01 Jun 2023
Banking: The known unknowns
Andrew Cornell |
We might have reached the summit of bank earnings and the way down is uncertain
About Andrew Cornell
The managing editor of bluenotes, Andrew is an award winning journalist with more than three decades in the game. He was at the Australian Financial Review for 20 years where he was an associate editor, senior writer and columnist – his widely read financial services column continues on bluenotes.
Andrew is a former north Asia correspondent for the AFR and in the wake of the financial crisis was awarded a European Union grant to study the global response and new regulation. He has also been a restaurant reviewer and tries to play table tennis.
articles by Andrew Cornell
18 May 2023
Banking Crises: size doesn’t matter
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Maintaining a vigilant and adaptable regulatory framework is essential as we enter a world where bank runs can be nearly instantaneous and small banks can have big repercussions.
05 May 2023
Faruqui: balance and focus as a platform for growth
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ CFO Farhan Faruqui outlines what drove the financials and how diversification and consistency are now hallmarks of the bank’s performance and focus for the second half of the financial year.
05 May 2023
Elliott: a stellar result with all businesses performing strongly
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ CEO Shayne Elliott says the “great” interim result is testimony to seven years of work on balancing and de-risking the bank by an experienced team.
19 Apr 2023
The end of the beginning of the crisis is coming
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The storm clouds of the banking crisis are clearing but the forecast is hardly temperate
03 Apr 2023
All banks are local when they die
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
From tech-bros in Silicon Valley to vignerons of the Napa Valley, the great furling of easy cash is claiming surprising victims. Tighter credit conditions, weaker banks and economies are entwined.
27 Mar 2023
Elliott: understanding the new turmoil
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Global banking turmoil is not new, have we learned the lessons of the past? Andrew Cornell speaks with ANZ Chief Executive Shayne Elliott.
15 Mar 2023
When the liquidity tide goes out – gradually, then suddenly
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
16 Feb 2023
Tall stories about the economy
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The world in economic downfall… Fake news?
02 Feb 2023
Hey ChatGPT, build me a bank…
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
AI, web3, DeFi, Big Tech, fintech, Metaverse, private capital, the forces arrayed against traditional banking continue to mass.
25 Jan 2023
Vale David Hains, legendary investor
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Remembering renowned businessman David Hains who showed us a thing or two about investment – after seven decades in business.
19 Jan 2023
2022: The Year in Highlights
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
These are the articles that most engaged you in 2022 on bluenotes and ANZ News.
09 Nov 2022
The end of the world as we know it
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Globalisation is in retreat, the environment is besieged, wealth disparity is growing. It’s not the fault of capitalism but those who promote liberal, open economies must take notice.
27 Oct 2022
Faruqui: Strong financial and strategic outcomes
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Strong performances from all divisions deliver FY22 uplift, de-risking and solid provisioning face into FY23.
27 Oct 2022
Elliott: Outstanding result, balanced across all divisions
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ’s four divisions contributed strong earnings and revenue while the bank remains strongly capitalised and prepared for an uncertain global economic outlook
13 Oct 2022
No De-Fi-ing the regulators
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The Innovation brought by new De-Fi technology has regulators on edge. The must balance innovation and crisis.
27 Sep 2022
A digital alternative to online identity theft risk
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Identity theft is a global online scourge but one of the most promising fields of digital innovation is digital, secure IDs.
27 Sep 2022
Emerging Economics Series: Where to now for Australian housing?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
It is an inflexion point for Australian residential property with the first sustained rising interest rates cycle in nearly two decades. What does it mean for home owners and renters?
24 Aug 2022
To boldly go where no regulation has gone before
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Maybe with some reluctance but the authorities are moving to bring the emerging world of digital assets and decentralised finance inside the official tent. Better inside maybe …
10 Aug 2022
Should there be a “C” for credibility in ESG?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
It could be time to move beyond ESG – not because it’s not important but because it’s too complex and too important to lump environmental, social and governance challenges together.
25 Jul 2022
Molyneux: half a century of learning through history
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Through mergers, crises, economic cycles, governments, with almost half a century at ANZ under his belt, technology and risk expert Rob Molyneux is logging off for good.
18 Jul 2022
Elliott: betting on Queensland, accelerating ANZ strategy
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ CEO says acquisition of Suncorp Bank is an investment in the bank’s Retail and Commercial operations, and the state of Queensland.
12 Jul 2022
Alternative finance services ruffle a few feathers
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Bigtech, fintech, DeFi, Neobank, Metabank… if it quacks the regulators will be duck hunting.
29 Jun 2022
Is the payment revolution indebted to buy now, pay later?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Buy now, pay later schemes were touted as a payment revolution for the new age. But are they offering anything really that different? And what happens if they don’t succeed?
18 May 2022
Ah, you want a stable stablecoin…
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Rising rate expectations are ultimately behind the destruction of recent weeks in crypto asset markets, especially cryptocurrencies.
04 May 2022
Faruqui: solid result in challenging environment
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ CFO says strong performances from New Zealand and Institutional together with continued focus on capital discipline and cost management bolstered the bank’s half-year result.
04 May 2022
Elliott: pleasing progress in bank strategy
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ CEO says the bank is well placed to support customers’ financial wellbeing through a period of economic uncertainty.
27 Apr 2022
Super cycling to a sustainable future
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The worlds next super-cycle is inevitable. And it will require an innovation and funding super-cycle as fuel.
05 Apr 2022
When worlds collide: DeFi meets TradFi
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Decentralised finance has become big enough for central banks to take notice. Will subsequent rules and regulations help DeFi grow or will the bubble burst?
23 Mar 2022
Carnegie: ANZ Plus to rebuild and rewire Australia Retail
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ’s new retail banking proposition ANZ Plus is the beginning of a multi-year plan to deliver improved service to customers.
23 Mar 2022
Dalton: digital first a plus for financial wellbeing
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ’s new retail banking platform ANZ Plus will provide both new and existing customers with future-ready services to improve their financial wellbeing.
01 Mar 2022
Carnegie: an exciting time for Australia Retail banking
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Newly announced ANZ Group Executive Australia Retail Maile Carnegie says the time is right to bring two major portfolios back together.
01 Mar 2022
Elliott: laying the foundations for ANZ’s future
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ CEO says organisational change will create greater opportunity for both Retail and Commercial banking with a strategic focus on financial wellbeing.
23 Feb 2022
Revolutionising the industry – from inside and out
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Incumbent banks are not standing still in the face of the ongoing challenge from increasingly well funded fintechs. Instead they are assimilating the tech, innovations and entrepreneurial spirit of challengers.
09 Feb 2022
The investment case for net zero carbon
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Trillions of dollars will be needed to even rein in carbon emissions – and that’s more an opportunity than a cost.
27 Jan 2022
Cryptocurrency: don't look up
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The orbit of cryptocurrencies is increasingly eccentric yet central banks want to enter the system.
12 Jan 2022
The best of 2021 from bluenotes and ANZ News
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Well, 2021 was different to 2020… Different variants, different challenges, different attitudes. But also different stories of resilience, of innovation, of breakthroughs, of optimism.
16 Dec 2021
O’Sullivan: getting on with the emerging opportunity
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ Chairman Paul O’Sullivan outlines key focuses and challenges for the bank and its board in 2022 and beyond.
