AUSTRALIA
Tales Sian Lopes , Head of Financial Services ANZ at Publicis Sapient , dives into the measures being taken to ease the cost-of-living crisis down under .
THE ROLE OF AUSTRALIA ’ S BANKS IN ALLEVIATING TH COST-OF-LIVING CRISIS
Queensland , Australia
85 % ‘ strongly believe ’ that banks need to play a role in addressing financial stress .
The recent Budget has delivered some relief for Australians struggling with the cost-of-living . The government is spending AU $ 7.8 billion on cost-of-living measures . A major goal is lowering inflation and easing the strain on mortgagees .
It is clear that Australians are acutely feeling the cost-of-living crisis , driving a re-evaluation of the role that banks play in mitigating financial stress . Publicis Sapient research has found that nearly all Australians believe banks should play a role in helping them with financial hardship . This is corroborated by a recent Australian Securities & Investments Commission ( ASIC ) report which found that Australians with mortgages need better support from their lenders . Currently some lenders are making it so difficult to access financial assistance that one in three people drop out of the application process .
The pressure is also being felt by banks , who are adapting to changing regulations including compliance with data protection and privacy and must also navigate the changing situation of many customers .
The scale of financial stress
According to Melbourne Institute data , over half of Australians ( 56 %) are only just making ends meet or actually failing to do so . Certain groups are more affected
44 www . intelligentfin . tech