List of banks in Australia – yep, all of them
Here's a list of all the banks in Australia, from the Big Four to the mid tier banks, customer-owned banks and online neobanks.
Key takeaways
- Explore over 70 Australian banks credit unions and building societies beyond the Big Four.
- Prioritise a bank with branches for in-person service or a strong app for digital convenience.
- Compare transaction accounts to find options with often zero monthly or international transaction fees.
A list of every bank operating in Australia
The list above includes different types of Australian banks, but they all serve the same broad function of holding customer deposits, and access to money (savings and credit) via loans, debit cards and credit cards.
Australian-owned banks
Banks provide a wide range of financial products and services to Australian customers, including transaction and savings accounts, home loans, personal loans and credit cards.
In Australia most people bank with one of the Big Four:
But there are so many other banks in Australia. This includes a second or mid-tier of major banks below the Big Four. There are also many smaller banks, some of them entirely digital. These banks are often owned by a larger bank.
Foreign subsidiary banks
A foreign subsidiary bank is a subsidiary of a foreign-owned bank that is incorporated in Australia. These institutions must hold capital locally and must also meet the same prudential standards and undergo the same supervision as Australian-owned banks.
Building societies
A building society is a mutual organisation that is owned by its members and offers a wide range of financial products and services. These organisations tend to be located in rural and regional Australia and they offer deposit accounts, loans and payment services.
Credit unions
Like building societies, credit unions are also owned by their members. Rather than being run to provide profits for shareholders, credit unions are run to benefit members. Credit unions operate right across Australia and offer a wide range of banking and financial products and services.
Which bank should I choose?
While all banks serve the same basic function there are a few ways to decide what kind of bank you're looking for:
- Do you need to visit a local bank branch? Most banking is done online or via phone. But sometimes you need to get cash from an ATM or talk to someone face to face. If this is you, look for a big bank with a branch near where you live. If you live outside a major city you could also look at a local bank or credit union with a branch nearby. You probably don't want an online bank.
- Do you want really convenient online access and a banking app? Some people like to go entirely digital. There are plenty of online banks that don't even have physical branches. Some of them have great apps. But don't count out larger banks either. They often have very well designed apps.
- Read reviews and trust word of mouth. If you hear lots of bad things from customers of one bank, you might want to steer clear. Read reviews and check out the Finder customer satisfaction awards to see which banks have the best customer service.
- Does the bank offer what you need? Look closely at a bank's products. Some banks have different strengths and weaknesses too. If you have bank accounts in multiple countries you could look at a more international banks.
Looking for a new bank?
Click on the product or service you're interested in below to view our comparison tables.
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How we picked these
Finder Score for bank accounts
We assess multiple product features for transaction accounts from over 100 providers and assign each product a score out of 10.
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