Smartpay sharpens its focus on Australia
Point of sale payment system provider Smartpay Holdings is ramping up its sales effort in Australia, after expanding across the Tasman last year, and plans to be a player in the emerging mobile payments market.Smartpay is the largest provider of point of sale terminals in New Zealand, with more than 30,000 terminals installed. It listed on the Australian Securities Exchange last July and yesterday released its first full-year financial report since listing.It reported a profit of NZ$1.7 million for the year to March - a turnaround from a loss of NZ$5 million in the prior year.Sales revenue of NZ$22.9 million was up 37 per cent on the previous corresponding period.The company said terminal installations in Australia were growing steadily but numbers were still very small.Smartpay has developed a mobile point of sale terminal and associated mPOS payments products. The company has introduced the products into the New Zealand market and has plans for a launch in Australia later this year.Smartpay has introduced contactless terminals in Australia and it is investigating opportunities in the Australian taxi industry, which is undergoing significant structural change driven by regulatory change.