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Asia

New Zealand Shares Fall; Freightways Group Appoints David Gibson as Chair

New Zealand shares ended lower on Thursday as Asian markets showed a broad-based decline amid the US Federal Reserve's decision to hold rates and Wednesday's Wall Street sell-off.The S&P/NZX 50 Index fell 1.53% or 213.89 points to close at 13,762.78.On Wednesday, the Nasdaq Composite fell 1.7%, the S&P500 declined 1.5%, and the Dow Jones lost 2.2%.The Federal Reserve held its policy rate steady in a divided decision that included three officials calling for policy tightening. The central bank's Federal Open Market Committee maintained the target range for the federal funds rate at 3.50% to 3.75%, marking its fifth consecutive pause.On the domestic front, the ANZ New Zealand Business Outlook rose to a net 56.1 in July, up from 36.6 in June, while expected own activity rose to 49.3 from 36.9, according to a report from ANZ Research.In corporate news, Freightways Group (NZE:FRW, ASX:FRW) appointed board member David Gibson as chair to succeed Mark Cairns, effective Thursday.

^NZ50ASX:ANZASX:CBAASX:FRWASX:NABASX:WBCNZE:ANZNZE:FRWNZE:WBC
Asia

ACCC Grants Australian Banks Further Interim Authorization for Proposed Joint Venture for Commercial Cash Supply

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said Thursday it granted further interim authorization to Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ASX:ANZ, NZE:ANZ), Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX:CBA), National Australia Bank (ASX:NAB), National Australia Investment Capital, and Westpac Banking (ASX:WBC, NZE:WBC) to take further steps towards a proposed joint venture to deal with the supply of commercial cash in Australia.The further interim authorization authorizes the banks to agree and enter into, but not give effect to, various agreements, the regulator said. The authorization begins immediately and may be reviewed at any time.The banks sought authorization to establish a single joint cash pool and bailment structure via an incorporated operating entity for the supply of commercial cash in Australia. Under the proposal, each applicant would acquire a 25% shareholding in the entity and a 25% interest in the cash pool. The ACCC determined that the acquisitions may be put into effect on June 26.

ASX:ANZASX:CBAASX:NABASX:WBCNZE:ANZNZE:WBC
Asia

Australian Banks Investing in Technology to Address Mortgage Offset Account Failures, Banking Association Chief Says

Australian banks are taking measures to ensure the proper functioning of mortgage offset accounts, including investments in new technology platforms, Australian Banking Association CEO Simon Birmingham said on Wednesday.Birmingham's comments to the media followed an Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) report that found major banks failed to properly manage offset accounts in the two years through August 2025.During that period, banks paid more than AU$55 million in customer compensation for offset account failures, the ASIC said after reviewing the offset practices of eight banks, including Westpac Banking (ASX:WBC, NZE:WBC), ANZ Group Holdings (ASX:ANZ, NZE:ANZ), Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX:CBA), Macquarie Group (ASX:MQG), AMP's (ASX:AMP) AMP Bank, Credit Union Australia, HSBC Bank Australia, and ING Bank (Australia)."This report shows that in well over 99% of cases, mortgage offset accounts are working exactly [as] they should be, but it does demonstrate there are some failures," Birmingham said."It's a very small proportion of mistakes that have happened, and what ASIC's report shows is it's often due to manual system processes in isolated cases, or communications failures in some cases," Birmingham added.

ASX:AMPASX:ANZASX:CBAASX:MQGASX:WBCNZE:ANZNZE:WBC
Asia

NZX Midday Sector Update: Finance Advances, Industrial Services Declines

Finance shares gained the most on New Zealand's Exchange, rising over 2% by midday Thursday.Westpac Banking (NZE:WBC, ASX:WBC) gained nearly 4% in recent trade.Meanwhile, the industrial services sector fell past 3%.Ventia Services Group (NZE:VNT, ASX:VNT) shares fell more than 4% in recent trade.

^NZ50ASX:VNTASX:WBCNZE:VNTNZE:WBC
Asia

Australian Banks Paid Over AU$55 Million in Customer Compensation Over Mortgage Offset Account Failures, ASIC Says

Major Australian banks failed to properly manage mortgage offset accounts in the two years through August 2025, resulting in customers unknowingly paying more interest than was due, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) said Wednesday following a review of the sector's offset practices.During that period, banks paid more than AU$55 million in customer compensation for offset account failures, and further compensation is expected as the extent of the problem becomes clearer, the regulator said.ASIC reviewed the offset practices of eight banks including Westpac Banking (ASX:WBC, NZE:WBC), ANZ Group Holdings (ASX:ANZ, NZE:ANZ), Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX:CBA), Macquarie Group (ASX:MQG), AMP's (ASX:AMP) AMP Bank, Credit Union Australia, HSBC Bank Australia, and ING Bank (Australia).It found deficiencies in how all banks set up, monitored, and managed offset accounts, which are marketed as a simple way to save on mortgage interest over the life of a home loan. Banks struggled to readily identify customer offset account requests and were slow to fix issues, while their detection of failures was inconsistent."Some banks are not getting the basics right," ASIC Chair Sarah Court said, noting that some offset failures went undetected until the ASIC started investigating them.The Australian Banking Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment from.

