Interest.co.nz
Interest.co.nz is a New Zealand financial news and data platform serving consumer financial decision makers and banking professionals with original journalism, proprietary rate comparison tables, calculators, economic data, podcasts, and a paid industry newsletter, monetized primarily through advertising, subscriptions, and data licensing.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersHerne Bay, New Zealand
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Interest.co.nz does
Interest.co.nz is a privately held New Zealand financial news and data website operated by JDJL Limited, founded in 1999 and led by publisher David Chaston. The platform serves New Zealanders making financial decisions across mortgages, savings, term deposits, KiwiSaver, property, investing, currencies, and rural markets, with a primary audience of financially-engaged consumers (70% with university degree/diploma) and a secondary audience of banking and finance professionals. The product surface centers on original news and analysis, proprietary rate comparison tables covering mortgage, term deposit, savings, and credit card products across NZ institutions, interactive calculators (mortgage, home loan comparison, borrowing capacity, deposit, break fee), economic data visualizations, an economic calendar, and two podcast series (Of Interest and Economy Watch).
The underlying technology is a web-based content platform with proprietary data aggregation covering NZ financial products since 2001. The site's tool suite combines internally built calculators with calculator technology sourced via the Calculate.co.nz partnership and a quiz feature powered by Qwizard. Content is distributed through the website, topic-specific email newsletters, podcast channels, and social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram), reaching 2.8M+ users annually across 3.7M unique addresses, with 500,000+ pages served weekly, an average time-on-site of 3:50-4:00 minutes, and a 55% mobile / 40% desktop / 5% tablet traffic split. Traffic composition is 50%+ direct, 30% organic search, and 20% referral.
The business model blends advertising with subscription and data monetization. Revenue streams include CPM-based display advertising (with home page and full-site takeovers available), hotlink and featured rate placements on rate tables, sponsored content, a paid Banking & Finance Daily Newsletter for industry professionals, PressPatron-managed supporter memberships (minimum $10/month or $100/year for ad-free access and commenting), and data licensing of proprietary historical datasets and original news feeds. Geographic scope is exclusively New Zealand, with a navigation reference to interest.com.au indicating potential Australian optionality.
Interest.co.nz firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Interest.co.nz
- Legal name
- JDJL Limited
- Website
- https://interest.co.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Interest.co.nz is a New Zealand financial news and data platform serving consumer financial decision makers and banking professionals with original journalism, proprietary rate comparison tables, calculators, economic data, podcasts, and a paid industry newsletter, monetized primarily through advertising, subscriptions, and data licensing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Interest.co.nz industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Financial News and Data
- NAICS
- Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers (52231)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mortgage Comparison, Marketplace & Rate-Shopping Platforms (FSALABAJ)
Keywords
Where Interest.co.nz is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Herne Bay
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Interest.co.nz business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Display Advertising: Banner display advertising sold on CPM (cost per thousand impressions) basis with minimum 50,000 impressions per week. Includes home page takeovers and full site takeovers. ROS (run of site) placement only.
- Hotlinks and Featured Rates: Logo placement on rate tables enabling direct links to financial institutions. Logos and links also flow through to eDMs and embedded tables in news stories.
- Sponsored Content: Sponsored articles and home page block advertising in dominant positions (970x250 billboard format).
- Banking & Finance Daily Newsletter: Premium paid newsletter providing essential industry intelligence for bankers. The only content that requires paid subscription.
- Data Sales and Licensing: Proprietary data sets stretching back to 2001, sold in convenient forms. Also licenses feeds of original news articles.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free Access |
| Subscription | Monthly | Banking & Finance Daily Newsletter |
| Subscription | Monthly | Supporter Membership |
| Other | Others | Banner Advertising |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Interest.co.nz product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Interest.co.nz is a New Zealand financial news and data platform that publishes independent news, commentary, and analysis on banking, mortgages, savings, property, investing, economy, rural markets, currencies, and bonds. It operates rate comparison tables across multiple financial institutions, interactive calculators for mortgages and deposits, economic data visualizations, and editorial content backed by proprietary historical datasets. Premium services include a paid Banking & Finance Daily Newsletter, supporter membership, and data licensing for commercial users.
Product overview
Interest.co.nz is a financial news and data platform offering free news content alongside a suite of financial tools and data services. The core offering is its news platform covering banking, mortgages, savings, property, investing, economy, rural markets, currencies, and bonds. The platform includes interactive calculators (mortgage calculator, home loan comparison), rate tables for savings and mortgage products, economic charts and data, podcast content, and a quiz feature. Premium offerings include the Banking & Finance Daily Newsletter and data licensing services. The site monetizes through advertising (banner display, takeovers, hotlinks, featured rate blocks) and supporter subscriptions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Of Interest Podcast: In-depth interviews podcast series
- Economy Watch Podcast
- Quiz Feature
Products and services
- Banking & Finance Daily Newsletter Premium paid newsletter providing essential industry intelligence for banking and finance professionals, including market data, rate monitoring, and curated daily news summaries.
