Key Documents
The attached exposure draft legislation would amend the Banking Regulations 1966 (the Regulations) to open up credit card issuing and acquiring to non authorised-deposit-taking institutions (ADIs). The reforms will allow non-ADIs to become credit card issuers and card acquirers in the Visa and MasterCard credit card schemes.
The exposure draft will revoke Regulation 4 of the Regulations, which provides that credit card acquiring and issuing is 'banking business' and triggers supervisory requirements of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority. The exposure draft also makes a number of consequential amendments to the Regulations as a result of the revocation of Regulation 4.
All new entrants will need to meet the same consumer credit regulations that currently apply to banks (including specialist credit card institutions) under the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009. The proposed credit card access reforms will not alter these general consumer credit protections. The card schemes will be responsible for determining which entities may become card issuers or acquirers under their schemes, subject to a risk management framework imposed by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA).
The proposal was subject to consultation by the RBA in May and December 2013. The RBA then published a Regulation Impact Statement in March 2014.