Athena Home Loans wins Australia’s most innovative company

• 2021 AFR BOSS Most Innovative Company,

• 2021 AFR BOSS Most Innovative Banking, Superannuation & Financial Services Company,

• 2021 FinTech Organisation of the Year,

• 2021 FinTech Excellence in Consumer Lending &

• 2021 Female Fintech Leader of the Year.

AFR Innovation PR photo

Athena Home Loans has been named the 2021 Australian Financial Review BOSS Most Innovative Company in Australia and New Zealand.

In a winning 24-hours for the company, Athena has also been named Australia’s Most Innovative Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Company by the Australian Financial Review, as well as, picking up three additional accolades in the Australian FinTech Awards.

The Australian Financial Review BOSS Most Innovative Companies list is now in its 10th year and assesses the innovation prowess of all Australian and New Zealand organisations. The list is judged and compiled by behavioural science consultancy Inventium.

Athena Home Loans was recognised for empowering customers to drop their own rate by gamifying the goal of paying down their home loan. It applies automatically across all products and customers don’t need to do anything. Its dynamic pricing model rewards customers for paying down their loan with lower rates.

Called AcceleRates, it’s another Australian first that Athena has introduced to the market.

Athena CEO Nathan Walsh and COO Michael Starkey founded the company in February 2019 and have set on a mission to change home loans for good. Building and inspiring a talented team dedicated to the cause of innovating to deliver customers a better deal.

Since launch, almost 400 Athena customers have dropped their own rate and on average saved $56,000 over the life of their loan with 15% saving over $100,000. 80% of all Athena customers are ahead on their repayments with an average customer 3 years ahead.

Athena Home Loans Co-founder and CEO, Nathan Walsh said it was an honour to be recognised as Australia’s Most Innovative Company by the Australian Financial Review and Australia’s FinTech organisation of the Year for its excellence in consumer lending.

“Athena’s mission is simple. Help customers pay off their home loan faster and enable homeowners to take that step towards financial freedom” says Walsh. “We deliver all Athena customers no nasty fees and one of the lowest variable interest rates in the market.”

“We are proud that our commitment to consumers and the innovative way we deliver savings to them has been recognised. But Athena only wins awards because our customers keep winning.”

In addition to the Australian Financial Review awards announced today, Athena has also taken home three Australian FinTech ‘Finnie’ awards – including Excellence in Consumer Lending, Fintech Organisation of the Year and Female Fintech Leader of the Year this week.

Athena won the FinTech Organisation of the Year Award for generating outstanding B2C lending results through innovative yet stable, sustainable operations, and their ability to serve their clients while sustaining sound financial performance. 

“There has been hardly any new ideas in the category for decades, so people may be surprised that a home loan company can win such prestigious innovation awards,” says Athena Co-founder Michael Starkey. “But it just shows you that if you do something truly different and give people something they genuinely want, the world will take notice.”

Athena also won the Excellence in Consumer Lending Award for delivering transformative new financial services offerings through the innovative use of technology to its customers.

For the first time in the six-year history of the Finnies, women received all of the top awards, including Athena’s Chief Marketing Officer, Natalie Dinsdale who was crowned Female Fintech Leader of the year.

“I am truly honoured and humbled,” says Dinsdale. “Especially to be sharing this space with such an amazing, talented group of women around me. My mission is to help drive more gender balance and diversity in the Fintech ecosystem and support other women.”

For more information visit: www.athena.com.au 

Media contact: Kate McQuestin on 0411 839 174

About Athena & Product

• Athena launched in February 2019 on a mission to change home loans for good and help Aussies pay down their home loan faster. All our product features are designed to fulfill this mission:   

• Rates that reduce as you pay down your home loan and get as low as 1.99%

• No fees. None. Zero.

• Automatic rates match promise – the first lender in Australia to make a commitment to existing customers that we’ll always match shiny new customer rates for them too on like for like loans