Australia
Westpac lends A$1b to 2,100 women entrepreneurs over 3 years
Westpac lends A$1b to 2,100 women entrepreneurs over 3 years
Women-led businesses are starting and scaling up across Australia, said Westpac’s Paul Fowler.
CommBank names UNSW’s Mary-Anne Williams as chief AI strategist
Wiliams will lead CommBank’s team of AI scientists.
NAB refreshes app and internet banking
Around 98% of banking interactions in NAB are digital.
Australia fines Snaffle A$33.5m as 38,000 contracts overcharged
Snaffle’s pricing charged between 88% and 103% in rates, over the 48% rate cap.
Australia rate hikes may slow lending at major banks
Refinancing activity could rise as borrowers search for cheaper mortgages.
National Australia Bank buys A2A payment company Banked
NAB will fully integrate Banked in the coming months.
ASIC holds $1.93b in unclaimed funds from old financial accounts
The largest single amount currently unclaimed is around $927,000 (A$1.3m).
CBA taps luxury label BEARE PARK to redesign frontline staff wardrobe
BEARE Park founder Gabrielle Pereira was a former banker herself, CBA said.
NAB names Connie Sokaris as group chief risk officer
Sokaris starts in her new role on 3 August 2026.
CBA onboards FIS to streamline reconciliations
FIS is expected to process over 150 million transactions per day for CBA.
NAB profit falls 19% to $1.98b on large notable items
Net interest income rose by 8.5% whilst total operating expenses hit a 32.47% increase.
ANZ posts $2.63b profit for H1 2026 on moderate loan and deposit growth
Its dividend for the period is 83 cents per share.
AI bets could reshape costs and competition for Aussie banks
Customers are likely to positively view 24-hour support and shorter waiting times.
ANZ takes full control of ANZ Worldline venture for $63.7m
ANZ Worldline is a joint venture with Worldline Australia, established in 2022.
National Australia Bank settles overtime dispute with finance union
Certain teams in the bank were told they would not be paid overtime but get TOIL instead, according to the FSU.
Perth is emerging as an unlikely testbed for the future of global finance
Australia brings a sophisticated finance system, strong regulators, and high-quality education.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia deploys agentic AI to detect scam patterns
It also creates new rules to intercept scams, approved by the bank’s fraud analytics team.
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Inside Longbridge Securities (Singapore)’s win at the Asian Banking & Finance Fintech Awards 2026
Gavin Chia on how AI is making institutional-grade investing more accessible to everyday investors.
Commentary
Singapore's next payments opportunity
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Why Asia’s private wealth industry requires a new era of governance
APAC has mastered domestic payments. The next challenge is connecting them.
Why fragmented communications are becoming a hidden governance risk for Asia Pacific banks
From automation to agency: Asia’s wealth leaders can reinvent, not just streamline
Singapore aced its FATF evaluation — now comes the hard part
Are Asia’s digital banks prepared for the stablecoin era?
Why APAC is building home-currency stablecoins
Why Southeast Asian wealth managers must design the business before buying the technology