Client safety and digital security
In her keynote handle on the thirty fourth Annual Credit score Regulation Convention, ASIC Commissioner Kate O’Rourke (pictured above) highlighted ASIC’s dedication to enhancing shopper outcomes and digital resilience.
O’Rourke detailed how ASIC’s regulatory priorities align with challenges within the banking and credit score sectors, with a give attention to monetary hardship, scams prevention, and AI governance.
“Monetary hardship, synthetic intelligence, and combatting scams are all areas of intense and ongoing focus for ASIC,” O’Rourke stated.
Strengthening shopper outcomes via regulation
ASIC is taking a proactive method to bettering shopper outcomes, publishing a number of experiences to handle monetary hardship, banking charges, and bank card lending.
In Could, ASIC’s “Hardship, exhausting to get assist” report (REP 783) discovered that lenders fell brief in supporting prospects going through monetary stress.
“Lenders ought to be certain that prospects are conscious of economic hardship help and perceive when and learn how to request it,” O’Rourke stated.
ASIC will proceed to gather hardship knowledge via June 2025 and have interaction with lenders to observe outcomes.
ASIC additionally addressed payment hurt for Indigenous customers, revealing that banks charged some low-income Australians as a lot as $3,000 yearly in overdrawn charges. Twenty-eight million {dollars} in charges had been returned, and 200,000 prospects had been moved to low-fee accounts, saving an estimated $10.7m per 12 months.
Updates to shopper credit score and leasing practices
ASIC is intently monitoring reforms in small quantity credit score contracts and shopper leases to make sure suppliers adjust to accountable lending obligations.
As some suppliers shift away from conventional leasing fashions, ASIC is specializing in various credit score merchandise that would pose dangers to customers.
O’Rourke warned that ASIC will take enforcement motion if lenders fail to adjust to new rules.
New Banking Code of Observe and BNPL Reforms
ASIC labored with the Australian Banking Affiliation to develop a revised Banking Code of Observe, set to take impact in February 2025.
The up to date code broadens the definition of economic problem, strengthens mortgage guarantor protections, and expands small enterprise eligibility, supporting an extra 10,000 companies.
In June, Parliament launched draft laws to manage purchase now, pay later (BNPL) below the Nationwide Credit score Act.
ASIC is collaborating with Treasury to organize for these modifications, which is able to modify accountable lending obligations for BNPL suppliers.
Combating scams and managing digital danger
Rip-off prevention stays a precedence, with ASIC figuring out $232m in rip-off transactions throughout 15 banks in 2023. Banks had been in a position to cease simply 19% of rip-off transactions and recuperate solely 20% of stolen funds, with 96% of losses borne by prospects.
To sort out this, the federal government is growing a Scams Prevention Framework in partnership with ASIC, the ACCC, and ACMA, imposing obligations on key sectors to raised defend customers.
ASIC can be monitoring using synthetic intelligence (AI) within the monetary sector, guaranteeing corporations undertake accountable governance frameworks. Findings from a current evaluate of AI use can be revealed quickly.
Regulatory outlook: Coordination and transparency
O’Rourke welcomed the upcoming regulatory initiatives grid, which is able to supply a 24-month forecast of main regulatory actions throughout companies.
This initiative goals to minimise regulatory burdens by bettering coordination and giving companies better visibility of upcoming reforms.
O’Rourke emphasised that “easing lending requirements wouldn’t essentially end in elevated entry to inexpensive credit score.”
Prioritising shopper safety and digital security
ASIC’s 2024 agenda focuses on enhancing shopper outcomes and advancing digital resilience, with ongoing efforts to scale back charges, fight scams, and implement credit score rules.
With new laws, trade partnerships, and regulatory reforms on the horizon, ASIC goals to strengthen shopper protections and foster a safer monetary panorama all through 2024 and past.
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