Ruth Hatherley, founder and CEO of Moneycatcha, transitioned from a 22-year career in banking to become one of Australia’s leading fintech entrepreneurs.
Along the way, she focused on transforming the way consumers access financial products. She believed it could be made faster and with more transparency through real-time access to verified data.
Her journey from corporate banking into startup life is one of deep industry insight, personal conviction, and a relentless drive to build a better, fairer system for lenders, brokers, regulators, and, most importantly, consumers.
Identifying the Problem
After two decades inside Australia's banking institutions, Ruth saw first-hand how outdated processes in home loan origination created frustration, duplication, and delays for banks, brokers and their customers.
"With all the technological progress we’ve seen elsewhere, I couldn’t understand why it still took more than 40 days to approve a home loan,” Ruth said.
“There was so much stress: customers chasing answers, staff rechecking the same documents, and institutions constantly under regulatory pressure."
She believed there had to be a better way. The tools and data existed, so it would be a matter of putting them together in the right way.
Making the Leap
In 2015, Ruth took a bold step: leaving behind a stable banking career to invest her life savings into building what became Moneycatcha. As a single mother with no startup background, it was a leap of faith, but one grounded in insight and urgency.
"I knew what needed to change, and I wasn’t seeing it happen fast enough from the inside," she said.
"The biggest test of character for a founder is their level of resilience. And I’ve had to draw on that, often."
Building Solutions for a New Regulatory Era
While she had some early success in pilot and innovation engagements with banks, Moneycatcha’s mission of 'connecting organisations with truth' took on a new focus with the introduction of Australia’s open banking era.
The Consumer Data Right (CDR) was world-first legislation that opened the door to safer, consumer-controlled data sharing in banking and beyond.
This regulatory environment was the catalyst for the development of Stryd, a product that improves customer retention and drives new growth for brokers and other home loan originators with faster, more accurate and competitive product and pricing offers for consumers.
Where legacy systems relied on bank provided data, document uploads and manual assessments, Stryd connects home loan originators to trusted, verified sources of truth by leveraging open banking APIs and applying advanced rules automation.
This shift enables lenders and brokers to reduce processing times, lower costs, increase customer retention and offer a faster, clearer home loan experience for consumers.
Commercial Breakthrough: Stryd for Broker and Lender
In March 2023 Stryd was launched to market, and today has two tailored versions:
Stryd Broker: launched through The Adviser Magazine Better Business Summit across five Australian cities, this solution is being used by brokers in QLD, WA, SA, VIC and NSW. It empowers brokers to access accurate, verified data in real time about their customers' home loans, providing them with insights to help nurture and retain their customers.
Stryd Partner: Leveraging additional credit services from strategic partner Experian, Stryd Partner helps all third party home loan channels like consumer websites and other platforms qualify and identify home loan product offers for consumers, instantly qualifying leads and tailoring the workflow to each customer's scenario.
“In both cases, we’re giving both brokers and enterprise customers the tools to make faster, safer decisions about home loan offers for their consumers — powered by real-time, with validated data that meets CDR and Open Banking standards,” Ruth shared.
Overcoming Challenges
Communicating the vision of Moneycatcha to the market, especially in its early stages, wasn’t easy.
With many still unfamiliar with CDR and the complexity of regulatory infrastructure, Ruth often faced doubt.
“There were times when I was the only person in the room talking about open access to consumer data, standardised APIs, and regulatory acceleration”, she said.
“But I stayed the course because I knew we were building something with purpose and inevitability.”
Perth: A Strategic Launchpad
Ruth credits Perth’s collaborative and close-knit ecosystem with providing a strong foundation for growth.
Being based at Spacecubed, and actively engaging with WA’s innovation networks, gave her access to the tools, mentors, and visibility required to take an idea from prototype to commercial product.
"Perth is a fantastic place to build a startup,” she expressed.
“There’s a strong sense of community, great lifestyle balance, and an increasing number of accelerators, government programs, and partners willing to support new ideas.”
Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Ruth’s key insights for founders are:
- Resilience is critical: you will face rejection, delays, and self-doubt. What matters is your ability to get up each time and keep moving forward.
- Build your tribe: surround yourself with people who get the vision and will champion you — mentors, partners, and team members who believe in the mission.
- Stay anchored to purpose: especially in highly regulated or technical industries, your “why” will help you weather uncertainty.
- Leverage your environment: WA has a growing ecosystem. Use the available co-working spaces, startup programs and innovation networks.
Making Real Change in Fintech
Ruth Hatherley’s story is more than a pivot from corporate life to startup founder. It’s about using lived experience to design better systems.
Her journey with Moneycatcha and Stryd is proof that combining industry insight, purpose-driven innovation, and a supportive ecosystem can change not just how business is done, but who it works for.
She’s not just making “Stryds”, she’s helping reshape how Australia approaches open banking, compliance, and consumer trust in the digital economy.
Connect with Ruth Hatherley on LinkedIn here, and learn more about Stryd here.
To learn more about WA’s innovation ecosystem:
- Sign up to become a Meshpoints partner for free here and join 170+ other organisations building a stronger culture of entrepreneurship and innovation in WA
- Explore the WA Innovative Society Index (grants, programs, startups) or Dealroom WA (startups, investors, funding rounds)
- View (and subscribe for free) to the WA Innovation Calendar
Stay tuned for our next WA Startup Stories feature, where we spotlight Dr. Genevieve Hohnen, co-founder of The Volte. From sharing clothes as kids to building the “Airbnb for Dresses,” Genevieve and her sister Bernadette turned a personal frustration into a sustainable, circular fashion startup. With a focus on collaboration, innovation, and reshaping the way Australians access designer fashion, their journey is one of resilience, creativity, and purpose-driven entrepreneurship. Don’t miss this inspiring story of how The Volte is combining technology, sustainability, and style to disrupt the fashion industry in WA and beyond.
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