In this episode of Give It A Nudge, Steve finally sits down with Brendan Malone, Managing Director and Group CEO of Raiz Invest (ASX:RZI), after six years of trying to get him on the show!

Brendan takes us through his fascinating career journey, transitioning from a traditional background in investment banking (RBS) in London and Asia to owning a pub in Newcastle, and finally leading one of Australia’s most successful FinTechs.

They dive deep into the evolution of Raiz (formerly Acorns Australia), managing over $2 billion in funds, and the lessons learned from their expansion into (and withdrawal from) the Asian market. Brendan also discusses the power of "round-ups," the importance of financial literacy, and how Raiz is helping Aussies—and their kids—build wealth during tough economic times.

In this episode, we cover:

* Brendan’s shift from corporate banking to startup founder.

* The "sustainable growth" philosophy vs. burning cash.

* The mechanics of Raiz Rewards and reinvesting $10M+ back to users.

* Lessons learned from listing on the ASX and expanding into Indonesia & Malaysia.

* New features: From Bitcoin allocations to "Jars" for specific savings goals.

* How user behavior changes during market volatility (Brexit vs. Trump vs. Now).

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro: Finally getting Brendan on the show

02:00 – Brendan’s Background: From Newcastle to Investment Banking in London/Asia

05:00 – The pivot: Owning a pub & discovering Acorns

06:00 – Launching Acorns Grow in 2016

09:00 – The strategy of sustainable growth

12:00 – Explaining the “Round-Up” technology

14:00 – Adding Bitcoin & custom portfolios

16:00 – Raiz Rewards: $10M reinvested into user accounts

17:00 – Rebranding to Raiz & Listing on the ASX

19:00 – The Asian Expansion: Challenges in Indonesia & Malaysia

24:00 – Branding consistency & App design

30:00 – The power of Dividends & Financial Literacy

32:00 – Raiz Kids & Intergenerational wealth

35:00 – Data insights: Raiz Jars & saving for haircuts

46:00 – How Raiz educates users through market volatility

49:00 – What’s next for Raiz?

LINKS

Connect with Brendan → https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanmalone/

Raiz Invest Australia → https://raizinvest.com.au/

Connect with Steve → https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevegrace/

The Nudge Group → https://thenudgegroup.com/

Give It A Nudge Podcast → https://www.youtube.com/@giveitanudge/

The Trouble With People → https://thetroublewithpeople.substack.com/