ASX:AMPASX:ANZASX:CBAASX:MQGASX:WBCNZE:ANZNZE:WBC
Asia

NZX Midday Sector Update: Finance Advances, Electronic Technology Declines

Finance shares gained the most on New Zealand's Exchange, rising 1.9% by midday Thursday.Westpac Banking (NZE:WBC, ASX:WBC) gained past 2% in recent trade.Meanwhile, the electronic technology sector fell 1.7%.ikeGPS Group (NZE:IKE, ASX:IKE) shares fell about 2% in recent trade.

^NZ50ASX:IKEASX:WBCNZE:IKENZE:WBC
Asia

Property For Industry Refinances Bank Facilities, Updates Green Finance Framework; Shares Up 3%

Property For Industry (NZE:PFI) completed a refinancing of its bank facilities with ANZ Group (ASX:ANZ, NZE:ANZ) unit ANZ Bank New Zealand, Bank of New Zealand, Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX:CBA), and Westpac Banking's (ASX:WBC, NZE:WBC) New Zealand unit, according to a Friday filing with the New Zealand bourse.The refinancing consolidated and restructured a number of facilities, resulting in a revised maturity profile with the facilities now due in July 2029, 2030, and 2031, per the filing.Following the refinancing, total committed bank facilities fell to NZ$600 million from NZ$675 million, the company said.Property For Industry also implemented a new facility structure that enables it to adjust commitments between green and non-green debt tranches, subject to certain conditions, with aggregate tranche limits remaining equal to their total facility limit.Adjustable green tranches give the company more financing flexibility, it said, adding that "all significant new developments will target a 5 Green Star rating."Property For Industry shares gained nearly 3% in recent Friday trade.

ASX:ANZASX:CBAASX:WBCNZE:ANZNZE:PFI
Asia

Westpac Banking Spends Over AU$2 Million to Upgrade Queensland Branch

Westpac Banking (ASX:WBC, NZE:WBC) invested more than AU$2.2 million to refurbish its Cairns Central branch in Queensland, the bank said June 10.The upgrade is part of the company's broader AU$85 million annual investment in its Australian branch network, including AU$10 million to improve six regional branches and banking centers in Queensland.

ASX:WBCNZE:WBC
Asia

Credit Growth Forecast to Half by 2027, Tighten Bank Funding, Jefferies Says

Credit growth is forecast to halve by 2027, which will tighten rather than ease bank funding, and revised deposit modelling shows the sector's loan-to-deposit ratio rising, driving banks to compete more aggressively for a shrinking pool of funding, Jefferies said in a Thursday note.Recently acquired deposit pricing data points to a second half of fiscal 2026 spread tailwind, but deposit scarcity dominates thereafter.Commonwealth Bank is expected to remain the primary deposit beneficiary, reflecting its scale and long-dated hedge book.The investment firm assigned a buy rating to National Australia Bank (ASX:NAB) with a price target of AU$44.96 per share. It assigned hold ratings to both ANZ Group (ASX:ANZ, NZE:ANZ) and Westpac (ASX:WBC, NZE:WBC), with price targets of AU$33.71 per share and AU$34.95 per share, respectively.Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX:CBA) was assigned an underperform rating with a price target of AU$144.40 per share.

ASX:ANZASX:CBAASX:NABASX:WBCNZE:ANZNZE:WBC
Asia

NZX Midday Sector Update: Finance Advances, Communications Decline

Finance shares gained the most on New Zealand's Exchange, rising almost 2% by midday Thursday.Westpac Banking (NZE:WBC, ASX:WBC) gained 2% in recent trade.Meanwhile, the communications sector shares fell past 1%.Spark New Zealand (NZE:SPK, ASX:SPK) was down past 1% in recent trade.

^NZ50ASX:SPKASX:WBCNZE:SPKNZE:WBC
Asia

Westpac NZ Customers to Receive Natural Hazard Risk Information for Properties from Tower Under Insurance Partnership

Westpac Banking (ASX:WBC, NZE:WBC) said Westpac NZ customers who apply for a home insurance quotation in the Westpac One online banking platform will be able to directly access natural hazard risk information from Tower (ASX:TWR, NZE:TWR) for a specific property, according to a Wednesday statement.Under Westpac's general insurance partnership, Tower is Westpac NZ's underwriter for new house, contents, and car insurance products, effective Wednesday.The current insurance policies of existing Westpac insurance customers underwritten by IAG will continue.Shares of the bank fell 1% in recent trading on both the Australian and New Zealand bourses.

