhiteHawk
- FrankieOne and Pexa Group
- OwnHome and Aussie Home Loans
- Pay.com.au
- Tanggram and NextGen Partners
- The FreightSafe Group
- Zepto and Employment Hero
Excellence in Establishing Global Market Presence
Excellence in Consumer Lending
Excellence in Business Lending
Excellence for Provision of FinTech Support Services
- King & Wood Mallesons
- LaunchLink Communications
- Radburn Partners
- Rixon Capital
- Sensiba Australia
- Stone & Chalk
- The Escrow Company
- Triple Bubble
Emerging Fintech Organisation of the Year
Best Innovation in Payments (including Remittance/FX)
Emerging FinTech Leader of the Year (under 35)
- Aaron Bassin – Bridgit
- Alex Simmons – Kashcade
- Alfonso Porcelli – DoxAI Australia
- Anastasia Varlamova – BTC Markets
- Elliot Cohen – Pebl Payments
- Jessie Lin – Stockspot
- Julian Fayad – LoanOptions.ai
- Melanie Hayden – Truyu
Finalists are determined based on both the quality and quantity of eligible submissions. Giving Back to the Fintech Community and Excellence in Green Fintech or Sustainability Initiatives did not meet the minimum threshold of eligible entries required to uphold the integrity of the awards to proceed this year.
The winners will be announced in Sydney on June 18, 2026.