08 Dec 2021
2022 looms as watershed for financial sector
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Even ignoring the pandemic, 2022 will be a turning point for banks with a focus on digitalisation and sustainability non-negotiable.
24 Nov 2021
Shareholders are stakeholders too
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
It’s not capitalism that is driving global warming and growing inequality, it’s the humans making the rules behind it. And they can change them.
10 Nov 2021
Fear and loathing in financial services
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Currency, payments and centralised finance are entering a very weird period of change globally.
28 Oct 2021
Faruqui: continuing to build on demonstrated strengths
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ’s new CFO says the bank has the right capital balance and risk settings to lean into the reopening of the global economy in 2022.
28 Oct 2021
Elliott: investing for the long-term in tech, customer experience, sustainability
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ CEO says the bank had a strong performance despite some ongoing uncertainty and is now preparing to take advantage of future opportunities.
13 Oct 2021
Big Tech bank invasion halted at the moat
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The much heralded invasion of banking by giant technology companies hasn’t panned out exactly as first thought.
29 Sep 2021
DeFi-ing traditional finance
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The global financial system is facing the next phase of the digital revolution – decentralised finance.
15 Sep 2021
Taming capitalism’s nature
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Companies which find the right mix of financial growth and social good will ultimately succeed in the long-term.
01 Sep 2021
Future of payments: review or preview?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Australia’s payments system is large, diverse and very complex. And globally interlinked. So has regulation kept up with the pace of innovation?
31 Aug 2021
Hand: light at the end of the tunnel
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Customer confidence is up and so are house prices, creating a strong environment for home lending growth according to ANZ’s Mark Hand.
18 Aug 2021
The next 500-year plan for banking
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Banking may have looked somewhat similar 500 years ago. But it will almost certainly look entirely different in another five years.
11 Aug 2021
Elliott: Faruqui has best attributes for ANZ CFO
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Newly appointed CFO Farhan Faruqui will bring a depth of knowledge and understanding to role, says ANZ CEO Shayne Elliott.
04 Aug 2021
What time is cheque out?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
With the Kiwis officially killing off cheques, will Australia be the next economy to formally move on from the paper-based payment?
21 Jul 2021
Under the hood: bank to the future with 1835i
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
After three foundation years within the enterprise, ANZ’s investment and innovation business is “leaving the mothership” to further accelerate scale and growth.
23 Jun 2021
Fintechs bubble away
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Stock valuations are up and interest rates are down. So is the fintech market going to stay this frothy forever? Or is it frothy at all?
21 Jun 2021
David Hains: history, business, relationships and mistakes
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Although no longer at the reins, renowned businessman David Hains still knows a thing or two about investment – after four decades in business.
09 Jun 2021
A matter of trust
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
As global economies turn to digital solutions, organisations and industries must focus on building and maintaining trust to win big.
26 May 2021
Can central banks be even more cryptic?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
As the value of cryptocurrencies continue to spike and reverse, central banks have started mulling its usefulness.
05 May 2021
Elliott: growth opportunities emerging but caution persists
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ CEO says the bank delivered a very strong result after a challenging year but not all geographies are at the same stage of recovery.
30 Apr 2021
Treating an organisational crisis
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The pandemic has created an opportunity for businesses to partner with medical professionals to create a health-conscious workplace.
21 Apr 2021
Banking platforms off the deep end
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Not all banking platforms are created equal. And banks may not even be the right company to offer the service.
07 Apr 2021
From banking system to ecosystem
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
All companies – including banks – must move away from selling particular products and think about the total consumer experience.
24 Mar 2021
When the barista is giving you crypto tips…
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The crypto bonanza continues. Tweets are now non-fungible works of art. But one piece of the digital landscape is more than hype: blockchain.
12 Mar 2021
Elliott: supporting our SME customers
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ CEO says further government support for small- to medium-sized businesses will provide a critical boost to the economy.
11 Mar 2021
Some things don’t change. But much does…
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Traditional banks have existed for thousands of years with one constant – change.
24 Feb 2021
Regulators rule on climate risk
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
With the US government back on board with addressing climate change risks, businesses and regulators are getting on with the job.
18 Feb 2021
Elliott: learning to flex in a changing world
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ CEO says the strength of the bank’s position came to the fore amid ongoing global and economic uncertainty.
10 Feb 2021
Behind the ranks of the fintech revolution
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The past year has seen upheaval in the financial services industry. But – so far - it hasn’t been the traditional banks bearing the brunt.
27 Jan 2021
2021: banking on a better future
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
After a tumultuous year, one certainty is digital transformation will accelerate.
16 Dec 2020
ANZ Board Minutes: flying 20 minutes ahead of the plane
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
New ANZ Chairman Paul O’Sullivan says boards must take a long-term view when making crucial business decisions and keep the community in mind.
09 Dec 2020
The year that was
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
In a year like no other, ANZ’s content team continued to deliver insights, analysis and a look into the human experience of the COVID-19 pandemic.
02 Dec 2020
PODCAST: Silicon Valley’s founding father
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Long-time venture capitalist Sanford Robertson has decades of experience in Silicon Valley. And he has no plans to slow down.
25 Nov 2020
Regulators, central banks, investors stand firm on climate goals
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Even if the COVID-19 crisis abates across the globe, a climate storm is gathering for the financial services industry.
11 Nov 2020
How capitalism can heal itself
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
In the aftermath of the US election, it’s time for major economies to think about how they approach – and measure – growth in a capitalist society.
29 Oct 2020
Managing customers and risk through acute change
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ risk management robust, anticipates ongoing uncertainty while customer support drives recovery.
29 Oct 2020
Jablko: maintaining a strong position through uncertainty
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Efficient management of capital, risk and costs allowed the bank to maintain a strong balance sheet through the crisis, says ANZ CFO.
29 Oct 2020
Elliott: focusing on the future
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
CEO says the bank has been well protected through COVID-19 and is now looking to future investment opportunities.
21 Oct 2020
Credit contagion in a time of COVID-19
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Are measures designed to support business through the crisis sandbagging the credit cycle?
29 Sep 2020
Central Banks get cryptic
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
As global interest rates crater and COVID-19 recessions metastasise, central banks are being forced to re-evaluate their role in currency and money creation.
16 Sep 2020
I worked with a zombie
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, some corporate businesses were barely alive but not quite dead.
28 Aug 2020
PODCAST: Gonski reflects on time as Chair
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Outgoing ANZ Chairman David Gonski opens up about his time on the bank’s board and the challenges of the times in this discussion with bluenotes.
19 Aug 2020
Elliott: bank is prepared, learning, adapting
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ CEO Shayne Elliott says the bank is focusing on its purpose to guide customers, community and shareholders through this stressful period.
18 Aug 2020
Vale Will Bailey AO
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Look back at the career of former ANZ CEO Will Bailey, who helped usher the bank into a new era of technology and more.
05 Aug 2020
What if banks disappeared and nobody noticed?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Banks have been deemed essential in the pandemic. But are they really the only institution able to provide banking services?
22 Jul 2020
Addressing crises - acute and chronic
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The link between the two most worrying crises of our times – COVID-19 and climate change – must be examined to successfully combat both.