ASX:TWRASX:WBCNZE:TWRNZE:WBC
Asia

New Zealand Shares Rise; Westpac NZ Renews 11-Year Loyalty Partnership With Air New Zealand

New Zealand shares closed higher on Tuesday as markets digested a rally in Wall Street shares on Monday.The S&P/NZX 50 Index rose 0.56% or 76.10 points to close at 13,621.66.On Monday, the Nasdaq Composite ended 2.1% higher, the S&P 500 gained 1.2%, while the Dow Jones added 0.6%.In domestic news, New Zealand business confidence rose 27 points to 37 in June, according to a report by ANZ.Also, New Zealand's lending from registered banks and non-bank lending institutions increased in May, driven by growth in housing, business, agricultural, and consumer loans, according to data from the Reserve Bank of New ZealandIn corporate news, Westpac Banking's (ASX:WBC, NZE:WBC) Westpac NZ renewed its 11-year loyalty partnership with Air New Zealand (ASX:AIZ, NZE:AIR), allowing the bank's customers to continue to earn points through the airline's Koru program.Vital Healthcare Property Trust (NZE:VHP) said it will undertake stage 2 of the Macarthur Health Precinct in New South Wales, an incremental development of NZ$99.3 million with a total project cost of NZ$112.2 million, to deliver a short stay surgical hospital and medical outpatient building.

^NZ50ASX:AIZASX:WBCNZE:AIRNZE:WBCNZX:VHP
Asia

Westpac NZ Renews 11-Year Loyalty Partnership With Air New Zealand

Westpac Banking's (ASX:WBC, NZE:WBC) Westpac NZ renewed its 11-year loyalty partnership with Air New Zealand (ASX:AIZ, NZE:AIR), allowing the bank's customers to continue to earn points through the airline's Koru program, according to a Tuesday statement from the bank.The lender had researched into ways it can help them customers more value out of their card spending, especially at a time where costs are high for many, said Simon Macdonald, Westpac NZ head of everyday banking products. Additional "rewards innovations" was on the way.

ASX:AIZASX:WBCNZE:AIRNZE:WBC
Asia

New Zealand's FMA to Ensure Banks Prioritize Consumer Needs in Products

New Zealand's Financial Markets Authority (FMA) will focus on ensuring that banks and non-bank deposit takers prioritize consumer needs when developing new products or redesigning existing ones while keeping in mind the capabilities and limitations of their systems and processes, according to FMA's Financial Conduct Report published on Tuesday.The report sets out the watchdog's regulatory priorities for the 2026 to 2027 financial year, covering specific sectors and cross-sector themes.FMA acknowledged that financial institutions review products and services, with most doing so both reactively and proactively. But in some cases, the absence of negative reporting is taken as confirmation that consumers are being treated fairly. It also saw cases where communication with consumers about changes to products and services following reviews was inconsistent.The regulator plans to increase its understanding of how banks and non-bank deposit takers ensure that their provision of transaction account services complies with the fair conduct principle and minimum fair conduct program requirements over the next 12 months.It said it would engage with banks and non-bank deposit takers to understand how complaints data is used. The regulator's focus is on ensuring that boards and executives regularly use the themes and trends in complaints data as an input into decisions to improve product and service offerings.

ASX:ANZASX:CBAASX:HGHASX:WBCNZE:ANZNZE:HGHNZE:WBC
Asia

New Zealand Shares Rise; APRA Starts Consulting on Proposed Changes to Banks' Credit Risk Capital Settings

New Zealand shares closed higher on Monday while Asian markets digested the US and Iran's agreement to halt renewed hostilities.The S&P/NZX 50 Index rose 0.37% or 50.32 points to close at 13,545.56.Iran and the US have agreed to halt recent hostilities in the Gulf and renew talks over their dispute regarding the Strait of Hormuz, according to a Sunday Reuters report, citing a US official.In domestic news, the seasonally adjusted number of filled jobs across New Zealand industries rose 0.3% month on month to 2.4 million in May, following a 0.1% decrease in the previous month, data from Stats NZ showed.Also, the total enterprise count in New Zealand in May was 598,137, down from 591,693 in the same period last year, according to figures released by Stats NZ.Further, construction cost growth in major New Zealand centers largely stabilized in June, with key cost rates showing minimal movement, QV said in a report.Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) is expected to raise the cash rate by 25 basis points at its July meeting, according to a report by BNZ Research.In corporate news, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) started consulting on proposed amendments to banks' credit risk capital settings as part of a reform package to bank capital and liquidity settings, the prudential regulator said in a statement.

