The benchmark interest rate in Australia was last recorded at 3.60 percent. This dataset provides - Australia Interest Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

A comparison of the Australian target cash rate and the overnight interbank lending rate shows that, after around a decade of being identical, the economic impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to the actual overnight lending rate being lower than the Reserve Bank of Australia's target rate. This means that banks are lending to each other at lower rates than the "official" interest rate. One reason for this is the that the Reserve bank has made money available to banks in several new ways over this period (such as repo agreements where banks can pledge assets for short term funds), increasing liquidity in the banking system. As of June 2025, the overnight interbank cash rate and the target cash rate stood at **** and **** percent, respectively.

The Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) cash rate target in-part determines interest rates on financial products.

On November 8, 2023, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) increased the interest rate by **** percentage points, bringing the interest rate to **** percent. This was the thirteenth interest rate increase by the RBA since November 4, 2020, which saw the interest rate drop to a record *** percent.

Interbank Rate in Australia remained unchanged at 3.60 percent in October. This dataset provides - Australia Three Month Interbank Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Key information about Australia Policy Rate

• Australia cash rate (Policy Rate: Month End: Cash Target Rate) was set at 4.10 % pa in Feb 2025, compared with 4.35 % pa in the previous Jan 2025.
• Australia Policy Rate averaged 4.75 % pa and is updated monthly, available from Aug 1990 to Feb 2025.
• The data reached an all-time high of 14.00 % pa in Sep 1990 and a record low of 0.10 % pa in Apr 2022.

• In the latest reports, Australia Short Term Interest Rate: Month End: Bank Acceptance Bills Rates: 90 days was reported at 4.25 % pa in Jan 2025.
• Its Long Term Interest Rate (Government Bond Yield: Australian Government: 10 Years) was reported at 4.48 % pa in Jan 2025.
• Australia Exchange Rate against USD averaged 1.49 (USD/AUD) in Jun 2023.
• Its Real Effective Exchange Rate was 100.34 in Jan 2025.

Key information about Australia Long Term Interest Rate

• Australia Government Bond Yield: Australian Government: 10 Years was reported at 4.23 % pa in Oct 2025, compared with 4.30 % pa in the previous month.
• Australia Long Term Interest Rate data is updated monthly, available from Jul 1969 to Oct 2025.
• The data reached an all-time high of 16.50 % pa in Aug 1982 and a record low of 0.80 % pa in Oct 2020.
• Long Term Interest Rate is reported by reported by Reserve Bank of Australia.

• In the latest reports, Australia Short Term Interest Rate: Month End: Bank Acceptance Bills Rates: 90 days was reported at 3.66 % pa in Nov 2025.
• The cash rate (Policy Rate: Month End: Cash Target Rate) was set at 3.60 % pa in Nov 2025.
• Australia Exchange Rate against USD averaged 1.53 (USD/AUD) in Oct 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Interest Rates: Immediate Rates (< 24 Hours): Call Money/Interbank Rate: Total for Australia (IRSTCI01AUQ156N) from Q3 1990 to Q3 2025 about interbank, overnight, Australia, interest rate, interest, and rate.

View monthly updates and historical trends for Australia Long-Term Interest Rates. Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Track e…

The interest rate of bank accepted bills/negotiable certificates of deposit for Australian banks has fallen slightly over the last decade. From a peak of around **** percent from late 2010 to late 2011, interest rates on three and six month bills/certificates had fallen to **** and **** percent respectively as of September 2021 . Notably, these rates were below the the official Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) target cash rate of *** percent. Primarily, the reason for this is that the RBA was more concerned with ensuring banks have liquidity than intervening so that the cash rate is consistent with its target rate, and to this end RBA used new methods to inject funds into banks since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As of May 2024, the interest rates on three and six month bills/certificates increased to **** and **** percent, respectively.

Overview with Chart & Report: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Interest Rate Decision is one of the key instruments of the national monetary and credit policy. RBA board members hold regular meetings after which the bank publishes

Graph and download economic data for Interest Rates: Immediate Rates (< 24 Hours): Call Money/Interbank Rate: Total for Australia (IRSTCI01AUM156N) from Aug 1990 to Oct 2025 about interbank, overnight, Australia, interest rate, interest, and rate.

In 2019, the real interest rate in Australia amounted to **** percent. Between 1961 and 2019, the figure dropped by **** percentage points, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Key information about Australia Short Term Interest Rate

• Australia Short Term Interest Rate: Month End: Bank Acceptance Bills Rates: 90 days was reported at 3.66 % pa in Nov 2025, compared with 3.64 % pa in the previous month.
• Australia Short Term Interest Rate data is updated monthly, available from Jun 1969 to Nov 2025.
• The data reached an all-time high of 21.75 % pa in May 1974 and a record low of 0.01 % pa in Jan 2021.
• Short Term Interest Rate is reported by reported by Reserve Bank of Australia.

• In the latest reports, Australia Government Bond Yield: Australian Government: 10 Years was reported at 4.23 % pa in Oct 2025.
• The cash rate (Policy Rate: Month End: Cash Target Rate) was set at 3.60 % pa in Nov 2025.
• Australia Exchange Rate against USD averaged 1.53 (USD/AUD) in Oct 2025.