13 Jul 2020
Lending a hand beyond September
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ’s head of Australian banking outlines continuing support to customers through Christmas and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
08 Jul 2020
Planet cools for digital dinosaurs
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Digital banking is no longer a strategy for the near term, it’s a strategy for the now term
24 Jun 2020
Sometimes - history needs a push
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
COVID-19 has inflicted revolutionary change at a pace and scale to rival the political upheavals of the 20th century.
09 Jun 2020
ANZ Board Minutes: balancing health, economic responses
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Jane Halton reflects on her involvement in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and her understanding of the economic consequences.
04 Jun 2020
LONGREAD: understanding repayment deferrals
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ’s Aus banking head details how the bank is helping customers now while preparing them for once the pandemic has passed.
27 May 2020
Valuing human life adds value to the economy
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
As the re-opening of some societies begins, balancing the value of human life vs cost to the economy has come to a head.
13 May 2020
Post COVID-19: recovery but not as we know it
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Many lessons will be born out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Which will endure in the long-term?
30 Apr 2020
Corbally: managing risk in a pandemic
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
More forward-looking accounting standards impacted half-year credit loss provision charge, says ANZ Chief Risk Officer.
30 Apr 2020
Jablko: bank still unquestionably strong in crisis
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Strong capital and liquidity will help customers and shareholders through the crisis, says ANZ CFO.
30 Apr 2020
Elliott: dealing with uncertainty from a position of strength
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
CEO says bank’s work coming into the crisis and past experience holds it in good stead to help customers and economy through the pandemic.
22 Apr 2020
Dirty money goes digital
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
People are turning to contactless payments to avoid touching cash or payments terminals. This trend might exist in a post-COVID-19 world.
19 Apr 2020
Gonski: keeping an open mind in crisis
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ Chairman says the board is balancing the needs of all stakeholders – including shareholders – in responding to COVID-19.
08 Apr 2020
The world has changed, business fundamentals haven’t
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Business growth expert Dr Jana Matthews talks through what is needed for SMEs to survive COVID-19 and thrive on the other side.
30 Mar 2020
Q&A: Elliott on balancing the intensive care with recovery
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ CEO talks through the challenges facing the economy while balancing an acute response to the COVID-19 crisis with longer term rebuilding.
17 Mar 2020
Elliott: ANZ prepared for crisis, essential banking a priority
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ CEO says bank is in good shape to support customers and staff through the pandemic with long term shareholder interests in mind.
04 Mar 2020
A viral tsunami
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
As the world reacts to - and prepares against - a global pandemic, what do we know of the lifecycles of previous disasters?
19 Feb 2020
Diversity delivers dividends
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) has moved beyond nice to have to shareholder priority.
05 Feb 2020
Banks and payments: take your pick
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Incumbent banks and new players keep coming up with even more ways to pay – but is it musical chairs or deckchairs on the Titanic?
03 Feb 2020
George: Wealth simplification to help customers
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ Deputy CEO says the bank will work with partner companies to offer high quality wealth solutions to customers.
22 Jan 2020
The roads go without saying…
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
What has capitalism done for us? A lot more than socialism…
11 Dec 2019
Gradually then suddenly - the future of banking
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Will 2019 be the year we all look back at and see a tipping point for upheaval in financial services?
02 Dec 2019
ANZ Board Minutes: banks on the production line
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Graeme Liebelt believes the financial services have a lot to learn from manufacturing. And it’s time to get back to basics.
27 Nov 2019
Fintech threat: not just where you think
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The fintech revolution is entering the negotiated truce phase - but bigtech looms on a new front.
13 Nov 2019
2019 bank profits: challenging, backwards, turbulent
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The major Australian banks have reported their full-year results. The outcomes were grim, the future a challenge.
01 Nov 2019
ANZ Board Minutes: creating a nuanced focus
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Paula Dwyer discusses challenges in a post-Royal Commission environment and the need for more women in corporate Australia.
31 Oct 2019
Jablko: challenges underscore strategy
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Regulatory and compliance investments will make the bank better for customers, says ANZ CFO.
31 Oct 2019
Elliott: solid performance in challenging conditions
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
CEO says strong performances in Institutional banking and New Zealand offset a weaker result in Australia.
16 Oct 2019
The umpires decide on climate change
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Whatever the position on climate science, change is coming and customers and regulators are calling for it.
11 Oct 2019
ANZ Board Minutes: is the golden era of banking over?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Ilana Atlas says this era of financial services – and corporate life – demands pace and flexibility.
02 Oct 2019
Fintechs folding in
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The Bank of the Future would do well to look into the past as well as the fintech forecast.
18 Sep 2019
Zero rates: paranormal activity 2
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
As interest rates continue to drop, global economies must prepare for a new era of monetary policy and business risk.
10 Sep 2019
ANZ Board Minutes: from the farm to the bank
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
John Macfarlane has run banks, farms, shopping centres – what’s the link?
04 Sep 2019
Interest factor zero
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The idea unprecedented negative interest rates will spur the economy isn’t coming to fruition, so what are they doing?
29 Aug 2019
Lowering the intensity on carbon
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ is cutting its own carbon emissions but more significantly is supporting customers to lower emissions more broadly.
21 Aug 2019
Are banks too profitable? Or not profitable enough?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Although bank profits might not be a crowd favourite, they’re necessary - and good - for the economy. So say the regulators.
16 Aug 2019
ANZ mortgage focus showing promise: Hand
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Better clarity and faster processing of mortgage approvals improving outcomes, risk settings maintained, Australia head says.
07 Aug 2019
The global financial crisis: still going strong
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Competition and innovation need to be weighted carefully in the aftermath, and forefront, of a crisis.
24 Jul 2019
Robocops on the cyber beat
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
As companies’ defence against cybercrime become more sophisticated, so too does the perpetrators of the crime.
10 Jul 2019
Nothing to see here. Hang on, maybe there is…
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Central banks have been in watch-and-wait mode on cryptocurrencies for a while but now they are beginning to move.
26 Jun 2019
Reading Libra’s horoscope
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Facebook has launched its own currency - Libra - we foretell doubters and challenging times ahead.
29 May 2019
Bitcoin’s back in town
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Although bitcoin is on a bull run back into the mainstream, questions of legitimacy still remain.
15 May 2019
Robots don’t like ESG
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Environmental, social and governance reporting may extend beyond the normal reporting criteria but it is highly important.
01 May 2019
Jablko: benefits of staying disciplined
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Driving a better outcome for shareholders is key to capital allocation, says ANZ’s CFO.
01 May 2019
Elliott: optimistic in tough conditions
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
CEO says ANZ is managing well through transformation and a tricky environment.
30 Apr 2019
Bank to the future
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
As more and more competitors enter the arena, will traditional banks step up or do they – wrongly – fear competition?
17 Apr 2019
Five years of bluenotes; that’s not all we’ve got…
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Since launching five years ago, bluenotes – and our audience – has changed. We’re still striving to adapt and deliver engaging content.
02 Apr 2019
Who’s holding the digital purse strings?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Tech companies are developing their own credit cards, payments platforms and wallets to store them in – but what do consumers want?
20 Mar 2019
Why the world wants more regulation. And what it means
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
There are a multitude of reasons why momentum is shifting towards more rules and regulations.
27 Feb 2019
Non-banks: looking like banks, acting like banks, regulated like banks
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
As challenger banks promise to be better than the banks, can they avoid becoming banks themselves?
