Bank of Australia stories
The surcharge ban could squeeze merchants' margins unless they shift customers towards cheaper account-to-account payments, Hello Clever says.
A softer August reading may not spare borrowers, with CreditorWatch warning that broad-based price pressures still point to another RBA hike.
Shoppers will see fewer checkout fees on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa payments, though public holiday and weekend surcharges still apply.
Borrowing power has fallen by nearly AUD $90,000 for a median-income household, leaving sales and prices under renewed pressure.
Fuel and other essentials kept Australian consumers under pressure in August, with flat spending and weaker non-fuel outlays pointing to caution.
Businesses using spend management software could face costly lock-in if their platform only works with its own corporate cards.
Higher interest rates and price mismatches are leaving more homes unsold, as Australia's capital-city clearance rate slips to 49.1%.
Australia's labour market sent mixed signals in August, but inflation worries still leave the Reserve Bank likely to lift interest rates next week.
Australian households and debt-laden firms face further borrowing-cost pressure, with CreditorWatch seeing no chance of the RBA standing pat in September.
Residential builders face rising defaults and insolvencies as Australia's AUD $150 billion data centre pipeline squeezes labour and materials.
Businesses using credit cards are losing insurance, longer grace periods and reward value as major lenders trim perks amid card reforms.
Business innovation has stalled in the latest two years, even as a new index puts Australia at a record high in 2023-24.
Shoppers will soon see a simpler checkout, as businesses across Australia must stop adding fees to eftpos, Mastercard and Visa card payments from 1 October.
Australia's wealth managers now face pressure to rebuild custody and distribution systems as tokenised assets move under the same law as other holdings.
Rising fuel and borrowing costs are squeezing Australian households and firms, bolstering expectations the Reserve Bank may lift rates again in September.
Rising listings and longer selling times are deepening the downturn, with vendor discounts widening as buyers retreat from Australia's housing market.
Banks want to prevent AI-driven shopping from eroding customer control, privacy and security as agentic commerce moves closer to everyday payments.
Australian businesses trading across Asia Pacific may gain faster, clearer cross-border payments as Sokin builds a local leadership team.
Recognition for more than 50 finalists highlighted women's growing influence in Asia-Pacific artificial intelligence as Grace Chung took the top prize.
Banks could use the new platform to automate routine tasks and speed decisions, but only within strict guardrails and audit trails.