Australian economy stories
Rising online fraud and a 2027 digital assets regime are pushing banks and fintechs to upgrade infrastructure as adoption accelerates.
Rising regulatory pressure could force banks, merchants and payment firms to tighten controls on AI and card costs as Australia reforms payments.
The top-up will lower borrowing costs for small firms buying solar, batteries and electric vehicles as energy bills and inflation bite.
Labour shortages and rising client demands could be eased if more firms adopt AI, MYOB says, boosting annual revenue by AUD $4.8 billion.
Higher borrowing costs and fuel prices have cooled discretionary spending, leaving consumer-facing firms under pressure as sales growth slowed.
Lower speculative building and rising costs are squeezing tenant choice, with national industrial vacancy down to 3.7% after two years.
Borrowers who seek help before falling behind on mortgages are far more likely to recover, with 87% back on track within six months.
Rising unemployment and softer hiring demand may keep the Reserve Bank of Australia cautious as it weighs the labour market outlook.
More than 35,000 Australian businesses now face heightened failure risk as ATO debts above AUD $100,000 coincide with rising defaults.
A free phone service aims to help Australian small businesses move beyond early AI trials, after research found most do not know where to begin.
Australia-based customers will soon get savings accounts and a credit card as Revolut commits nearly AUD $400 million to its local banking push.
Banks and insurers are scrambling for scarce regulatory experts as deadlines bite, even after cutting about 8,000 permanent roles this year.
Only 22% of Australian organisations say they are ready to govern AI safely, as spending and use surge across daily operations.
Pay rises are easing across Australia's SMB sector, but 18- to 24-year-olds still posted the strongest annual wage gains in June.
Small businesses face disruption as Australia phases out cheques by 2029, with 3.5 million bank cheques still unbanked.
Penalties in the low-to-medium eight figures may barely dent Telstra, as experts say tougher laws are needed to stop repeat outages.
Household finances are under growing strain as more Australians dip into savings, cut discretionary spending and lean on credit for essentials.
Delays in transformers, cooling gear and servers could slow Australia's data centre boom as AI demand strains global supplier networks.
SMBs and mid-market firms facing AI-driven attacks are set for tighter device controls as SonicWall prepares a new endpoint security product.
Higher build and rent costs are squeezing occupiers, with Sydney's industrial market now showing wider price gaps and slower dealmaking.