Andy Taylor to lead Axtec as Managing Director and CEO, backed by $1m placement
Axtec Limited (ASX:AXI) has announced that ASX-listed fintech founder Andy Taylor is proposed to be appointed Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, alongside a A$1,000,000 placement at A$0.01 per share.
The appointment is subject to completion of Mr Taylor’s cornerstone investment in the Placement and finalisation of the terms of his employment agreement. Axtec will announce the effective date and material terms once finalised.
Ben Laurance, currently Managing Director, will transition into the role of Non-Executive Chairman following the retirement of Chairman James Service AM after the company’s upcoming Annual General Meeting.
Mr Taylor is investing his own capital as cornerstone investor, which the announcement describes as aligning his interests with those of shareholders from the outset.
Key facts:
- 25,000,000 shares (A$250,000) to Mr Taylor as cornerstone investor
- Placement funds to be applied to working capital
- Board renewal under way
Ben Laurance, Managing Director (to transition to Non-Executive Chairman)
“I am delighted to welcome Andy to Axtec. He brings a proven track record of building, listing and transforming fintech businesses, and a clear vision for how we can scale the strong foundations we have built in real estate payments. This is an exciting next chapter for the Company.”
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A fintech builder with ASX pedigree
Fifteen years across lending, neobanking, payments and AI
Mr Taylor has spent more than 15 years building financial technology businesses across lending, neobanking, payments and AI. In 2007 he co-founded SocietyOne, Australia’s first peer-to-peer (marketplace) lending platform, and in 2016 he founded Douugh, a consumer neobanking app.
Douugh listed on the ASX through its acquisition by ZipTel Limited, commencing trading as Douugh Limited (ASX: DOU) in October 2020. As Chief Executive Officer, Mr Taylor pivoted the business toward embedded B2B services and led the acquisition of R-DBX.
The company was renamed Stakk Limited (ASX: SKK) in January 2025. Mr Taylor remained on its Board until 31 October 2026 following its acquisition of ParaScript in the US, and was nominated for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2015.
The foundations he inherits
Axtec has built an AI-enabled technology platform for the Australian real estate sector. At its core is PaySure, a single payment gateway supporting Pay Now, Pay Later, Pay on Success®, Pay in 12, commission advances, rental advances and settlement advances.
PaySure is embedded in agency CRM, property management and settlement workflows, with lending products provided by Axtec’s lending partner. The company has secured industry partnerships including:
Axtec had already moved toward a capital-light distribution model earlier in 2026, selling its consumer loan book to Real Flow so that the partner funds and carries credit risk while Axtec earns distribution fees.
- A three-year exclusive agreement with InfoTrack to provide processing and reconciliation of deposits for property settlement transactions conducted through its SecureExchange platform (announced 23 October 2025).
- A three-year distribution agreement with MRI, under which Axtec’s full suite of products and services is to be promoted and distributed through MRI’s real estate agency client channels (announced 24 July 2026).
Andy Taylor
“I am excited to join Axtec and lead the next phase of its evolution. The Company has built valuable payments infrastructure and industry relationships in the real estate sector. My focus will be on leveraging those foundations to create an AI-native platform that can power, acquire and scale financial services businesses, delivering long-term value for shareholders.”
What embedded finance and agentic payments mean for investors
Embedded finance refers to payments and lending built into the software people already use, rather than accessed through a separate bank or provider. Axtec’s PaySure platform follows this model within real estate workflows.
Agentic payments describe a setup where AI agents initiate and complete payments on behalf of consumers and businesses. The announcement names agentic payments as a core strategic theme as the model develops, alongside plans to expand Axtec’s embedded finance offering beyond the real estate vertical.
For investors, the stated logic is that the combination of the shared embedded finance and payments infrastructure platform, consulting services and the acquire-and-scale playbook is designed to create value through higher operational efficiency, lower cost to serve, and the ability to grow faster than organic development alone.
The AI-native growth strategy
Under Mr Taylor’s leadership, Axtec intends to evolve into an AI-native, technology-led platform that powers, acquires and scales financial services businesses. The model brings together three elements:
- A shared embedded finance and payments infrastructure platform built on the foundations of PaySure
- Consulting services to help businesses implement and optimise embedded finance and AI-driven workflows
- A disciplined acquire-and-scale playbook to bring quality businesses onto the platform and grow them
The AI-first operating model is designed to reduce overheads, expand margins and compound growth by leveraging shared infrastructure.
Near-term priorities include strengthening the existing PaySure platform and real estate partnerships, embedding AI-first operating practices across the business, and progressing the first steps of the acquire-and-scale strategy.
On timing, the announcement states that as the broader financial sector transitions away from legacy systems, an attractive window opens to acquire and modernise quality businesses. The Board believes Axtec is well placed to pursue that opportunity with discipline.
Placement details
Axtec has secured commitments to place 100 million shares at $0.01 to sophisticated and professional investors.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Total shares | 100 million |
| Issue price | $0.01 |
| Total raised | A$1,000,000 |
| Mr Taylor’s cornerstone | 25,000,000 shares (A$250,000) |
| ASX Listing Rule 7.1 | 47,538,634 shares |
| ASX Listing Rule 7.1A | 52,461,366 shares |
| Investors | Sophisticated and professional investors |
| Use of funds | Working capital |
All Placement shares, including those subscribed for by Mr Taylor, are expected to be issued following completion of the Placement. Mr Taylor’s shares are to be issued prior to his appointment.
What happens next for Axtec
Several steps are stated in the announcement:
- Completion of the Placement, with shares expected to be issued following completion. Axtec is responsible, and completion precedes Mr Taylor’s appointment.
- Finalisation of the terms of Mr Taylor’s employment agreement. Axtec will announce the effective date and material terms once finalised.
- A strategy presentation by Mr Taylor to investors and the market in the coming weeks.
- Retirement of Chairman James Service AM after the company’s upcoming Annual General Meeting, with Ben Laurance becoming Non-Executive Chairman.
For investors, the changes combine a new chief executive with a funded cornerstone commitment of A$250,000 from his own capital, with the strategy detail still to come in the planned presentation.
For readers wanting to see how the company has financed its roadmap so far, our full explainer on Axtec’s OUC shareholder funding sets out the staged advances, the 1.95 cent conversion price against the 30-day VWAP, and total OUC-linked capital of $1.475 million.
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