PEXA, Australia’s online property exchange, which assists members such as lawyer, conveyancers and financial institutions to lodge documents with Land Registries and complete financial settlements electronically, has been acquired by via a joint bid from Link Administration Holdings Limited, Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners and Commonwealth Bank (who is already a key stakeholder in the venture).

States across Australia have been moving across to the platform as the country aims for loans to become 100% digital.

CBA chief executive officer Matt Comyn said, “Having been a key stakeholder in PEXA since its inception in 2011, today’s announcement represents our continued commitment to support the property industry as it transitions towards an innovative, fully digital, settlements process that aims to provide improved experiences for customers.” CBA also said the transaction aligns with its strategy to focus on its core banking businesses and to create a simpler, better bank for our customers. As part of the transaction, which is subject to a number of conditions precedent, CBA will invest a further $50 million, totalling approximately $100 million invested in PEXA to date. This will result in an increase in our ownership stake from 13.1% to approximately 16%.

No one seems to have noticed that one of the largest mortgage lenders is now also has a significant interest in the property settlement and transfer system – what could possibly go wrong?

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