Stone & Chalk has been named a finalist in the Finnies Awards 2026, shortlisted for Excellence for Provision of Fintech Support Services.
Run by FinTech Australia, the Finnies are now in their tenth year and remain one of the strongest signals of progress in Australia’s fintech sector.
This year, the awards received 312 entries, with 160 finalists selected through a two-stage judging process involving more than 90 independent experts.
For us, this recognition is part of a much bigger story. Fintech in Australia now contributes $13.8 billion to the economy and supports more than 50,000 jobs. It is a sector that is still growing, still changing, and still reshaping how Australians use financial services.
Supporting the companies doing the work
Stone & Chalk is a national innovation community with hubs in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.
Across our network, we work closely with fintech founders during some of the hardest stages of growth. A big part of this work is helping remove the things that slow them down.
Many companies know what they need to build, but struggle to deliver it fast enough. Hiring takes time, access to corporate customers can be difficult, and technical and commercial decisions pile up quickly.
Our role is to help close that gap. That might mean connecting a founder to the right investor, or facilitating an introduction that leads to a pilot or partnership.
It also means creating spaces where founders are surrounded by others facing similar challenges, so they can make better decisions.
We are proud to sit in this part of the ecosystem. Behind every fintech success story are moments where progress could have stalled. The organisations in this category exist to keep progress moving.
Outcomes that follow
Across our community, we have seen what happens when the right conditions are in place.
MyVenue, founded in Adelaide, scaled its team during a key growth phase while based in our hub. It later expanded into North America and now processes transactions across major venues globally.
Littlepay, a contactless transit payments company, strengthened its capability and partnerships while growing its Melbourne presence. It now operates in more than 30 countries.
FrankieOne, focused on identity and fraud detection, built early momentum through access to customers and partners in the community. It has since raised significant capital and expanded internationally.
Each of these FinTech companies took a different path. But in every case, progress came from reducing the distance between a problem and the people who could help solve it.
Looking ahead
We now move into the final stage of judging, with winners to be announced at the Finnies Awards ceremony.
As Rehan D'Almeida, CEO of Fintech Australia, said when announcing this year’s shortlist, each finalist represents a business that is “measurably changing how Australians access finance, move money, insure their assets or protect their data.”
Congratulations to all our alumni and members also listed as finalists: Block Earner, Beforepay, Otivo, FrankieOne, Haast, Briefcase and Digital Agriculture Services – and to all other competitors also up for the awards.
For Stone & Chalk, being named a finalist reflects all the work happening across our community. That is the work we will continue to build on each and every day.
