K: Financial and Insurance Services

Westpac: 70pc of employees use AI daily

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Original article by James Eyers
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 16 : 16-Sep-26

Westpac has told investors that more than 95 per cent of its employees now use artificial intelligence tools at least once a month, compared with 69 per cent at the start of 2026. Meanwhile, more than 70 per cent of the bank’s staff have integrated AI tools into their everyday workflow, up from just 14 per cent in January. AI tools have also reduced the timeline for migrating St George customers to Westpac’s banking platform by two years. Westpac’s chief data, digital and AI officer Andrew McMullan says the banking industry is undergoing one of the most significant shifts it has ever seen.

CORPORATES
WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, ST GEORGE BANK LIMITED

Investors brace for end of four-year bull run

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Original article by Gus McCubbing
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 16-Sep-26

The Australian sharemarket has shed 4.4 per cent in the last month, while the S&P 500 is down 1.6 per cent. Meanwhile, Australian and US bond yields are continuing to rise, the Iran war-induced surge in the crude oil price is putting upward pressure on inflation, and there is growing expectation of official interest rate rises in both Australia and the US. Rich Dell from insurance broking and risk management group Marsh says such factors will heighten the risk of a sharemarket correction, and potentially the end of the four-year bull run.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, MARSH INCORPORATED

El Nino to affect interest rates and some ASX stocks

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Original article by Gus McCubbing
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 26-Aug-26

The current El Nino weather event in the Pacific Ocean began in June and is expected to last well into 2027; it is likely to put upward pressure on food prices, and therefore Australia’s inflation rate. There are fears that it could become a ‘ Super El Nino’, and Citi commodity strategist Arkady Gevorkyan says this is the firm’s highest-conviction agricultural risk. Citi notes that Australian crops such as wheat, barley, and canola are most at risk from an El Nino event. On the other hand, Morgan Stanley says the metals market could be boosted if copper production in Chile and Zambia is impacted by El Nino.

CORPORATES
CITIGROUP PTY LTD, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Investors screwed over as BHP keeps rising

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Original article by Alex Gluyas
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 26-Aug-26

BHP’s share price has risen by 13 per cent so far in August, reaching a new record high yesterday. The resources giant now accounts for nearly 12 per cent of the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index, compared with just 7.4 per cent at around this time last year. In contrast, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s shares have fallen by 11 per cent so far this month, and its weighting in the ASX 200 has fallen from nearly 12 per cent to 10.5 per cent in the last year. Fund managers who missed out on CBA’s stellar rise in 2025 are now facing the same issue with BHP.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX

Extreme mortgage stress increases nationally, driven by people on lower incomes and in lower socio-economic quintiles

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 5-Aug-26

Roy Morgan’s Single Source research shows that an estimated 1.06 million mortgage holders (19.8%) were ‘Extremely at Risk’ of mortgage stress in the six months to June 2026, up from 16.7% in December 2025, and 19.3% higher than in June 2024 (just before the reworked Stage 3 tax cuts took effect). The proportion of mortgage holders who are ‘At Risk’ of mortgage stress (a less strict measure) has in turn risen from 25.2% in December 2025 to 28.5% in June 2026; this equates to 1.53 million mortgage holders. Mortgage stress eased from June 2024 to December 2025, driven by factors such as real wage growth as inflation declined, income tax cuts, home loan interest rate cuts and a rising sharemarket. However, renewed increases in interest rates and inflation in 2026 are putting renewed pressure on mortgage stress. A key cohort driving high levels of extreme mortgage stress are lower income earners with household incomes of less than $100,000, and people in the lower socio-economic quintiles.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

In June risk of mortgage stress up 1.3% points after the Reserve Bank raised interest rates in May to 4.35%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 22-Jul-26

New research from Roy Morgan shows that 30.3% of mortgage holders were ‘At Risk’ of ‘mortgage stress’ in the three months to June 2026, up 1.3% points from May. This is equivalent to 1,606,000 people (up 68,000 on a month earlier), and the highest level of mortgage stress since the amended Stage 3 income tax cuts were introduced at the end of June 2024. The number of Australians ‘At Risk’ of mortgage stress is up by 115,000 on a year ago, after the Reserve Bank cut interest rates in May and August 2025, and then raised them in February, March and May 2026. Meanwhile, the number of Australians who are considered to be ‘Extremely At Risk’ of mortgage stress is now numbered at 1,096,000 (20.7% of mortgage holders); this is significantly above the long-term average over the last two decades of 16.4%.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