21 Feb 2019
Elliott: tighter conditions ahead for mortgage markets
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ CEO Shayne Elliott discusses the outlook for credit quality and customer commitments post-Royal Commission.
13 Feb 2019
So much to buy, many ways to pay
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Paying for goods and services has never been so complicated with hundreds of payments options.
30 Jan 2019
Purpose or profit? Or purpose and profit?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Successful organisations must do more than just make money – and they need to do it if they want to keep making money.
16 Jan 2019
Goat entrails and banks
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
What’s to come in 2019 for the banking and financial services sector?
12 Dec 2018
ANZ Board Minutes: banks, trust & the governance challenge
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
In the first of our new series, ANZ chairman David Gonski speaks on video about the future challenges for financial services.
28 Nov 2018
Q&A: the way forward for the US & China
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ESM Goh Chok Tong chats about Trump, the kind of China the world wants to see and Singapore’s next PM.
31 Oct 2018
ANZ strategy paying off: Jablko
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Simplification drives improved capital flexibility, credit quality and continued lower costs in full year, CFO says.
31 Oct 2018
ANZ fit for tough new world of banking: Elliott
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ CEO says bank is in the right shape for growth in an environment of change after small dip in cash profit.
24 Oct 2018
Doing right and making money when investing
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Ethical businesses can create a premium return-on-investment, say two expert stock pickers.
17 Oct 2018
Women without borders
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
For innovation we need more women, more internationalists and more internationalist women.
03 Oct 2018
The competitive advantage of climate risk awareness
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Investments susceptible to climate risk will struggle as the world shifts to a lower-carbon reality.
26 Sep 2018
Certainty, climate, investors & risk
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Investor forecasts on climate change are more certain than the weather.
19 Sep 2018
It could have been worse
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The global economy survived a crisis, Australia dodged a recession, Wall St bankers were bailed out. Not everyone was happy with the response but what else should have been done?
13 Sep 2018
AI: are humans obsolete?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
AI is already shifting human life. Where are we going now? Five experts give their view.
12 Sep 2018
Lessons learned (& forgotten) from the crisis
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The Australian financial system endured the GFC as well as any in the world. What happened?
05 Sep 2018
Is it too quiet in emerging Asia?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The search is on for the appropriate trade-off between growth and stability in Asia.
31 Aug 2018
ESG performance as important as financial performance: Elliott
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Bank seeks to balance the social and economic impacts of its decisions.
29 Aug 2018
Banks v fintechs: better the devil you know
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Disruption is on the horizon and banks can’t avoid it but that doesn’t mean they’re doomed.
15 Aug 2018
You’re too young for the golden age (of banks)
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Banking is essential; banks are not. What will the bank of the future even be?
09 Aug 2018
Hand: we’ve got to support our farmers
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ’s Mark Hand discusses newly announced relief measures for Australian farmers.
08 Aug 2018
Fintech: live, die, repeat
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The fintech revolution will be televised - by the major networks. Ideas with a true value will either partner with, or be enveloped by, the establishment. But not necessarily banks…
01 Aug 2018
Are platforms the new bank branches?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Digital has brought a seismic shift in the economics of financial services. An expert describes on podcast what lies ahead.
25 Jul 2018
The digital banking paradox
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Surely banks which want to be truly digital really can’t be banks at all?
18 Jul 2018
Fintech’s double-edged sword
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Fintech is trying to reach the summit but will face the same issues as the incumbents once (or even if) it gets there.
12 Jul 2018
bluenotes debate: the renewable future
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
We chat to a panel of experts about the future slate for renewable energy in Australia.
11 Jul 2018
For banks, how big is too big to fail?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
In some markets there is a sound economic argument for dominant institutions.
04 Jul 2018
How to strike oil in data exploration
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
A data-enriched experience is something many fintechs see as an advantage in the fight against banks.
27 Jun 2018
Crypto’s Icarus movement
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The BIS has delivered its result on crypto – as if the market was still waiting for advice - and it sounds like coinmania flew too close to the sun.
20 Jun 2018
Q&A: on robots, why can’t we just be friends?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
We chat to an expert panel about AI, the future of work and why we might not have to fight the robots after all.
14 Jun 2018
Data, social networks & the electronic edifice effect
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Who do you trust with your personal data if you can’t trust Facebook?
04 Jun 2018
Australian banks can lead world on sustainability
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
BoM’s Dr Karl Braganza says Australian financial services currently lag Europe in understanding, application of sustainability.
30 May 2018
Diversity, boards & the specious theories of threatened species
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Two theories against board diversity arose in the wake of recent corporate scandals. Both are wrong.
23 May 2018
Japan: a rising or waning sun?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Growth in Japan has dried up. Is this the end of Abenomics?
18 May 2018
Privacy, personalisation and the right to be forgotten
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Society is on high alert when it comes to personal data use, so how can organisations better play by the rules?
16 May 2018
Bank results: what lurks beneath?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Results were solid – but stepping back from the headlines, the outlook for the sector is tough.
09 May 2018
ANZ names Alexis George deputy CEO
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Bank’s head of wealth to take “really valuable” role in addition to current responsibilities. Mark Hand joins executive committee.
07 May 2018
Stronger planning rules to help customers: George
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ unveils suit of initiatives aimed at improving customer trust in financial advice.
01 May 2018
ANZ putting resources where it counts most: Jablko
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
CFO says bank’s commitment to simplification has helped lower costs, drive profit.
01 May 2018
Operational efficiency pushes HY profit: Elliott
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
CEO cites continued simplification, rising share of home loans as drivers of growth.
25 Apr 2018
Yeo on Singapore, ASEAN and the rise of China
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Eminent Singaporean George Yeo shares his insights and comparatively dovish view on China’s rise.
25 Apr 2018
ON THE COUCH: China, the second sun in the firmament
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
George Yeo sits down with bluenotes to Chat about the geopolitical disruption of China.
18 Apr 2018
The curious case of funding costs
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Recent stability in funding costs for banks has been jolted - and no one’s completely sure why.
11 Apr 2018
PODCAST: opening up on open data
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Open banking is coming. What are the implications – not just for banks but everyone? Two experts debate the outlook.
11 Apr 2018
People’s banks historically not good for people
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
There are dangers in governments entering the private sector on the promise of a better deal.
05 Apr 2018
A warmer year for fossil fuel funding but finance climate still cooling
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Global banks increased lending for “extreme” fossil fuels last year but will such finances be increasingly climate constrained?
28 Mar 2018
Keep KISSing in banking
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Banks are caught in a new kind of race - who can become more efficient, more quickly?
21 Mar 2018
Q&A: untethered – Visa and the future of payments
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
We sit down with Chris Boncimino, Visa’s head of innovation, to chat about cryptocurrncies, QR codes, plastic cards, cash and all the other ways to pay.
23 Feb 2018
Go with your gut: chef McConnell
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Restaurateur says there’s not always a guide book for operating a business.
21 Feb 2018
Go equal, get bigger
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
There is an indisputable body of evidence demonstrating organisations which strive for equality perform better than those who don’t.
14 Feb 2018
Competition and/or stability in banking?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The challenge for policymakers is to ensure disruption benefits the economy and doesn’t break it.
