20 articles
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand expects headline inflation to reach 4.3 per cent in the September 2026 quarter after the Strait of Hormuz disruption drives up fuel costs. Markets price an official cash rate peak of 3.7 per cent by the end of 2027, above the central bank's conditional 3.2 per cent path.
The Financial Markets Authority will assume regulatory responsibility for the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act 2003 from the Commerce Commission on 1 July 2026.
ANZ Bank New Zealand will appeal a High Court decision that found it breached mortgage variation disclosure rules, exposing the bank to potential liability of up to $125 million across roughly 17,000 customers.
Stride Property Group lowered its bank loan-to-value ratio to 34 percent in the year to 31 March 2026 while holding its dividend at 8.0 cents per share. The moves illustrate how Reserve Bank of New Zealand interest rate cuts have improved cash flow for commercial property borrowers.
Kiwibank raised its nine-month term deposit rate by 15 basis points to 3.55 percent and its one-year rate by five basis points to 3.9 percent on 28 May 2026, becoming the first major bank to adjust offerings after the Reserve Bank held the official cash rate steady at 2.25 percent.
New Zealand consumers using generative AI tools for budgeting, investment picks and financial queries risk generic or inaccurate recommendations not tailored to local conditions.
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand left the Official Cash Rate unchanged at 2.25 percent on 27 May 2026. The Monetary Policy Committee cited the need for more data on the inflation spike triggered by the Middle East conflict before any adjustment.
Around 43 percent of New Zealand residential mortgage debt will reprice in the next six months, driving many households toward higher costs even while the Reserve Bank holds the Official Cash Rate at 2.25 percent.
Warnings from Fitch Ratings and S&P Global that a planned cap on local council rate increases could weaken their creditworthiness have exposed the degree to which New Zealand's local government system depends on endless rates hikes to sustain ballooning debt levels.
New Zealand Police have received 43 public reports and around 320 submissions from duty holders under the Russia Sanctions Act, with only nine cases advancing to investigation and no confirmed breaches identified.
Nvidia's record $81.6 billion first-quarter revenue has laid bare the substantial, often unappreciated exposure KiwiSaver investors carry to the AI chip leader through passive index trackers.
ASB Bank forecasts inflation above 4 per cent for the rest of 2026, citing supply-chain effects from the Middle East conflict that prompted the Reserve Bank to hold the official cash rate at 2.25 per cent in April.
New Zealand banks channel only 18 per cent of lending to businesses excluding agriculture, well below the 30 per cent share recorded in Australia at the same point.
No New Zealand bank has met Consumer NZ's threshold for its People's Choice award for customer satisfaction in 2026, the first time this has occurred in ten years.
KiwiSaver recorded a 514 percent jump in partial withdrawals tied to permanent emigration in the first quarter of 2026, with roughly 2,000 people taking $77 million according to Financial Services Council figures. This surge, alongside a record $296.7 million in early hardship and first-home withdrawals in March 2026, signals that New Zealand's retirement scheme is doubling as an emergency exit…
Bank of New Zealand appointed receivers on 11 May 2026 to 92,902 shares in Dairy Goat Co-operative held by King Country Partnership (2013) Limited Partnership, together with all associated milk supply rights.
Independent economist Michael Reddell said he blanched at NZ First leader Winston Peters' threat to buy back the Bank of New Zealand from National Australia Bank and merge it with Kiwibank.
New Zealand's four largest retail banks have joined Visa's Agentic Ready programme and can now handle AI-driven agent-initiated payments using existing tokenisation and risk controls.
Markets have repriced a 0.25 percentage point OCR hike in July as almost certain after the Middle East conflict drove sharp rises in global oil prices and lifted near-term inflation expectations.
New Zealand businesses are prioritising cash reserves and balance-sheet strength over capital spending, even as operating profits hit $31 billion in the December 2025 quarter. This caution, triggered by geopolitical shocks and prolonged policy uncertainty, risks locking in weak productivity growth and lower living standards for years.
