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TrueLayer accelerates global expansion with dedicated Australian product and engineering team

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TrueLayer, the global open banking platform, today announced two expert technical hires in Australia as part of its continued expansion in the APAC region.

Tilen Chetty is joining the company in Sydney as Product Lead and Dan Gaskin in Melbourne as Lead Engineer.

Following its successful US$70 million Series D raise in April, TrueLayer is growing its product, engineering and commercial teams globally. TrueLayer’s API-first platform currently processes more than half of all open banking traffic in the UK, Ireland and Spain, with millions of consumers and businesses trusting TrueLayer to access their financial data and initiate payments.

Tilen Chetty and Dan Gaskin join TrueLayer’s global technical team which is led by Chief Product Officer Ossama Soliman, who joined the company from Amazon late last year, and Vice President of Engineering Ben Foster, who joined from Checkout.com in February. The new hires will be responsible for leading the Australian product and technical capabilities, working closely with Country Head Brenton Charnley, who joined in Sydney in October 2020.

Tilen Chetty is a passionate advocate for fintech and open data, especially Australia’s ground-breaking Consumer Data Right and the pursuit of competition and innovation. He has previously held strategic product roles at Deloitte Australia, Westpac, Macquarie Bank and Cover Genius as well as global internet giant, Naspers.

“It’s an incredible opportunity to join the TrueLayer team in Australia at a time when the CDR rollout is accelerating and there is so much opportunity for innovation to benefit the consumer,” commented Tilen Chetty.

Dan Gaskin is also an open banking and CDR enthusiast, with a passion for modernising financial services through secure cloud native API strategies and solutions. Dan brings experience of Australia’s Consumer Data Standards, having recently helped several of Australia’s largest banks to implement cloud native microservice strategies to serve open data. He also brings fintech experience from Checkout.com, where he worked with TrueLayer’s VP of Engineering, Ben Foster.

“Having implemented the Consumer Data Standards on the data holder side of the CDR, I’m excited to have the additional opportunity to work on the data recipient side,” commented Dan Gaskin. “Joining a world leading open banking provider like TrueLayer, to create and engineer products that bring tangible benefits to consumers, is incredibly exciting,” he added.

Discussing the growth plans of TrueLayer in Australia, Country Manager Brenton Charnley said: “I’m thrilled to welcome Dan and Tilen to TrueLayer to lead our product development in data and payments. The combination of our local presence and capabilities, supercharged by TrueLayer’s international network, supports our competitive edge in the Australian market helping our local and global clients go to market with open banking and open up Australian finance.”

TrueLayer is in the final stages of full accreditation as an Accredited Data Recipient (ADR) from the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) and will shortly formally launch its global Open Banking Platform in the local market. The company is also recruiting for positions in operations, sales and engineering to support its Australian growth.

Momentum for the CDR for businesses and consumers continues with the next round of rules updated released by Treasury on 1 July 2021 and additional funding announced by the Federal Government Budget in May to be split by the ACCC and Treasury to advance the CDR rules and adoption across the banking, finance and telecommunications industry.

TrueLayer has been actively participating in consultation with the ACCC and Treasury and is a member of the Data Standards Body Advisory Committee.

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AUSTRAC Launches Civil Penalty Proceedings Against Mounties

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AUSTRAC has launched Federal Court civil penalty proceedings against Mount Pritchard District and Community Club (Mounties), for alleged serious and systemic non-compliance with Australia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) laws.

AUSTRAC alleges that Mounties contravened the AML/CTF Act, providing gaming services to its customers in circumstances where it had not adopted and maintained an AML CTF programme in compliance with the AML/CTF Rules.

AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thomas said AUSTRAC alleges failures in Mounties’ approach to its anti-money laundering obligations have left it open to criminal exploitation.

“Mounties is one of the largest and most profitable club groups in NSW. It owns 10 venues, 8 of which operate approximately 1,400 poker machines and it makes hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from money gambled on those machines,” Mr Thomas said.

“This is a big company with an even bigger responsibility to ensure its clubs are managing the risks that criminals can run dirty money through its gaming machines.

“AUSTRAC’s 2024 Money Laundering in Australia National Risk Assessment identified pubs and clubs as a medium risk sector, but when those businesses are exposed to cash, especially in circumstances where known money laundering risks are not being managed, the risk increases.”

“A business operating at this scale, in a cash intensive sector, is exposed to a high degree of money laundering risk. In 2022 for example, the NSW Crime Commission released its Project Islington report which determined that billions of the approximately $95b gambled in NSW poker machines in 2021-22 was likely to be dirty money.”