07 Feb 2018
When sharper credit's too sharp
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Well-intentioned but comprehensive credit reporting comes with risks for everyone. How do we handle it with care?
31 Jan 2018
Digital and the power of mockery
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Is the ideal model for financial services in the future a bionic bank?
17 Jan 2018
Bitcoin: hype or hip?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The level of interest in bitcoin is equalled perhaps only by the dollars pouring into it – and anything remotely associated.
10 Jan 2018
Fintechs no longer revolting
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Once upon a time, fintech meant revolution – but it’s now part of the financial mainstream.
12 Dec 2017
Elliott: wealth simplification complete
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Speaking on video, ANZ CEO says more-focussed bank helps its customers and shareholders.
06 Dec 2017
Is fintech Japan’s next Sony?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Japan may not be the highest-profile fintech market in the world but it is a particularly interesting one.
22 Nov 2017
The Japan, Australia business relationship: 1+1=3
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The opportunity for corporate Australia and Japan to cooperate in third countries is large.
15 Nov 2017
Data vs the war stories in China
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
There’s always talk of failures in China, but the data suggest its appetite for foreign business will only grow – and quickly.
08 Nov 2017
The KISS principle in banking
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The underlying current of simplification in banking is easy to overlook and underestimate.
01 Nov 2017
Diversity makes money
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Big investors back diversity and sustainability – and they’re right to, results suggest.
26 Oct 2017
ANZ reshaping paying off: Elliott
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
CEO says better-focussed bank has delivered higher returns while reducing costs and growing capital after announcing full-year profit growth.
26 Oct 2017
Jablko: ANZ capital put to best use
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ CFO says bank has capital flexibility, is focussed on better returns for risk and continues to reshape its business.
25 Oct 2017
The consumer inertia in banking
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
If the financial services market is so competitive, why don’t consumers move around?
17 Oct 2017
ANZ still committed to wealth customers: George
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ sells OnePath to IOOF in deal which will separate super and insurance arms.
10 Oct 2017
Blockchain reaction
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Cryptocurrencies are copping flak but nobody is calling foul on blockchain – and the reasons are numerous.
04 Oct 2017
Regulators vow to be more cultured
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Culture’s hard to create – and maintain – but shouldn’t be written off as unmanagable.
03 Oct 2017
REALas, start-ups and learning to talk corporate
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ has acquired property pricing startup REALas – we speak to the founder on podcast and video.
27 Sep 2017
It’s time to automate the ATM
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Does the ATM – once considered the ultimate banking innovation – even have a future?
19 Sep 2017
Banking on climate change
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
There is another front - beyond politics and risk - for would-be financiers in the energy debate.
19 Sep 2017
Oh what a feeling, agile working
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ’s Colin Neave recalls his time at Toyota where a shift to a new way of work saw the company top the marketplace.
05 Sep 2017
Tech-tock, the tech clock is ticking
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
For financial services, those who own the customer will have the highest margins.
05 Sep 2017
Carnegie on data, analytics & Sputnik
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Companies need to realise the scope of the change presented by analytics quickly – and for some it’s already too late.
29 Aug 2017
VIDEO: squads, tribes & new ways to work
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ’s Kath Bray explains on video how ANZ’s new agile method of working will actually work.
24 Aug 2017
PODCAST: inside the mind of truly great leaders
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The role of modern leadership is creating an environment of trust and empowerment, Dr Alicia Fortinberry says.
23 Aug 2017
Does size matter when it comes to culture?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Banks face challenges in communication and culture – and earnings - which come simply from being too big and complex.
22 Aug 2017
Data and the key to success
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
How businesses actually use their data – rather than accrue it – will determine their success in the modern marketplace.
22 Aug 2017
Elliott: why I’m on Facebook
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ CEO explains rationale behind new way to interact with customers.
16 Aug 2017
Why should banks be digital?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Banks need to be digital, on that all agree. But what does that actually mean? Robots, AI, branches in phones?
15 Aug 2017
Strong progress for ANZ in Q3: Elliott
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
CEO pleased with cost performance; operational changes; growth in loan book; lower RWAs.
14 Aug 2017
Biz must adapt to tech as a service: Florian
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ tech GE says on video businesses must align with modern customer expectations.
09 Aug 2017
PODCAST: RBA’s Bullock on cash, payments & policy
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
RBA assistant governor chats to bluenotes about the bank’s latest survey and its implication for the payments sector.
02 Aug 2017
Is fintech back (and did you know it had gone)?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
For some, the fintech boom never subsided - but it’s clear its momentum and nature have shifted.
01 Aug 2017
ANZ focus is where we can win: Elliott
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
CEO says bank’s strategy is about intense focus and delivery in segments it can win.
26 Jul 2017
Ripped off or not?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The debate around credit card surcharges has raised its head again in the wake of a ruling in Britain.
19 Jul 2017
Identity theft: stopping a digital zombie apocalypse
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Hordes of fake identities are being created for the purpose of illegally obtaining credit.
12 Jul 2017
The new, old, new work paradigm
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Rarely has there been a greater business focus on the need to fundamentally transform – and banks are at the epicentre.
11 Jul 2017
How to be an agile leader
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Ex-MYOB exec says agile leading involves giving up on old ideas of control.
05 Jul 2017
The GFC: When will it end?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
A decade after the financial crisis, have we learned anything? It’s a crisis which keeps on taking.
21 Jun 2017
China Australia: A marriage of more than convenience
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The Australia China relationship is rarely out of the headlines – for better or worse. Both countries need each other.
19 Jun 2017
Agile is more than theatre: Carnegie
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Working agile requires business leaders to be much clearer about objectives, ANZ digital exec says.
14 Jun 2017
Trusted intermediaries: banks vs FANGs
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Banking is essential to a modern economy but banks are not. Can FANGs fill the role?
07 Jun 2017
Banking industry: time to swot
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
It’s lonely at the top. Banks need to learn from their mistakes.
05 Jun 2017
Elliott: banks must be more than profit
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ CEO acknowledges companies must do more and help communities to thrive.
31 May 2017
Agile approach can work in banks: ex-IBM CIO
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Newly appointed ANZ advisory panel member says there’s no difference in the agile approach at a tech or financial services company.
30 May 2017
As fintech comes of age, who is checking the children?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Fintech isn’t breaking banks – but it’s big enough for regulators to start paying attention.
24 May 2017
The grass is greener across the ditch
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
In Australia pessimism about the outlook prevails. It’s a different story in NZ. Why?
23 May 2017
VIDEO: success, the agile way
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ technology GE Gerard Florian speaks to bluenotes about the agile working experience.
16 May 2017
VIDEO: women don’t need fixing
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Launching her new book with bluenotes, Catherine Fox explains why women don’t need to be fixed – but the system does.
10 May 2017
ESG transparency crucial for biz: Elliott
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ has a responsibility to be transparent about its impacts, CEO says.
10 May 2017
Beyond Good and Evil: AI and market forces
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The artificial brain is growing but no matter how smart it becomes its power will depend on mere mortals and market forces.
02 May 2017
Jablko: ANZ happy with capital position; has flexibility
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ’s portfolio rebalancing, improved productivity and lower provisions all contributed to a strong improvement in return-on-equity for the bank in the first half, ANZ chief financial officer Michelle Jablko says.
