Of the four challenger banking licenses granted by Australian regulators in 2019, only one is still standing – and the Financial Times says it’s growing faster than any other financial institution in Asia-Pacific. At nSight 2023, Judo Bank COO, Lisa Frazier, shared what differentiates Judo Bank and how nCino has been a foundational part of its journey.SME business bank, Judo Bank is on a strong growth trajectory reflected in its lending book that jumped nearly 25% to A$7.5 bn in the six months to the end of December 2022. This growth was recognized in April 2023, when the Financial Times identified Judo as the fourth fastest growing company in Asia Pacific out of the top 500 high-growth businesses in the region.
According to Chief Operating Officer, Lisa Frazier, Judo Bank began in 2016 when a deeply experienced group of bankers who were passionate about the SME economy came together to help establish the challenger bank.
“In 2016, we were a PowerPoint standalone idea. It was very hard to raise money,” she recalls.
Yet two and a half years after getting a banking license in April 2019, Judo listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and continues to grow and scale its business.
How did they do it?