FinTech Australia appoints Nick Kavass as its first policy lead

The new role will coordinate with policy partners and members to help formulate and progress FinTech Australia’s policy agenda

FinTech Australia has appointed former federal government adviser Nick Kavass as its first policy lead.

Kavass brings to the role at the national association for Australian fintech startups nearly a decade of experience across government agencies, including the Treasury and the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC). He most recently served as a policy adviser for former assistant treasurer and housing minister, Michael Sukkar.

The new role will coordinate with policy partners and members to help formulate and progress FinTech Australia’s policy agenda in areas such as payments, buy now pay later and crypto.

Commenting on the appointment, Rehan D’Almedia, general manager at FinTech Australia, said: “This is an exciting and key appointment for the organisation. With a new government in power, we’re looking to step up the rigour of our policy support for our members and build on the extensive groundwork that the organisation has laid over the past few years.”

“Nick’s experience at two key agencies that interact with the ecosystem—Treasury and ASIC—make him invaluable in helping us articulate our policy agenda.”

Kavass said: “It’s an honour to take on this new role at FinTech Australia. I’ve interacted with the peak body over the years on policy matters, and it has served as a key voice in shaping the government’s stance on important regulatory issues.”

“I look forward to working with Rehan and the broader fintech community to navigate what is shaping up to be a complex framework of policies for the sector. I suspect I’ll be meeting many of our members at Intersekt in September, which will set the policy agenda for our work over the next 12 months.”

Kavass’s appointment follows the launch of tickets for FinTech Australia’s annual conference, Intersekt. Sales launched two months ahead of the event in anticipation of a sell-out.

Mark Dugdale