02 May 2017
ANZ overhauls its organisational approach to improve customer experience
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ is shaking up its management style in a move CEO Shayne Elliott hopes will improve the way the bank responds to customer needs, empower staff and improve productivity.
02 May 2017
ANZ strategy delivering improved returns: Elliott
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ has delivered a strong half-year result which demonstrates consistency in execution, ANZ CEO Shayne Elliott says, adding he is optimistic for the full-year result.
26 Apr 2017
Vanuatu’s rocky road to prosperity
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
From one of Port Vila’s ritziest streets, the address of consulates, local rich-listers and senior multi-national executives, the views out over the stunning blue Erakor Lagoon are spectacular. But the road to get to these residences is spectacular for all the wrong reasons: its potholes are so huge, ubiquitous and unavoidable anything less than a 4WD would be foolhardy.
20 Apr 2017
Pressures and promise for banking in APAC
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Judging by the headlines of McKinsey & Co’s latest Asia-Pacific Banking Review, it’s becoming less attractive to bank in the region as an era when this part of the world was the most fertile for growth loses vigour.
20 Apr 2017
ON THE COUCH: Elliott on business’ most important resource
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
If you’re trying to work out the source of a problem in your business – no matter what the size – it’s worth taking a closer look at your people, ANZ CEO Shayne Elliott says.
12 Apr 2017
Bank of England: Do as I say, not as I do
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
For a central banker, Andy Haldane is a Shakespearean fool – not that he’s foolish, in fact exactly the opposite. Under the guise of speeches with titles like The Dog and the Frisbee he cuts through the pomp of the regulatory court with incisive and often irreverent – and sometimes perplexing – wit.
11 Apr 2017
ON THE COUCH: Culture, growth and purpose with Shayne Elliott
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Does business exist just to make money or is there a role for enlightened self-interest and helping communities work?
05 Apr 2017
Housing: boom or doom?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Australians love talking about property – how expensive it is but also how desirable. At the same time as affordability is at cyclical lows and household debt at highs, both major Australian media organisations have launched huge, glossy inserted marketing magazines wallowing in the allure of luxury property.
04 Apr 2017
ANZ looks to future of wealth business; options open: Elliott
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ chief executive Shayne Elliott says the bank is seeking a partner and exploring models for its wealth business but insists the industry remains critical to the bank’s customer proposition.
04 Apr 2017
Engaged people central to cultural change: van der Merwe
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Fostering the right culture, nurturing talent inside the organisation and investing in employee engagement are fundamental to the success of modern organisations, ANZ’s newly-appointed Group Executive, Talent & Culture says.
29 Mar 2017
VIDEO: where real leadership happens
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The idea everyone can be a leader is a myth, ANZ director Paula Dwyer says, but that doesn’t mean leadership can’t be found at every level of an organisation.
28 Mar 2017
ON THE COUCH: innovation & change in Singapore
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Goh Chok Tong has had a long, distinguished career in politics and public policy in Asia, including a crucial period as the Prime Minister of Singapore, succeeding founding PM Lee Kuan Yew.
22 Mar 2017
Community demanding more of biz leaders: Dwyer
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The role of senior business leaders in broader Australian society is changing as the community demands more of them according to ANZ director Paula Dwyer.
21 Mar 2017
ON THE COUCH: Singapore senior minister Goh on our crises of uncertainty
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Goh Chok Tong has had a long, distinguished career in politics and public policy in Asia, including a crucial period as the Prime Minister of Singapore, succeeding founding PM Lee Kuan Yew. Now, as the global trading landscape faces its biggest shakeup in decades, what does he expect will happen next?
21 Mar 2017
Social issues are shareholder issues
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
There’s been polarised reaction in some quarters of Australia to a letter signed by 30 major business figures in support of marriage equality.
14 Mar 2017
All aboard fintech’s Trojan horse
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The US Federal Reserve has raised interest rates as expected but all eyes are on the future as a slightly disappointed market reflects on what happens next.
01 Mar 2017
Maile Carnegie named ANZ head of digital
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ's Incoming Group Executive Digital Banking Maile Carnegie says the bank needs to look to solutions from the tech sector to succeed in an increasingly digital market - but adds digital "transplants" don't work.
28 Feb 2017
It’s banking, Jim – but not as we know it
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Trust is the word of the moment in banking: can customers trust banks? Can society? But banking has always been fundamentally a trust business: when neither borrowers nor lenders know one another well enough, they trust a bank to act as an intermediary.
22 Feb 2017
Can the next generation of coal power be banked?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The Australia government has flagged an expansion of the mandate of its so-called ‘green bank’ to allow investment in clean-coal technologies – at the same time as the banking regulator delivered its most detailed comments to date on how banks should think about climate change.
17 Feb 2017
ANZ growing but still cautious: Elliott
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ continues to grow but remains cautious of the economic environment despite posting a solid increase in cash profit for the first quarter.
14 Feb 2017
RegTech joins the C-Suite
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
A new ‘C’ has been added to the suite in banking: the Chief Security Information Officer. BlueNotes has a video interview this week with ANZ’s new CISO, Lynwen Connick, who comes from an eminent career in the Australian public service.
13 Feb 2017
VIDEO: ANZ names Lynwen Connick as cybersec chief
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Banks are obliged to do everything in their power to protect customers and their information, according to ANZ’s incoming chief information security officer, but need to do so without preventing access to popular services online.
06 Feb 2017
Bitcoin to live on like the Pterodactyl
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The reports of the death of Bitcoin may be exaggerations but they're out there.
02 Feb 2017
What's behind the Bank of Japan's Jedi mind trick? Less than nothing?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Japan's startling move to negative interest rates over the weekend again focusses attention on the limitations of monetary policy in combating an economic downturn.
31 Jan 2017
Asia game has changed but ANZ still a player: Elliott
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ remains committed to the Asian region, CEO Shayne Elliott says, but changes to the economic and regulatory environment means the bank has had to adjust its strategy – not abandon it.
19 Dec 2016
BlueNotes Debate: trust, sustainability & corporate culture
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Issues of sustainability, trust and social licence are increasingly important across the political and business environment - as developments in the US, Britain and Australia upend long-held conventional wisdom about how it all works.
16 Dec 2016
Outlook: economies, currencies and commodities in 2017
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
A recent drop into negative growth in Australia will not be enough to keep the economy from growing above trend in 2017, while growth in the Asia Pacific regions will be limited by developments in the US and China.
14 Dec 2016
Fairness must be part of the customer experience: Neave
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
It is increasingly important for businesses to ensure fairness is part of their customer experience amid an environment of wavering corporate trust, according to the outgoing Commonwealth Ombudsman and newly appointed ANZ Customer Fairness Advisor.
13 Dec 2016
Phi, Friedman and the purpose of business
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Trust, purpose, social licence, corporate responsibility - no matter which business or political forum you attend, these themes are likely to be aired, if not formally then in discussions before and after.
08 Dec 2016
How to work out working out loud (and avoid shouting)
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Traditionally conservative workplaces are slowly shifting to a new way of working as research shows knowledge-sharing initiatives like employee social networks can lift productivity by as much as 25 per cent.
07 Dec 2016
The benefits of being good
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Come the end-of-year festive break and the attention of senior bank executives, particularly in finance and compliance, shifts to the Swiss town of Basel and its population of regulatory gnomes who in recent years have delivered surprise presents at this time.
