DOSH TO ACCELERATE PAYMENTS INNOVATION IN NZ WITH VISA

23 May, 2022 – Dosh, New Zealand’s first mobile wallet, today announced it is working with Visa to expand its mission to provide Kiwis with greater financial freedom, access to and control of their money.

Launched in 2021, Dosh is an app enabling Kiwis to pay and request payment instantly from anyone, 24/7 via mobile number or QR code. After launching in October 2021, Dosh has recently completed its Seed Round, raising $5 million in an oversubscribed round.

The Kiwi fintech is now set to launch a Visa card that will let Dosh users spend funds from their Dosh mobile wallet anywhere that accepts Visa. Those payments can then be split between friends on the spot via the app, avoiding the delays of standard bank transfers.

Dosh Co-founder Shane Marsh says the collaboration with Visa will drive significant innovation in New Zealand’s payments landscape.

Anthony Watson, Visa’s country manager for New Zealand and South Pacific said: “There is significant demand for new forms of digital payments that are both convenient and secure.  By leveraging Visa’s network and scale, Dosh can expand its solution to deliver a great customer experience and innovation to more Kiwi consumers and businesses.”

“This is an important next step for Dosh. It means that the Dosh mobile wallet will seamlessly integrate into one of the world’s largest payment networks , massively expanding Kiwis’ ability to buy goods and services using Dosh,” says Marsh. “It means you can pay anyone back via Dosh at any time, and they can instantly use Dosh at any business that accepts Visa.”

The Dosh Visa card will be available for Kiwi consumers to start using in the second half of 2022. Dosh will first launch a physical card enabling purchases directly from the Dosh mobile wallet, with a digital card to be released soon after.

The move will bring to life one of Dosh’s major points of difference: splitting a bill. Until now, there has been no simple or instant way to split the cost of a meal at the end of dinner out with friends. With Dosh, diners can easily adhere to the hospitality sector’s call for ‘one bill per table’. A user can pay the restaurant with their Dosh Visa card, choose  the Split Bill function from within the Dosh app, then simply select the group members from their contacts list to be reimbursed on the spot. 

Network Effect 

Dosh co-founder James McEniery says the effect on the Dosh brand will be profound. “Our focus at launch was getting early adopters familiar with the Dosh way of paying their friends back 24/7 via their smartphone. That’s working really well, with thousands of transactions happening every week.

“There’s no need to wait for your money to arrive or be cleared by the banks over the weekend; you can just use your smartphone and your Dosh app. With Visa, we will significantly expand the Dosh network of businesses. This is a real game changer.” 

Shane and James are available for an interview. To arrange a time and receive more, please contact:

Vincent Heeringa

Communications advisor

021 845 693

hello@vincentheeringa.com

ABOUT DOSH

What is Dosh?

Dosh is New Zealand’s first true digital wallet. It allows users to pay each other instantly using an app. It’s like paying each other with cash but instead uses a digital wallet that is stored on your smartphone. Dosh is free to download from the iOS and Google Play Stores and free to make payments.

How does it work?

Each user has an account – a Dosh wallet. You can load money into your Dosh wallet directly from your own bank account and also transfer money from Dosh back into your bank account. Once set up on the app (which takes less than 3 minutes) you can pay or get paid instantly from anyone via their mobile number or QR code generated within the app. 

The app is easy and safe to use, just like sending text messages. And the cash transfer is instant. You can leave your cash in the Dosh wallet, transfer it back to your bank account or pay for goods and services.

Dosh users can top up their wallet from all New Zealand’s major banks including BNZ, ASB, Westpac, ANZ and Kiwibank.

Okay, so I’m a banking nerd. Tell me in more detail exactly how it works.

Dosh enables instant payments, 24/7 by creating a payments ecosystem. Moving money within the system means Dosh does not rely on the traditional banking rails to move the money. This is how Dosh avoids the payment delays and account numbers normally associated with bank payments.

