Our latest insights

Proactive stress testing to manage macroeconomic risk, strengthen financial stability and banking

ASIC Commissioner Alan Kirkland outlines key regulatory priorities in the credit sector, focusing on responsible lending, dispute resolution, and protecting vulnerable consumers from misconduct.

APRA’s latest reforms are designed to make its banking framework more proportionate, supporting a more competitive banking environment and fostering innovation. For smaller and medium-sized banks, this could mean reduced compliance pressures and more scope to focus on customers and growth.

ADIs are navigating regulatory reform, digital transformation, and rising fraud risks by strengthening governance, modernising infrastructure, and aligning strategy with compliance to drive resilience and long-term value.

APRA has proposed eight updates to governance and fit and proper requirements for banks, insurers, and superannuation trustees. Businesses must proactively adapt their governance practices to align with these enhanced standards.

To position your business for resilience and success as we approach a new financial year, it’s important to consider key trends impacting the banking sector to help you navigate the evolving regulatory and risk landscape.

Discover APRA's proposed new guidelines on Interest Rate Risk in Banking Book (IRRBB) through APS 117, impacting non-significant financial institutions (non-SFI). Learn about key requirements, including risk management framework integration, technology capacity assessment, and data quality evaluation, ensuring compliance and effective risk management.

Read more for insights from the latest APRA statistics and ICAAP reviews highlighting the Australian banking sector's strengthened capital management. Learn key considerations for ADIs to balance risk and growth effectively, including data quality, operational risk focus, and leveraging automation.

APRA's proposed changes to ADI liquidity and capital standards have sparked discussions across the banking sector. To encourage a resilient banking future, we put forward a submission to APRA last week in response to the changes.

In a complex operating environment, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) is encouraging regulated entities to prioritise quality data as a valuable asset. APRA's growing emphasis on data risk management, evident in regulatory guidance such as CPG 235, CPS 234, and CPS 230, underscores the vital role of quality data for entities under its regulation. Despite progress revealed in APRA's 100 Critical Risk Data Elements Pilot study, a significant gap persists between current and optimal data risk management practices, with potential consequences including reputational damage and financial loss.

The Financial Accountability Regime (FAR) Bill 2023 marks a pivotal transformation in financial sector oversight, affecting all APRA regulated financial entities in the banking, insurance and superannuation industries as well as their significant related entities. Jointly administered by ASIC and APRA, the FAR will replace the Banking Executive Accountability Regime (BEAR), aiming to improve risk and governance cultures by imposing a strengthened responsibility and accountability framework for those financial institutions.

This week, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) finalised new requirements to Prudential Standard CPS 511 Remuneration, which will significantly impact authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs), insurers, and superannuation entities. This new standard requires APRA-regulated entities to publish details around their remuneration frameworks, design, governance, and outcomes. These changes come in an effort to create more transparency and improve risk management, in particular in the context of the poorly designed and executed remuneration frameworks exposed through the financial services Royal Commission.