Banking

Westpac Banking Corporation has a long and proud history as Australia's first and oldest bank. It was established in 1817 as the bank of New South Wales and in 1982 changed its name to Westpac. Now Westpac services 8.3 million customers through it's activities in Australia, New Zealand and the near Pacific.

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia was founded under legislation, namely the Commonwealth Bank Act, enacted by Andrew Fisher's Labor Government in 1911. It was the culmination of a movement which went back over half a century and became more active following Federation in 1901. The Bank became a public company on 17 April 1991. The Commonwealth Bank now has more than 135,000 EFTPOS terminals throughout Australia, 3,200 ATMs, over 1,000 branches and service centres and over 35,000 staff.

Founded in the Australian State of Victoria in 1858, The National Bank of Australasia as it was originally known - quickly became renowned as one of the more prudent banking institutions in the country. Founded in the Australian State of Victoria in 1858, The National Bank of Australasia as it was originally known - quickly became renowned as one of the more prudent banking institutions in the country.Founded in the Australian State of Victoria in 1858, The National Bank of Australasia as it was originally known - quickly became renowned as one of the more prudent banking institutions in the country. Now known as the National Australia Bank Group it is an international financial services group that provides a comprehensive range of financial products and services in Australia, United Kingdom and New Zealand.

ANZ began in London when The Bank of Australasia was established under Royal charter. In 1970 the ANZ Bank merged with the English, Scottish and Australian Bank Limited to form the present organisation, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited. ANZ is now one of the largest companies in Australia and New Zealand and a major international banking and financial services group, which is among the top 50 banks in the world.

Established in 1874 as The Brisbane Permanent Benefit Building and Investment Society then in 1887, the society converted to a bank. The name Bank of Queensland was adopted in 1970 and a year later the Bank became a publicly traded company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.

Bendigo Bank had its origins on the Bendigo goldfield in 1858 when the settlement was little more than thousands of makeshift tents and humpies clustered along the gold-bearing gullies. The Bendigo Bank Group now operates about 340 branches throughout Australia. The bank and its subsidiaries offer a wide range of financial services, including commercial mortgages and unsecured loans, investment products, insurance, superannuation, trustee services and foreign exchange services.

BankWest opened in 1895, as the Agricultural Bank of Western Australia. In 1945, it became a trading bank and changed its name to the Rural and Industries Bank of Western Australia. In 1994, the Bank changed its name to Bank of Western Australia Ltd, and adopted the trading name BankWest.

St.George Bank was founded in 1937 as a housing based financial institution and gained full banking status in July 1992. St.George is Australia's fifth largest bank and employing over 8,500 people.

HSBC was granted a banking license in Australia in 1986 and has grown to have a network of 25 branches. HSBC is present in 87 countries around the world, so the Australian company offers a wide range of international services.

ING Direct set up in Australia in 1999. Initially phone banking and online banking were offered, and the online side quickly became dominant. ING Direct Australia is wholly owned by ING Group of Netherlands.