Bank of Australia Stories - Page 4

Australian Stories

Bank of Australia stories

Australia tests tokenised finance in Project Acacia

Settlement could become faster and cheaper for wholesale markets, but regulators say tokenised finance still needs new rules and infrastructure.

By Karen Joy Bacudo • 4 min read • Tue, 19th May 2026

Robotics

CommBank appoints first Chief AI Scientist in Australia

The appointment underscores the lender's push to scale responsible AI as banks race to recruit academic talent and manage security and governance risks.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Mon, 18th May 2026

Taxation

Budget tax changes spare RBA inflation, says economist

Relief for the Reserve Bank comes as the federal budget avoids fresh cost-of-living handouts, while tightening tax breaks for higher earners.

By Sean Mitchell • 5 min read • Wed, 13th May 2026

Real estate

Australia business confidence stays weak as costs rise

Rising fuel and energy bills are squeezing margins and leaving Australian firms facing weaker trading conditions ahead.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Tue, 12th May 2026

Supply Chain

Fuel prices & rates reshape Australia's construction

Higher fuel and borrowing costs are starting to squeeze builders, with insolvencies likely to rise if Strait of Hormuz disruptions persist.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Wed, 6th May 2026

Partner Programmes

Australian small business sales rise 7.2% in Q1 2026

Momentum stayed firm for Australian small businesses in the March quarter, as sales, jobs and wages all rose despite higher fuel costs.

By Karen Joy Bacudo • 4 min read • Mon, 4th May 2026

Power / Energy

Australian inflation eases, but RBA tightening looms

Fuel costs have pushed headline prices higher again, leaving the Reserve Bank of Australia under pressure to raise interest rates despite softer underlying inflation.

By Karen Joy Bacudo • 4 min read • Wed, 29th Apr 2026

Data Protection

CommBank deploys AI to spot emerging fraud patterns

The bank’s defences may move faster as the system is meant to spot new scam patterns and turn them into blocking rules more quickly.

By Karen Joy Bacudo • 3 min read • Fri, 24th Apr 2026

Risk & Compliance

CommBank barometer shows high FX hedging among firms

Geopolitical turmoil has pushed Australian firms to lock in currency cover, with exporters hedging 86 per cent of exposure and importers 80 per cent.

By Shannon Williams • 3 min read • Thu, 23rd Apr 2026

Data Protection

Persona integrates ConnectID for privacy-first age checks

Australian platforms facing tougher age-check rules can now verify users through bank data, without collecting passports or licences.

By Sean Mitchell • 3 min read • Wed, 22nd Apr 2026

Digital Transformation

PayNuts broadens offer for SMEs as surcharging reforms loom

A tougher fee regime is pushing the payments firm to offer SMEs more services, from POS and broadband to bookkeeping, beyond EFTPOS.

By Karen Joy Bacudo • 4 min read • Tue, 21st Apr 2026

Partner Programmes

Australian confidence drops as fuel costs hit sentiment

Households and firms are facing renewed cost-of-living pressure, with petrol prices driving sentiment to levels last seen during the GFC and pandemic.

By Sean Mitchell • 5 min read • Tue, 14th Apr 2026

Phishing

Employees outspot managers in CommBank scam research

Email fraud is still slipping through Australian firms as front-line staff prove better than managers at spotting scams, a CommBank survey found.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Thu, 9th Apr 2026

Digital Transformation

David Hyman launches monō ai to scale enterprise AI

Backed by its founders, the AI venture is targeting firms struggling to turn pilots into measurable gains as demand grows across regulated industries.

By Kaleah Salmon • 4 min read • Thu, 2nd Apr 2026