ING, Suncorp Bank and Bendigo Bank home loan customers are the most satisfied with their bank after three interest rate rises

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 8-Jul-26

New financial data from Roy Morgan’s Single Source shows that ING has topped the latest banking customer satisfaction ratings among home loan customers. ING’s home loan customer satisfaction rating is a market leading 92.1%, up 0.9% points from a year ago. In second place is Suncorp Bank, which completed its merger with ANZ almost two years ago; customer satisfaction among Suncorp’s home loan customers is 87.1%, up 2.3% points on a year ago. Filling out the top four banks are Bendigo Bank on 84.1% (up 1.6% points on a year ago) and Macquarie on 79.7% (up 0.4% points). Meanwhile, NAB now has the highest home loan customer satisfaction rating among the big four banks, with a rating of 78.8%, and the largest increase in customer satisfaction compared to a year ago, up 6.5% points. The latest data covers the six months to May 2026, and overall home loan customer satisfaction amongst Australia’s top banks collectively was at 78.3% during this period; this represents a collective increase of 4.2% points from a year ago. The atest banking satisfaction ratings come from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey, derived from in-depth interviews with over 60,000 Australians each year.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, ING BANK (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, SUNCORP BANK, BENDIGO BANK, MACQUARIE BANK LIMITED, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB

Housing slide to lift ASX, but banks face risk

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Original article by Grace Lagan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 25 : 7-Jul-26

House prices fell 0.4 per cent nationwide in June, while the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 gained about 0.5 per cent. Historical analysis by Morningstar suggests that the Australian bourse is likely to benefit from the latest housing market weakness. The firm notes that excluding the global financial crisis, there have been five housing market downturns since 1980 that have resulted in dwelling prices falling by at least five per cent; the ASX 200 has in turn gained 7.5 per cent on average during each of these downturns. Looking ahead, Challenger’s chief economist Jonathan Kearns says the nation’s banks are likely to record lower growth in new home loans as an expected rise in the unemployment rate results in increased mortgage arrears.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, MORNINGSTAR PTY LTD, CHALLENGER LIMITED – ASX CGF

Risk of mortgage stress up 0.8% points in May after the Reserve Bank raised interest rates in early May to 4.35%

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 24-Jun-26

New research from Roy Morgan shows that 29% of mortgage holders were ‘At Risk’ of ‘mortgage stress’ in the three months to May 2026, up 0.8% points from April. This is equivalent to 1,538,000 people (up 65,000 on a month earlier). The number of Australians ‘At Risk’ of mortgage stress is up by 100,000 on a year ago, after the Reserve Bank cut interest rates in May and August 2025, and then raised them in February, March and May 2026. Meanwhile, the number of Australians who are considered to be ‘Extremely At Risk’ of mortgage stress is now numbered at 1,084,000 (20.4% of mortgage holders); this is significantly above the long-term average over the last two decades of 16.4%.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA

ETF giants rush to cash in on SpaceX hype

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Original article by Alex Gluyas
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 21 : 11-Jun-26

Data from Reuters shows that investors have sought to buy $US250bn worth of shares in SpaceX via its highly-anticipated IPO. In constrast, the Elon Musk-backed space technology group is seeking to raise just $US75bn from investors. Meanwhile, a growing number of companies that offer exchange-traded funds are seeking to capitalise in the SpaceX float. Global X has launched its Space Tech ETF in Australia ahead of SpaceX’s sharemarket debut this week, while Betashares established its Space Industry ETF in May. However, VanEck and ETF Shares have both ruled out launching a similar product in Australia.

CORPORATES
SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION, GLOBAL X ETFS AUSTRALIA, GLOBAL X SPACE TECH ETF – ASX MOON, BETASHARES CAPITAL LIMITED, BETASHARES SPACE INDUSTRY ETF – ASX RCKT