Benchmark Analytics provides independent analysis of the politics, regulation and economics of Australian banking.
Coverage focuses on the issues that matter to financial institutions, government and regulatory affairs teams, policymakers and other professionals operating in a heavily regulated industry — including prudential regulation, competition, bank profitability, lending, deposits, regional banking and access to financial services.
Analysis draws extensively on official and primary sources including APRA, the Reserve Bank of Australia, ASIC, the ACCC, the Australian Bureau of Statistics and individual bank disclosures.
What Benchmark Analytics covers
- Regulation and public policy — prudential regulation, consumer policy, competition, government reform and regulatory developments affecting banks.
- Bank performance — profitability, net interest margins, costs, returns, lending and deposit trends using APRA and bank financial data.
- Competition and industry structure — differences between major banks, regional banks, customer-owned institutions and other ADIs.
- Regional banking and access — branch networks, cash and face-to-face banking services, regional competition and policy responses to declining access.
- Politics and communications — the evidence behind major banking debates and the implications for government, regulators, industry and public discussion.
Banking analysis built on primary data
Australian banking is unusually data-rich. APRA publishes extensive financial and prudential information on authorised deposit-taking institutions, while the RBA, ASIC, ACCC and ABS provide complementary information on lending, payments, competition, financial conditions and the wider economy. Benchmark Analytics uses these sources to test claims, compare institutions and identify developments that matter for policy and public debate.