30 Nov 2016
Payments: beyond the pleasure and pain principle
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
In the decades since payment cards entered commerce alongside cash their promoters have struggled to convince a significant minority of merchants the benefits of non-cash payments outweigh the costs.
22 Nov 2016
Darwin and the saltwater people
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Darwin’s strategic location as a trading port is no secret to the Larrakia people, the original custodians of the land and waters around the Northern Territory capital.
15 Nov 2016
Collateral damage: the emerging market growth story under threat
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The Donald Trump presidency remains an unknown quantity. As Reserve Bank of Australia deputy governor Guy Debelle told a conference last week, the only certainty is uncertainty and if you’re going to write volatility insurance charge a high price for it.
09 Nov 2016
Aus bank results: lots of paddling below the water line against strong currents.
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The headline outcomes from the latest major bank profit reporting season (picking up Commonwealth Bank’s June year) were stark:
07 Nov 2016
VIDEO: ANZ names Gerard Florian as head of tech
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Technology is reshaping banking at a faster and faster rate, according to Incoming ANZ Group Executive, Technology, Gerard Florian. But banks must also balance the demands of consumers, regulators and technology as they push to provide innovative services to customers.
03 Nov 2016
Dividend sustainable; credit provisions elevated but stable; productivity gains: Jablko
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ’s new chief financial officer Michelle Jablko said the bank’s full-year result showed a focus on becoming a better-balanced, simpler, better-capitalised institution.
03 Nov 2016
Elliott: momentum building on rebalancing; key markets robust; cost control good
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The momentum behind ANZ’s rebalancing in key areas continues to build, while cost performance is improving and key markets remain robust, the bank’s CEO says.
02 Nov 2016
Massive growth in fintech (to a small share)
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Banking will look radically different in 10 years’ time, probably even five. It will be digital – even though that means many things to different people. And financial technology start-ups – fintechs – will be behind much of the transformation.
29 Oct 2016
ANZ can keep growing: Smith
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ CEO Mike Smith is confident the bank can maintain the strong market share growth which was a pillar of another record annual profit.
29 Oct 2016
Elliott still committed to Asia
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ remains committed to its Asian strategy after posting another record profit and doesn't envision changes to its payout ratio, according to ANZ chief financial officer and incoming chief executive Shayne Elliott.
26 Oct 2016
Data and the information pay-off
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
“Information wants to be free”, one of the most enduring internet memes, is often attributed to Steven Levy in his 1984 book Hackers.
18 Oct 2016
The procedural challenges in managing reputation risk
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
There is little doubt much has been done on the risk and regulation front since the financial crisis of 2008. Nor is there any lack of debate about how effective the measures have been. The to-and-fro over capital, ‘too-big-to-fail’, acceptable profits, culture and remuneration continue.
12 Oct 2016
Robocops on the regulatory beat
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
In Australia last week, the banking industry was focussed on a parliamentary inquiry into the industry’s culture and response to a range of issues from customer complaints to pricing to market behaviour.
28 Sep 2016
Is anyone cashing in on mobile wallets?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The seemingly inexorable trend towards a cashless society continues as contactless payments and mobile wallets replace cash in consumer commerce and real-time payments occur deeper and deeper into the world of small as well as large business.
20 Sep 2016
Disruptors: if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em (or buy ‘em)
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Corporate balance sheets globally have a lot of cash with earnings solid and interest rates low but caution and limited opportunity for investment is leaving much of it unspent.
13 Sep 2016
The negativity of negative interest rates
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
One of the key things banks do is borrow money for short periods of time and lend it out for long periods - maybe take deposits for three months and make home loans for 20 years. It is what is called ‘maturity transformation’ and when all goes well, it’s a profitable business.
06 Sep 2016
The cost of misconduct
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The G20’s deliberations over the weekend demonstrated the financial crisis is not over some eight years later. Global growth is fragile, monetary policy fraught, trade barriers are growing not falling (for example, in the year up to the latest confab, G20 governments imposed 350 new measures discriminating against foreign commercial interests, almost four times the number in 2009).
06 Sep 2016
ANZ institutional strategy on track: Whelan
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ is making headway in the simplification of its institutional bank offering and a new strategy has received board approval but market conditions remain challenging, according to business head Mark Whelan.
30 Aug 2016
Yetsenga: Time to rethink India (and Asia)
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Promising developments are visible across a range of Asian economies, belying the mood of doom and gloom, ANZ’s new chief economist says, particular in India.
30 Aug 2016
Can you trust the future of banking?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
What finally sees off an ageing, ailing business model is not always the most obvious threat. In journalism, for example, the end of print newspapers may not come just because Facebook or the iPhone are now what is read on trains.
23 Aug 2016
The shadows are lengthening in the financial sector
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The global financial crisis is still with us. Its onset was unpredicted, its ramifications unpredictable. But at its heart was what otherwise discredited former American Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld termed “unknown unknowns”.
16 Aug 2016
How much is too much bank capital?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
It’s indisputable the level of core capital banks must carry is rising higher and higher; nor is it in dispute capital was too low when the financial crisis hit. Indeed, some prominent authorities, including former Bank of England governor Mervyn King and Financial Times columnist Martin Wolf, believe in even higher levels of capital.
09 Aug 2016
Is there a limit to the battle between borrowers and depositors?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
As interest rates fall around the world to historic, even negative, levels, both public and technical debates are alive about the implications for banks.
09 Aug 2016
ANZ positive in slower-growth environment
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ is confident of improving returns as it moves to address a continued slow-growth environment and reduce its exposure to under-pressure sectors, CEO Shayne Elliott says.
02 Aug 2016
The fintech revolution: slower burn or slowly burning?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Venture capital investment hit a record in 2015. It won’t top that in 2016. The latest EY global venture capital trends report found $US148 billion invested through 8,381 deals in 2015 – the highest venture capital (VC) activity in nearly two decades.
19 Jul 2016
The mood doesn’t match the facts - and promise - of Townsville
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
From Castle Hill, the 300-metre pink granite monolith looming over Cleveland Bay and spectacular Magnetic Island, the city of Townsville looks a like it should be a flourishing economic centre.
12 Jul 2016
Nine out of ten people will do the right thing (and click this story)
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
How do you convince fiscal miscreants to pay their taxes on time? Simply tell them everyone else is doing it, it turns out. Behavioural economics does the rest for you.
11 Jul 2016
Nostalgia and the challenge of ageing
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Nostalgia is a beguiling, often sepia-toned wistfulness about a kinder, simpler past. It’s more prevalent the older we get. And advanced economies around the world are getting older.
05 Jul 2016
Bank investment with Clint Eastwood
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
No doubt it’s familiar to all but in the climactic showdown in Sergio Leone’s epic Western The Good, The Bad and The Ugly the three protagonists confront one another. A classic stand-off, in a cemetery no less, beloved of game theorists, the winner getting the money and the losers ending up, well, six-feetunder.
28 Jun 2016
Can you bank on brexit?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
There are two particular groups devastated by Brexit: British pollsters and Japanese policymakers.
21 Jun 2016
Will there be a war to end cyber warfare?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
If ever the famous aphorism, dating back a century or more, about generals always fighting the last war rings true, it is in the war against cybercrime.
