The competition regulator says a merged ANZ-Suncorp would be 3.5x the size of its nearest rival outside the Big Four — Macquarie Bank.
Laurel Henning
Laurel joined Capital Brief from MLex where she spent a decade covering topics ranging from competition law and data privacy to white collar crime and criminal cartels. She also spent five years in Brussels covering European energy and climate policies.
Contact Laurel via email or Signal.
Can smaller banks effectively compete in the home loan market with Australia's big four? According to one of the most prominent smaller lenders, the answer is no.
Bendigo & Adelaide Bank began its campaign for a merger with Suncorp Group's banking business in earnest in Australian Competition Tribunal hearings on Friday.
The competition regulator and the powerful Pharmacy Guild were both unaware of the two group's plans to merge before the deal leaked yesterday.
Day two of the big four bank's appeal of its rejected Suncorp Bank deal was all about market definitions. And fried chicken.
Hearings in the second biggest merger battle in town got underway today, with lawyers for ANZ making the case that the rejection of its Suncorp Bank acquisition should be overturned.
The rise of generative AI use has sparked concerns about industry disruption and job losses, but MinterEllison chief executive officer Virginia Briggs doesn't see it that way.
As the government's Competition Taskforce consults on changes to merger laws, a successful argument for legal changes seems less about economics and more about getting the paperwork done.
Bendigo & Adelaide Bank has reaffirmed its desire to buy Suncorp Group’s banking business, confirming in a submission to the Australian Competition Tribunal it should be considered a “counterfactual” alternative acquirer to ANZ.
Latitude Financial's 2023 data breach saw millions of customer details stolen. New Zealand's privacy regulator says a "right to erasure" could have prevented some of that.
Ashurst is aiming to get in front of local competitors for the first time with a focus on ESG, cybersecurity, the energy transition and corporate M&A.
Australia's top privacy regulator is urging lawmakers to act now to create safeguards for consumers and businesses against the rise of artificial intelligence
The ACCC has warned that rapid advances in immersive tech and generative AI raise risks of anticompetitive behaviour by Big Tech.
Delta Building Automation should face a $2.5 million fine for attempting to rig a bid for a National Gallery of Australia tender, according to the ACCC.
Australian Clinical Labs appeared in court for the first time in its privacy law legal battle linked to its handling of a 2022 data breach.
The federal government unveiled its 2023-2030 Cyber Security Strategy, committing $586 million in fresh funding to the nation's cyber defences.
EnergyAustralia is defending its "Go Neutral" product against greenwashing allegations by saying its representations of "carbon neutral" products were opinion, not fact.
Critical infrastructure laws governing responses to cyber incidents are about to get an update, and legal experts say companies with complex corporate structures could be most affected.
Australia's legal services market is worth a fraction of that in the United States, so how do large international firms compete and co-exist with the Big Six in a crowded but important market?
Ex-Macquarie Capital chief Tim Bishop’s climate tech VC firm and Robyn Denholm’s family office, Wollemi Capital Group, are locked in an ongoing trademark dispute.
The ACCC has pushed for merger law changes for more than two years. Fresh comments this week have led lawyers to believe the government still needs convincing.
Optus' cybersecurity worries are bleeding into the company's legal fight against class action claims over its handling of a 2022 cyberattack.
Several banks have expressed concerns that critical competitive material including board papers and commercial decisions will be available to rivals as a result of ANZ's Suncorp Bank appeal.
Experts are concerned about concentration in the shadowy data broking sector. But measures to alleviate this will create enormous privacy risks and could make things worse.
The closely watched court case has provided much more than just an insight into the critical relationship between investors and founders of startup companies.
The OAIC case against Australian Clinical Labs shows the regulator is prepared to back up talk with action.
The court saw heated cross examinations ahead of a pause before closing arguments are heard later in November.
Class action settlements topped $1 billion last financial year for the first time since before the pandemic. But the nature of cases is changing with the economy.
The Federal Assistant Minister for competition says all options are on the table for merger-law changes, while non-compete clauses hurting startups are also in focus.
Melbourne-based investor Adir Shiffman has said his dispute with Sleeping Duck is beyond 'his wildest nightmares.' Here's what we know three weeks into the trial.
After much fanfare, the Consumer Data Right in banking is doing ... not much. Now the ACCC is making veiled warnings of greater regulatory enforcement.
The OAIC admitted at a Senate estimates hearing that despite thousands of referrals, it hasn't imposed a single fine on a company for a data breach.
EnergyAustralia is facing updated claims from climate-advocacy group Australian Parents for Climate Action that aim to further unpick the company's use of 'offsets'.
The Sunshine State wants to have a say in ANZ's appeal of the ACCC's decision to knock back its Suncorp Bank takeover.
Adir Shiffman's cross examination in his Sleeping Duck lawsuit is focused on how much Shiffman knew about fellow minority investor - Prateek Bandopadhayay - and when.
A High Court of Australia decision that a distance-based charge on electric vehicles in the state of Victoria is invalid threatens similar plans across the country.