^NZ50ASX:ANZASX:CBAASX:NABASX:WBCNZE:ANZNZE:WBC
Asia

APRA Starts Consulting on Proposed Changes to Banks' Credit Risk Capital Settings

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) started consulting on proposed amendments to banks' credit risk capital settings as part of a reform package to bank capital and liquidity settings, the prudential regulator said in a statement on Monday.Key proposals include allowing a lower risk weight for large domestic public infrastructure exposures and for high-quality unrated corporate exposures, subject to certain criteria, and adjusting criteria to allow for more exposures to qualify for the lower 100% risk weight for residential property development, the regulator said.APRA plans to finalize credit risk capital changes in the second half of the year for a proposed effective date of April 1, 2027, per the statement.ANZ Group (ASX:ANZ, NZE:ANZ) shares rose marginally in morning trade in Australia.Commonwealth Bank (ASX:CBA) shares rose 1%, while National Australia Bank (ASX:NAB) were up nearly 1%.Westpac Banking (ASX:WBC, NZE:WBC) shares were up almost 1%.

ASX:ANZASX:CBAASX:NABASX:WBCNZE:ANZNZE:WBC
Asia

New Zealand Shares Fall; Auckland International Airport Expects June 27 to be Busiest International Departures Day

New Zealand shares closed lower on Wednesday as Asian markets saw losses after a day of sell-off on Wall Street.The S&P/NZX 50 Index fell 0.26% ot 35.11 points to close at 13,400.66.On Tuesday, Wall Street ended lower due to a selloff in semiconductor shares amid investors' worry over rising AI spending.Chipmaking giant Nvidia closed 4% lower, and AMD fell about 6%, leading to a fall of 2% on the Nasdaq Composite and 1% on the S&P 500.In domestic news, a total of 2,871 metric tonnes (MT) of products were sold during the Global Dairy Trade (GDT) Pulse auction held Tuesday, with supply ranging from 2,700 MT to 3,050 MT, according to data from the trading platform.In corporate news, Auckland International Airport (ASX:AIA, NZE:AIA) expects June 27 to be the busiest day for international departures, with nearly 15,000 travellers set to fly out of the airport.Westpac Banking (ASX:WBC, NZE:WBC) appointed Richard Heeley as its Chief Information Officer, commencing later in the year.

^NZ50ASX:AIAASX:WBCNZE:AIANZE:WBC
Asia

Schoolblazer's Uniform Business Secures AU$110 Million Debt Facility From Westpac

Schoolblazer's (ASX:SBZ) uniform business division secured a conditional AU$110 million trade finance and term debt facility from Westpac Banking (ASX:WBC, NZE:WBC), according to a Wednesday filing with the Australian bourse.The agreement includes AU$45 million in term debt facilities with a five-year tenor and a seasonal trade finance facility of up to AU$65 million on "competitive market terms," per the filing.The company said the new facility will replace the uniform business' fragmented legacy debt arrangements with a single facility that has capacity for growth.Westpac Banking's Australian shares were up 1% in recent Wednesday trade.

ASX:SBZASX:WBCNZE:WBC
Asia

Westpac Banking Appoints Chief Information Officer

Westpac Banking (ASX:WBC, NZE:WBC) appointed Richard Heeley as its Chief Information Officer, commencing later in the year, according to a Wednesday ASX filing.Heely will succeed outgoing CIO Scott Collary, who will retire later this year.Heeley is currently CIO, Banking and Financial Services at Macquarie Group (ASX:MQG).Its shares rose 1% in recent trading on Wednesday on the Australian bourse.

ASX:MQGASX:WBCNZE:WBC
Asia Markets

New Zealand Shares Flat; Gentrack Group Says UBS Group Lifts Stake

New Zealand shares closed flat with a negative bias on Tuesday as Asian markets followed losses from Wall Street's Monday close.The S&P/NZX 50 Index was little changed to close at 13,435.77.On Monday, the Nasdaq Composite fell 1.3%, the S&P 500 lost 0.4%, while the Dow Jones managed to add 0.3%.The US waived sanctions on Iran for 60 days from Monday following the first talks under a fledgling peace agreement, while officials reported a continued lull in fighting in Lebanon under the deal aimed at ending hostilities across the region, Reuters reported Monday.In domestic news, New Zealand employment confidence fell 12.5 points in the June quarter to 83.1 from 95.6 in the previous quarter, the lowest reading for the survey since it started in September 2004, according to the Westpac-McDermott Miller Employment Confidence index.In corporate news, Gentrack Group (ASX:GTK, NZE:GTK) received notice that UBS Group and its affiliated entities increased their holdings in the company to 7.055% from 5.846%.Westpac Banking's (NZE:WBC, ASX:WBC) Westpac NZ said Tuesday it has become the first New Zealand bank to receive approval from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to provide loans secured by Zespri shares.

^NZ50ASX:GTKASX:WBCNZE:GTKNZE:WBC

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