But Dosh is for everyone – not just banking nerds. Digital wallets are used every day by millions of people around the globe. Dosh is bringing this technology to Kiwis for the first time, facilitating instant peer-to-peer payments by removing the hassle of setting up an online banking payee and waiting for two days for money to show up in your account. Dosh is instant, easy to use and secure. It will transform the way Kiwis pay and receive money.

Who is it for?

Dosh is for anyone aged 18 or over who wants to instantly pay or receive money from their friends or family and pay businesses for goods and services. All you need is a New Zealand ID, a smartphone and a bank account with any of the five major banks. 

Around the world, digital wallets like Dosh are common. Dosh is popular with young people who want to pay each other instantly without the hassle of swapping bank account numbers or waiting days for the funds to clear. 

Dosh also suits independent small business owners such as mobile tradespeople, food delivery or market stallholders and small independent retailers, saving them time and money. Effectively, Dosh will transform your mobile device (smartphone or tablet) into a payment terminal, without the hardware rental fees – plus it’s very simple to use.

What circumstances will Dosh work in?

Dosh suits any one-off cash transactions. For example, if you buy a pizza with your mates and want to share the cost, simply buy the pizza, then send an instant payment request to your friends – no Dosh, no eat! 

Dosh is great for helping collect money owed from friends without the embarrassment of asking, for splitting bills with flatmates (and there’s an option for that on the app), paying for a flat white from the coffee cart as you’re dashing to work, or paying the plumber who unblocks your sink.

It’s as instant as cash, without the need to divert to the nearest ATM, and in today’s increasingly contactless environment, much safer.

Who started Dosh? Who is it owned by?

Dosh was started by two Kiwi entrepreneurs, James McEniery and Shane Marsh. Both have recently returned from living overseas, latterly in Singapore, where they became prolific users of digital wallet apps like Venmo and Paylah. When they came back to New Zealand in 2021 they saw that no such apps existed so took the opportunity to launch Dosh. 

James has a background in FMCG sales, hospitality and marketing and Shane was a digital payments expert for a large bank.

Dosh is owned by a New Zealand company called MCA Investments of which Shane and James are the main shareholders. 

How safe is Dosh? Is it approved by banking regulators?

Dosh is super safe. It has multiple safety measures to protect users’ privacy and their money. The app has all the safety features you would expect including PIN and biometric access. 

Your money is safe with Dosh. The funds are held in a trust account at a major New Zealand bank. You can add money to your Dosh wallet via bank transfer, or instantly via New Zealand’s most established payment gateway provider, Windcave. Neither Dosh nor Windcave retains your banking username or password. With no ongoing link to your bank account, there is no risk of your bank account being accessed by an outsider.

Dosh is a registered financial services provider in New Zealand and regulated by the Department of Internal Affairs.

Instant payment apps are popular overseas – why hasn’t this been done here before?

Perhaps due to New Zealand’s location, traditional payment methods have rarely been challenged. We have seen a pattern with big players in the global digital wallet landscape, where they may enter the Australian market, but venture no further. There are also significant barriers to entry in a payments environment like New Zealand’s. However, we saw no reason that digital wallet technology should not be available to all New Zealanders. We’ve worked incredibly hard, had the support of friends and family, and overcome sizeable hurdles to get to this point.  We’re very excited for Kiwis to see how Dosh will transform payments between friends and to businesses.  

How long does money sit in the Dosh wallet?

As long as you like – that is, until you transfer it to your bank account or pay someone with your Dosh app. Your money is held securely in a trust account.

Is there a limit on the amount you can store in a Dosh wallet?

Yes, $5000 is the total amount you can have at any one time in your Dosh wallet. Transactions are limited to $2000 per day.

Is there a charge on transactions?

No, there is no charge on transactions between Dosh users. A 1% fee is charged when money is transferred back into a user’s bank account, with a minimum of $0.20 and a maximum of $3.00.

Will you need to pay tax, such as GST, on cash payments?

No, except when a Dosh user is buying something from a GST-registered merchant. In that case the retail price will already have the GST amount included (as is required by law).