As of March 2025, the average variable mortgage interest rate for Australian owner-occupier borrowers with outstanding loans was around *** percent. In comparison, the average investor interest rate for outstanding loans was approximately *** percent. New loan interest rates for owner-occupiers and investors were slightly lower that month, at *** and *** percent, respectively.

Graph and download economic data for Real Broad Effective Exchange Rate for Australia (RBAUBIS) from Jan 1994 to Oct 2025 about broad, Australia, exchange rate, currency, real, and rate.

Graph and download economic data for Financial Market: Real Effective Exchange Rates: CPI Based for Australia (CCRETT01AUM661N) from Jan 1972 to Sep 2025 about Australia, exchange rate, currency, CPI, manufacturing, real, price index, rate, indexes, and price.

Key Interest Rate: Central Banks data was reported at 3.100 % in 2027. This records a decrease from the previous number of 3.350 % for 2026. Key Interest Rate: Central Banks data is updated yearly, averaging 6.438 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2027, with 38 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13.833 % in 1990 and a record low of 0.100 % in 2021. Key Interest Rate: Central Banks data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.OECD.EO: Interest Rate: Forecast: OECD Member: Annual.

The Finance sector's operating environment was previously characterised by record-low interest rates. Nonetheless, high inflation prompted the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to hike the cash rate from May 2022 onwards. This shift allowed financial institutions to impose higher loan charges, propelling their revenue. Banks raised interest rates quicker than funding costs in the first half of 2022-23, boosting net interest margins. However, sophisticated competition and digital disruption have reshaped the sector and nibbled at the Big Four's dominance, weighing on ADIs' performance. In the first half of 2025, the fierce competition has forced ADIs to trim lending rates even ahead of RBA moves to protect their slice of the mortgage market. Higher cash rates initially widened net interest margins, but the expiry of cheap TFF funding and a fierce mortgage war are now compressing spreads, weighing on ADIs' profitability. Although ANZ's 2024 Suncorp Bank takeover highlights some consolidation, the real contest is unfolding in tech. Larger financial institutions are combatting intensified competition from neobanks and fintechs by upscaling their technology investments, strengthening their strategic partnerships with cloud providers and technology consulting firms and augmenting their digital offerings. Notable examples include the launch of ANZ Plus by ANZ and Commonwealth Bank's Unloan. Meanwhile, investor demand for rental properties, elevated residential housing prices and sizable state-infrastructure pipelines have continued to underpin loan growth, offsetting the drag from weaker mortgage affordability and volatile business sentiment. Overall, subdivision revenue is expected to rise at an annualised 8.3% over the five years through 2024-25, to $524.6 billion. This growth trajectory includes an estimated 4.8% decline in 2024-25 driven by rate cuts in 2025, which will weigh on income from interest-bearing assets. The Big Four banks will double down on technology investments and partnerships to counter threats from fintech startups and neobanks. As cybersecurity risks and APRA regulations evolve, financial institutions will gear up to strengthen their focus on shielding sensitive customer data and preserving trust, lifting compliance and operational costs. In the face of fierce competition, evolving regulations and shifting customer preferences, consolidation through M&As is poised to be a viable trend for survival and growth, especially among smaller financial institutions like credit unions. While rate cuts will challenge profitability within the sector, expansionary economic policies are poised to stimulate business and mortgage lending activity, presenting opportunities for strategic growth in a dynamic market. These trends are why Finance subdivision revenue is forecast to rise by an annualised 1.1% over the five years through the end of 2029-30, to $554.9 billion

The historical data in this table are sourced from Becker C and M Sinclair (2004), :Profitability of Reserve Bank Foreign Exchange Operations: Twenty Years After the Float-C/, RB Research Discussion Paper No 2004-06. Updates to the data are published annually with a one-year lag.

It is not appropriate to use the :Market-C/ series as a proxy for foreign exchange market intervention. The RB engages in spot or forward transactions with dealers in the market virtually every day. Most of these transactions are not intended to influence the exchange rate. Rather, they occur to cover orders for foreign exchange from clients such as the Australian Government. When the RB sells foreign exchange to a client, it has the choice of meeting this out of its holdings of foreign exchange or buying the equivalent amount of foreign exchange in the market. Most of the time it does the latter, though even then the timing of the sale and purchase may not coincide precisely. The RB can also engage in foreign exchange transactions with counterparties other than dealers as a means of covering client orders.

Daily net foreign exchange transactions, net sales (-) and purchases (+), are reported according to the date on which the trade took place. This is in contrast to the monthly transactions data in Table A.4, which are reported according to the day on which settlement took place. Another difference to Table A.4 is that interest received on holdings of foreign assets is not included.

aMarketa transactions are foreign exchange transactions against the Australian dollar (excluding foreign exchange swaps) undertaken by the RB with authorised foreign exchange dealers in Australia or banks overseas.

aGovernment and other counterpartiesa transactions include the RBAas foreign exchange transactions with the Australian Government, outright transactions with other central banks and international financial institutions that are not intended to affect the exchange rate, and transactions with clients other than the Australian Government.