Reimagining Banking With CommBank Companion

CommBank today announced it has begun testing CommBank Companion, designed to enable customers to better manage their money and business finances through a simple, conversational interface.

Located inside the CommBank app, CommBank Companion brings together live data to deliver information relevant to the customer - from everyday spending to home buying, to running a business. Customers can ask questions, explore answers and act, all in one place.

This reimagined banking experience is currently being tested with employees and a select group of business banking customers, with learnings used to refine the experience. Prior to the broader customer rollout, testing outcomes will be evaluated across a range of criteria.

Helping customers make more informed financial decisions

Angus Sullivan, Group Executive Retail Banking Services, said: "Australians are telling us they want more control, clarity and confidence in managing their money. With over 9 million customers using the CommBank app every day we are continuing to innovate and improve their experience."

"CommBank Companion is our response - bringing together live spending and saving data into a single experience, so customers can be better informed and manage their money, and act with confidence.

"It reflects a broader shift in banking - from something customers navigate, to something that can actively surface relevant information to them. In the coming weeks we will be expanding the employee and business bank test to include some personal banking customers ahead of a broader rollout."

"Trust is critical in banking. That's why we're taking a deliberate and staged approach to CommBank Companion, with strong governance, testing and customer safeguards embedded from day one."

A trusted service provider for more businesses

Mike Vacy‑Lyle, Group Executive, Business Banking, said business owners often have access to data, but struggle with using that intelligence to support decision‑making.

"Running a business means making dozens of decisions every day while managing staff, suppliers, customers and cash flow," Mr Vacy‑Lyle said.

"CommBank Companion is designed to bring clarity to some of that complexity - summarising what's happening in the finance of the business in plain language. As the experience is refined, it will highlight when attention may be needed to help business owners sense‑check financial decisions before they act.

"We're designing it to be a trusted service provider for businesses, extending our relationship banking model and giving more customers access to timely information and support whenever they need it."

Safety and security at the core

CommBank Companion operates inside the secure CommBank app - the same trusted platform used by more than 9 million Australians, who log in on average 1.4 times a day, a record high and up 6.5% year‑on‑year.

It is supported by around $1 billion in security investment, building on CommBank's ongoing focus on protecting customers from scams and fraud, including real-time safeguards embedded directly into the app.

Designed and built by CommBank's own engineering and data science teams, Companion uses advanced AI techniques to deliver fast, relevant responses, with clear guardrails and controls informing what it can and can't do.

Companion has been developed with human oversight, rigorous testing and governance processes designed to support accuracy, consistency and customer safety. Customers will remain in control of decisions and actions at all times, with Companion being designed to support and inform - not replace - customer judgement or professional advice where required.

During testing, what can CommBank Companion do?

• Interacts in everyday language - customers can ask questions, with responses in text
• Contextualised in customer data for transaction related questions, it understands customer spending and savings
• Home-buying information, such as borrowing power, home valuations, repayment schedules, required deposits, comparison of loan types and interest rates
• Everyday money management, including information on budgeting, savings goals, subscriptions and budget cycles
• For businesses, it offers clear, real-time visibility and insights of cash flow, including historical cash flow trends and simple projections. Practical next steps if pressure or opportunity arises including relevant support or available banking options.

Over time, CommBank Companion for business will

• Help business owners model cash flow scenarios to inform business decisions such as the impact of hiring new employees, investing, or expanding
• Flag emerging cashflow pressures for businesses, such as higher‑than‑usual supplier or energy costs, and enable them to compare performance to other businesses like theirs
• Handle business servicing tasks, such as reordering statements or troubleshooting a merchant terminal, with access to human support if needed.

What it doesn't do:

• Provide financial advice or credit assistance on regulated products
• Make decisions on behalf of customers

A practical example of CommBank's responsible approach to AI in banking

CommBank Companion is one example of how the bank is using AI to enhance retail and business customer experiences, a key pillar of CommBank's broader AI strategy.

Built within CommBank's secure and trusted environment, CommBank Companion reflects CommBank's broader approach to responsible AI adoption, including governance, risk management, privacy protections and ongoing monitoring designed to support safe and trusted customer experiences. CommBank Companion will be showcased at CommBank Accelerate AI on 26 May 2026.