AUSTRAC alleges Mounties AML/CTF programme:

• did not have an adequate risk assessment

• did not contain appropriate staff risk awareness training

• did not contain appropriate risk based systems and controls in its transaction monitoring programme

• did not include appropriate risk based systems and controls in its enhanced customer due diligence processes

• was not subject to an independent review that met the requirements of the Rules

• and that Mounties failed to appropriately monitor a number of its customers with a view to identifying, mitigating and managing the money laundering risk that Mounties faced.

AUSTRAC also alleges Mounties failed to appropriately maintain its AML/CTF Programme, with aspects of its programme outsourced to a third party provider, Betsafe – which also provides AML/CTF programmes to a number of other pubs and clubs.

“Like many other AUSTRAC reporting entities, Mounties outsources aspects of its AML/CTF program but what it can’t outsource is its AML/CTF obligations.”

“Relying on third party providers doesn’t absolve a business of its obligations under the AML/CTF Act. If a reporting entity outsources key parts of its program to a service that is not fit for purpose – especially without proper oversight or resourcing – they run a real risk of non-compliance.

“All reporting entities, regardless of size, must stay actively involved in how their AML/CTF program is designed, implemented and monitored and I would say the same thing to other pubs and clubs who think bringing in a provider is a set and forget solution.”

AUSTRAC also alleges a number of specific instances where Mounties failed to appropriately monitor specific customers, despite the money laundering risks they presented.

“Customer due diligence and transaction monitoring in a club that processes hundreds of millions of dollars a year through its poker machines, a significant amount of which is cash, is going to require a robust approach when it comes to verifying a customer’s source of funds,” said Mr Thomas.

It is now a matter for the Federal Court of Australia to determine whether Mounties contravened the Act and, if so, what orders to make.

The post AUSTRAC Launches Civil Penalty Proceedings Against Mounties appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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BetMakers Partners with The Bookie Group

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BetMakers Technology Group has entered into a partnership with The Bookie Group (TBG), who announced the appointment of veteran wagering executive Jason Scott as part of their growth and brand expansion strategy.

Scott, formerly CEO of Racing Queensland and a senior executive with Entain and BetMGM, brings a wealth of global racing and sports betting experience to TBG. His arrival marks a significant step as the group accelerates development of its multi-brand strategy, building on the early success of PonyBet, currently live and trading in the Australian market.

TBG’s growth is underpinned by its strategic partnership with BetMakers Technology Group, leveraging the newly launched Apollo platform to deliver highly personalised, agile wagering experiences.

“The early success of PonyBet on the Apollo platform has been fantastic to see and a great endorsement of the BetMakers solution. We’re excited to partner closely with Jason, Brian and the TBG team as they execute on their vision for a dynamic, multi-brand wagering business,” said Martin Tripp, Chief Operating Officer at BetMakers Technology Group.

“I’ve been incredibly impressed with the Apollo platform and the team behind it. The technology gives us the flexibility to move fast and innovate, and I’m excited to work with BetMakers to deliver unique and engaging products that modern punters are looking for,” said Jason Scott.

TBG has plans to launch several new betting brands throughout 2025 and 2026, focusing on personalisation, entertainment, and operational excellence. With Scott at the helm and BetMakers providing the technology backbone, the group is well-positioned to deliver differentiated products to market at speed and scale.

The post BetMakers Partners with The Bookie Group appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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VGCCC Fines Werribee RSL for Self-exclusion Failures

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The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) has fined the Werribee RSL $30,000 for failing to prevent 2 self-excluded customers from gambling.

VGCCC CEO Suzy Neilan said: “This is the first time the VGCCC has taken disciplinary action against a club or hotel for self-exclusion breaches.

“Self-exclusion programs empower people to manage their gambling by registering to be temporarily or permanently blocked from entering gambling areas of clubs, pubs and casinos.

“By failing to respect a person’s decision to self-exclude, a venue may put customers who have decided to take a break from gambling, or quit altogether, at risk of experiencing gambling harm.”

In January 2024, the VGCCC received an anonymous tip-off that a self-excluded person entered the Werribee RSL gaming room and used the poker machines. The venue self-reported a second breach in May 2024, after realising a different customer had gambled at the venue on at least 4 occasions between February and May 2024.

Ms Neilan said: “Taking disciplinary action is the last resort. We would prefer venues take their harm minimisation responsibilities seriously by complying with their legal obligations, including through the effective implementation of tools like self-exclusion.

“Venues and their staff are the last line of defence for self-excluded customers, who should be able to trust that their decision to self-exclude will be respected. They must have the appropriate controls in place to prevent self-excluded people from entering gaming rooms.”

The VGCCC acknowledged that Werribee RSL cooperated with the investigations and has since taken steps to strengthen its procedures. These include improved and regular staff training, daily audits of the self-exclusion register and greater use of technology to identify self-excluded customers who attempt to enter the gaming room.

This remedial action was taken into consideration in determining the amount of the fine.

The post VGCCC Fines Werribee RSL for Self-exclusion Failures appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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