- Data Licensing Services Proprietary data sets stretching back to 2001 sold in convenient forms, plus licensed feeds of original news articles and custom data packages available for commercial purchase.
- Display and Banner Advertising Banner display advertising sold on CPM basis with minimum 50,000 impressions per week, including home page takeovers, full site takeovers, ROS placement, hotlinks, and featured rate logo placements on comparison tables.
- Sponsored Content and Native Advertising Sponsored articles and home page block advertising in dominant positions (970x250 billboard format) enabling financial institutions and partners to reach the platform's audience through branded editorial content.
- Supporter Membership (Ad-Free Experience) Subscription-based membership with minimum $10/month or $100/year, providing ad-free experience, commenting ability, and access to daily/weekly newsletters, managed via PressPatron.
Quantifiable outcome
- 2.8 million+ users annually with 3.7 million unique addresses in 2024
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Interest.co.nz
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Interest.co.nz technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Interest.co.nz partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Calculate.co.nzcorePartnership with Calculate.co.nz for New Zealand's highest quality calculators and analysis. Interest.co.nz is partnered with Calculate.co.nz to provide calculator functionality on the site.
- PressPatroncorePressPatron is used for supporter donations and membership management. Supporters log in via PressPatron accounts. Minimum $10/month or $100/year for ad-free experience, commenting ability, and newsletter access.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Interest.co.nz competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Canstar: Australia and New Zealand financial product comparison and ratings agency. Comparable in providing independent rate comparison across banking and investment products, with a stronger institutional and ratings-driven angle.
- NerdWallet: US-based financial comparison platform offering credit cards, banking, mortgages, investing, and insurance comparison tools with editorial content. Scaled example of the same consumer finance comparison-and-content business model at much greater scale.
- Bankrate: US financial publisher owned by Red Ventures providing mortgage rates, savings rates, credit cards, and personal finance editorial content. Closely analogous operating model — editorial brand monetized through advertising and lead generation around rate tables.
- Finder: Australia-based financial comparison marketplace operating across insurance, banking, energy, and investing. Operates a similar freemium news-and-comparison model with rate tables, calculators, and editorial content targeting consumers making financial decisions.
- MoneySupermarket Group: UK-listed financial price comparison platform covering insurance, banking, energy, and home services. Comparable business model as a comparison marketplace monetized through advertising and lead generation to financial providers.
Direct peers
- RateCity: Australian financial comparison platform comparing home loans, savings accounts, credit cards, and term deposits. Directly comparable product offering (mortgage rate comparison tables, calculators) and audience (financial decision-makers) to Interest.co.nz.
- MoneyHub: New Zealand personal finance comparison and editorial site covering banking, insurance, investing, and KiwiSaver. Most direct NZ-based peer given shared market, audience, and editorial-comparison positioning.
- Interest.com.au: Direct Australian counterpart already linked from Interest.co.nz's homepage, offering a near-identical proposition — financial news, rate comparison tables, calculators, and editorial content for Australian consumers. Most directly comparable peer given shared brand lineage and product model.
Regional players
- Sorted.org.nz: New Zealand government-backed personal finance site operated by the Retirement Commission. Targets the same NZ consumer audience with money management tools and educational content; non-commercial positioning limits direct ad-market competition.
- MoneyTalks: New Zealand financial capability service focused on budgeting advice and money management education. Comparable NZ audience and financial-literacy editorial mission, though positioned as a free advisory service rather than commercial media.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Interest.co.nz social profiles
Digital presenceInterest.co.nz financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Interest.co.nz leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Interest.co.nz funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Interest.co.nz M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Interest.co.nz
What does Interest.co.nz do?
Interest.co.nz is a New Zealand financial news and data platform that publishes independent news, commentary, and analysis on banking, mortgages, savings, property, investing, economy, rural markets, currencies, and bonds. It operates rate comparison tables across multiple financial institutions, interactive calculators for mortgages and deposits, economic data visualizations, and editorial content backed by proprietary historical datasets. Premium services include a paid Banking & Finance Daily Newsletter, supporter membership, and data licensing for commercial users.
Is Interest.co.nz a public or private company?
Interest.co.nz is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Interest.co.nz founded?
Interest.co.nz was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Interest.co.nz based?
Interest.co.nz is headquartered in Herne Bay, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Interest.co.nz make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Display Advertising is the primary driver. The others are hotlinks and Featured Rates, sponsored Content, banking & Finance Daily Newsletter and data Sales and Licensing.
Who are Interest.co.nz's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Canstar, NerdWallet, Bankrate, Finder and MoneySupermarket Group. Direct peers are RateCity, MoneyHub and Interest.com.au. Regional players are Sorted.org.nz and MoneyTalks.
Does Interest.co.nz have an API?
No public API is recorded for Interest.co.nz.
What industry is Interest.co.nz in?
Interest.co.nz's product category is Financial News and Data. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSALABAJ, Mortgage Comparison, Marketplace & Rate-Shopping Platforms. Its NAICS code is 52231.