Andrew John Spira, a former director of private credit lenders Skyecap Pty Ltd and Pineapple Funding Pty Ltd, has been permanently banned by ASIC from the financial services and credit industries after he was convicted of fraud by a Darwin court.
Mr Spira was arrested in May 2023 after attempting to leave Australia on a false UK passport, attempting to pay for chartered flights using stolen credit card details, and making false declarations in an Australian passport application.
On 17 November 2023, Mr Spira was convicted in the Northern Territory Local Court of numerous offences, including dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage by deception. He was sentenced to an 18-month good behaviour order and ordered to pay restitution.
As a result of his fraud conviction, ASIC has permanently banned Mr Spira from:
- providing any financial services or engaging in any credit activities
- controlling, whether alone or in concert with one or more other entities, an entity that carries on a financial services business or another person who engages in credit activities, and
- performing any function involved in the carrying on of a financial services or engaging in credit activities.
Under the Corporations Act and the National Consumer Credit Protection Act, ASIC may permanently ban a person from the financial services and credit industries if they are convicted of fraud.
Mr Spira's bannings took effect on 19 November 2025.
Mr Spira has the right to apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal for a review of ASIC's decision.
Background
Mr Spira was the Founder and CEO of Skyecap since October 2023 and was a director of Skyecap between February 2024 and July 2025. Skyecap is a private lender for small and medium businesses (SMEs) for loans ranging from $2,000 to $100,000.
Mr Spira was the founder and CEO of Pineapple Funding between January 2019 and June 2024. He was also the sole director of Pineapple Funding between February 2019 and July 2025. Pineapple Funding was a loan broker based in Sydney that specialised in providing access to capital to SMEs.
ASIC maintains a banned and disqualified persons register that provides information about people who have been disqualified from:
- involvement in the management of a corporation
- auditing self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs), or
- practising in the financial services or credit industry.
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