The former founders of DataCo Technologies have launched a new initiative, KICO Labs, in a move to help Australian publishers, retail media networks and loyalty programmes have better access to financial transaction data intelligence.
According to the company, revealing actual spending patterns, category preferences, and real-world consumer decisions through financial transaction data represents “one of the richest available sources for building intelligence advantage”.
However, they say due to a combination of complex partnership negotiations, evolving privacy regulations, and the lack of capacity or capabilities to translate raw transaction data into actionable intelligence, it remains “largely inaccessible to most organisations.”
Founded by the team behind DataCo Technologies, which built a data clean room and transaction insights platform for ANZ Bank’s innovation lab 1835i, KICO is focused on the Australian and South East Asian Markets.
The initiative also comes in a move to help organisations structure compliant data partnerships, and deploy AI-native applications that turn that data into sustainable competitive intelligence.
“Financial transaction data is uniquely valuable because it reflects actual real-world behaviour, not inferences drawn from clicks or content,” said Danny Tyrrell, co-founder of KICO Labs.
“But accessing it requires navigating complex commercial and regulatory terrain that most organisations aren’t equipped for. We spent years building the infrastructure to commercialise bank transaction data in a compliant manner at DataCo, and we built KICO to make the whole process faster, safer, and more valuable for our clients.”
Co-founder Olly Rees believes AI doesn’t create advantages on its own but “the data behind it does”.
“Most organisations are building AI on the same data as their competitors, which means they’re racing toward the same ceiling. Our focus is on identifying the specific use cases where financial transaction data will genuinely differentiate a client’s business, and making sure that value is real and measurable, not just theoretical,” Rees said.
“At DataCo, we proved that transaction intelligence creates real, measurable value,” added Michael Bridgeman, co-founder. “What we also learned is that technology alone doesn’t unlock these partnerships. You need to understand what data providers need, how regulators think, and how to translate financial data into outcomes the business actually cares about. The complete capability from partnership structuring to AI-powered insights is what sets KICO apart.”