20 Jun 2016
VIDEO: Could Australia face a services-led labour shortage?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Australia’s transition to a services economy will force businesses to reassess internal management practices as demand for labour surges in the lead up to 2030, according to ANZ’s Acting Chief Economist Richard Yetsenga.
15 Jun 2016
Fintech investment surges in Q1 but does that mean the Kodak moment nears for banks?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
There was a resurgence of activity in the financial technology (fintech) universe in the first quarter of the year after signs of potential rapid deflation at the end of 2015.
07 Jun 2016
The environmental market is heating up
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
In the last month, both China and India have emphasised the critical role green investing can play in addressing environmental damage, carbon intensity and global warming; the global banking Financial Stability Board has expanded its climate-related financial disclosure task force; and a major investor group has published seven climate change policy priorities.
30 May 2016
Do taxpayers subsidise the banks?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
That ratings agencies like Standard & Poor’s build an ‘implicit government guarantee’ into their ratings of the major Australian banks is not a surprise. It’s long been the case.
24 May 2016
The next evolution of financial services
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
If you want to know why only one in 50 fathers take up paid parental leave, listen in on the conversations they have with their male colleagues and bosses.
17 May 2016
The opportunity for efficient fintech is huge
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Whether it’s a bubble or not, the investment binge into financial services start-ups and financial technology companies (fintech) has long looked unsustainable. There are too many opportunities swimming in an evaporating pool of investment capital.
12 May 2016
Bringing digital banking into the branch
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ’s new ‘centre of the future’ in Sydney is part of a shift in the banking sector to bring digital into the branch for both staff and customers, ANZ Group Executive Australia Fred Ohlsson says.
10 May 2016
Have banks misjudged the credit cycle?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Credit quality, unsurprisingly, was the major focus of investors and analysts with the Australian bank interim results and trading updates.
09 May 2016
Batty: family violence happens to your staff
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Businesses are beginning to recognise their important role in preventing family violence, former Australian of the year Rosie Batty says, as statistics demonstrate the incidence of victims among their staff.
03 May 2016
Hodges: cost focus already paying off, new view on modern technology
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ has moved to recognise the changing pace of modern technology by taking more of the cost of depreciating technology up front, acting chief financial officer Graham Hodges says.
03 May 2016
Whelan: very tough conditions but refocus already showing results
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ’s institutional business dragged back stronger earnings from other divisions in the bank but division boss Mark Whelan said the bank was already well advanced in reshaping the business with early returns promising.
03 May 2016
Core ANZ business remains strong; restructuring for sustainable earnings: Elliott
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ chief executive Shayne Elliott says the bank is making some hard decisions to reposition itself for the future after posting a fall in interim cash earnings but he stressed the bank’s core businesses remain strong.
02 May 2016
The fintech revolution is here and fintechs are being squeezed
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ’s announcement of a long-awaited joint venture with Apple to offer Apple Pay, and one for Android Pay looming, brings the relationship between established banks and financial technology companies – fintechs – to the fore.
28 Apr 2016
ANZ to offer Apple Pay as digital disruption accelerates
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ will become the first major bank in Australia to offer Apple Pay services in the latest significant development in the Australian payments sector.
27 Apr 2016
It’s not the best of times. But not the worst either – mixed messages on the economy
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The global economy continues to splutter with the International Monetary Fund once again downgrading its outlook (although still expecting growth) and a swarm of central banks expressing similarly gloomy views.
21 Apr 2016
Greater confidence in banks helps everyone: Ohlsson
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The Australian Bankers’ Association has released a six-point action plan aimed at bolstering consumer confidence in banking, with a focus on protecting whistleblowers, strengthening customer-complaint processes and improving conduct.
20 Apr 2016
China transition on track: Elliott
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
China’s transition toward a consumption-led economy is clearly underway.
19 Apr 2016
When banks lose the will to live
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Death is difficult to talk about. Even the quality media, which have long prided themselves on clarity and simple language, now regularly refer to “passing” rather than dying. There’re more euphemisms for dropping off the twig today than even Monty Python could cope with.
12 Apr 2016
Culture should be a shareholder metric
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Australia’s banking system came through the financial crisis as well as any in the world. Taxpayers ultimately made money out of a government guarantee program, institutional failure – notably of market-funded mortgage specialists – was digested by the system.
05 Apr 2016
What leverage really means for banks
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Banks are leveraged plays on economies because they lend their capital many times over. So when economies are strong, banks perform even more strongly.
04 Apr 2016
BlueNotes debate: How much damage can disruption do?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
BlueNotes Debates bring together important voices across the business, economic and social spectrum to thrash out where the issues lie. Managing editor Andrew Cornell recently chaired a forum of regional corporate advisory, restructuring and administration professionals. After debating their particular take on the outlook for 2016, the discussion turned to the impact of digital disruption.
30 Mar 2016
Japan's at a turning point – and that's a good thing
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Japan has entered its third “lost decade" of economic malaise following the collapse of its bubble economy in the early 90s.
22 Mar 2016
Which fintechs are DeLoreans and which are Toyotas?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Henry Ford, founder of the eponymous global car brand, famously dismissed market research with the observation “if I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses".
08 Mar 2016
Want to be a bank boss?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
One of the interesting discussions sparked by Maile Carnegie's decision to leave Google to join this bank, ANZ, was around whether banks might soon be better run by technologists.
02 Mar 2016
ANZ realigns wealth operations
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ CEO Shayne Elliott says a changing environment for wealth management is behind a decision to bring services closer to customers while simplifying the wealth arm of the bank, including insurance.
01 Mar 2016
Despite volatility, China policy continues to support growing internationalisation of the RMB
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
The ructions in China have inevitably shifted thinking around the role of China's currency, the renminbi (RMB). While China's stated long term aim is opening up its economy and internationalising the RMB, market turmoil and growth concerns have created new uncertainty.
23 Feb 2016
Agtech, restech, regtech, fintech – actual solutions or techno-babble?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
You have to move fast in modern technology: fintech is already passe. Apart from being a bubble (at least in the view of many analysts), tech savvy soothsayers and the occasional carpet bagger have already moved on to the next wave of digitally disruptive platforms, be they in agtech (agricultural technology), mining tech (smart technology for the resources industry) or regulatory technology.
22 Feb 2016
BlueNotes debate: bears v bulls in 2016
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
BlueNotes Debates bring together important voices across the business, economic and social spectrum to thrash out where the issues lie. Managing editor Andrew Cornell recently chaired a forum of regional corporate advisory, restructuring and administration professionals to debate their particular take on the outlook for 2016.
17 Feb 2016
ANZ confident on operations, conditions challenging
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
ANZ is confident it can grow its underlying businesses but remains wary of challenging economic conditions in Asia after posting a rise in cash profit during the first quarter.
16 Feb 2016
BlueNotes debate: the innovation injection
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Australia has the fourth-biggest pool of pension savings in the world and now a government which recognises innovation as critical to economic well-being. But the question then becomes: how can we ensure these funds are used to support Australian innovation in a way that supports both industry and super balances?
16 Feb 2016
What's wrong with banks?
Andrew Cornell | Managing Editor, bluenotes
Bank shares, globally, have borne the brunt of the new year sell-off on equity markets. It's not good news and not just for those owning bank shares.
07 Feb 2016