Economic News

Alongside official statistics, the Reserve Bank gathers intelligence from around 900 business liaison interviews each year, one of the ways it builds its picture of a labour market it still describes as a little tight.

The Reserve Bank's October Financial Stability Review found that company insolvencies have declined relative to the number of operating companies and now sit around their longer-run average, though a major builder's collapse is expected to cause a temporary spike.

The Reserve Bank's October Financial Stability Review found most businesses can manage elevated costs, but singled out hospitality, construction and transport as sectors where stress remains elevated.

More small and medium-sized businesses were profitable in late 2025 than before the pandemic, the Reserve Bank's October Financial Stability Review found, with many firms also holding cash buffers above longer-run averages.

Card surcharges on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa ended on 1 October 2026, with American Express following suit, and the first days of the new regime bring changes at the checkout and on merchants' statements, along with some charges that are untouched.

Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay accounted for around 45 per cent of all card payments by the end of 2025, and the Reserve Bank's Review of Payments System Regulation is examining what that shift means for competition and access.

Governor Michele Bullock told a parliamentary committee in September that the Reserve Bank does not aim at housing prices, even as she acknowledged that prices remain far above their pre-pandemic level.