Australia delays Open Banking roll out over security concerns

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) have delayed the introduction of Open Banking rules by six months amid concerns over testing and security of the new provisions for account data sharing.

The ACCC has announced an update on the timeline for the implementation and launch of the Consumer Data Right (CDR) in the banking sector, deferring the launch of certain aspects from February to July 2020.

Under the revised deadline, „consumers will be able to direct major banks to share their credit and debit card, deposit account and transaction account data with accredited service providers from 1 July 2020. Consumers’ mortgage and personal loan data will be able to be shared after 1 November 2020.”, according to the press release.

“The CDR is a complex but fundamental competition and consumer reform and we are committed to delivering it only after we are confident the system is resilient, user friendly and properly tested,” ACCC Commissioner Sarah Court says. “Robust privacy protection and information security are core features of the CDR and establishing appropriate regulatory settings and IT infrastructure cannot be rushed.”

Background:

The Consumer Data Right will give consumers the right to safely access data about them, held by businesses, and direct this information be transferred to trusted third parties of their choice.

Banking will be the first sector to which the CDR applies. The CDR will subsequently be rolled out sector-by-sector, with banking being followed by energy and telecommunications.

Data portability increases competition, particularly for more complex products and services, and allows businesses to make more tailored offerings to consumers.

The ACCC has been working closely for several months with the big 4 banks and the 9 entities selected to be the initial data recipients to test and refine the CDR ecosystem.