Reflecting on the integration activities completed in 2025 and hear from our leaders — their lessons learned, bold predictions and what excites them for 2026. Since acquiring illion, Experian has executed a disciplined integration program. We now operate a unified consumer bureau, a differentiated commercial bureau, a world-class software suite, and distinctive marketing data assets. Embedded AI is amplifying these capabilities — delivering smarter insights, faster decisions, and stronger client outcomes. This transformation marks a new era of innovation and value creation, positioning us as a leader in data-driven solutions.
The ride that was 2025
2025 has been filled with a cautious optimism, latent stress, and signs of troubling risk metrics in select segments of the economy. As the year closes, the outlook for Aussies and Kiwis is becoming noticeably distinct.
Both central banks have been dropping interest rates, but the broader situation is diverging – RBA have slowed their path in easing monetary policy (and some forecasts now show a potential for a rate hike attributed to worrying inflation figures), while RBNZ appear to be quite urgent in arresting the deterioration being observed in the NZ economy with over double the number of increase rate drops compared to the RBA.
Regarding company insolvencies and business failures, it remains to be seen whether 2025 will set another unwanted record. At the time of writing, total insolvencies were still lower than 2024 totals, but annualised forecast numbers should just put 2025 totals over the top, led by the usual suspects: construction; hospitality; and a recent increase in retail trade.
Discretionary spend has increased over the last month with Black Friday sales, and likely to continue into the holiday season. House prices in Australia have been very strong, and mortgage delinquencies have alleviated slightly throughout 2025.
New Zealand mortgage lending however showing some concerning signs, with high Debt-to-Income (DTI > 6) lending proportions increasing (latest figures now accounting for 18% of all mortgage fundings).
Credit Bureaux landscape
For Credit Bureaux, 2025 will close out to be one of the most consequential years in recent times. 12 months on from the completion of Experian’s merger with illion, the credit bureau landscape has undergone a seismic transformation – one that extends beyond organisational consolidation to fundamentally reshape how lenders access data, assess risk and serve their customers. The creation of a unified consumer and commercial bureau ecosystem, powered by integrated open banking insights and identity verification, has delivered genuine competitive advantage and opened new pathways for how credit decisions are made in our region.
Experian unites Consumer and Commercial Bureau data, Open Banking insights and Marketing intelligence and Identity Verification (IDV) into a single connected ecosystem. This powerful data network delivers a complete view of individuals and businesses – enabling faster, fairer and more confident decisions across credit risk and customer engagement. The renewal rate of existing Experian clients have been extremely positive, demonstrating the level of trust and the strong and well-grounded relationships that have been built over the years.
2026 brings a significant feeling of excitement, not only within the Credit Bureaux landscape, but amongst credit lending domain in Australia and New Zealand.
Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) regulation represents a turning point for the Australian credit market. As BNPL providers integrate into the formal regulatory framework and credit reporting requirements, the market gains access to previously opaque transaction data and consumer behaviour patterns. Experian is uniquely positioned in this space: we hold the most comprehensive data on BNPL enquiries across the market, giving us unparalleled visibility into how consumers are engaging with alternative credit products. BNPL regulation has driven almost 5x growth into our new-to-bureau (NTB) enquiries on a weekly basis.
Our New Zealand commercial credit bureau has undergone substantial improvement throughout 2025, driven by collaborative partnerships with both clients and data suppliers who share our commitment to building a richer, more comprehensive commercial data ecosystem. The progress we’ve made sets an exciting foundation for 2026, when we expect to see significant expansion in coverage and depth across the consumer and commercial landscape.
In Australia, the soft enquiries frameworkrepresents a pivotal development in how credit bureaux operate and how consumers engage with their credit information. The framework creates genuine opportunity for lenders to conduct credit inquiries that don’t negatively impact consumer credit scores – a potentially exciting outcome to look out for in 2026.
“Breaking into Tier‑2 banks and expanding our footprint in secured lending will be a core goal for 2026, and we are well‑positioned to deliver. We will increase the coverage gap versus our main competitor, supported by match rates that are amongst the highest in the market across every segment.”
— Steven Deglas, Head of Consumer Bureau
Experian data
Data is only valuable when it translates into insight, and insight is only powerful when it drives better decisions. At Experian, 2025 demonstrated the compelling value of combining our unique data assets – consumer bureau, commercial bureau, transaction categorisation, trust data, and IDV – into a cohesive ecosystem.
Strategic data partnerships are built over years. Experian’s IDV product now leverages Land Titles data, a first-mover achievement in Australia after half a decade of development – representing the fruits of patient and disciplined partnership building. In parallel, we’ve delivered significant cost optimisationon third-party sources like government registry and public data, by working closely with technology teams to streamline data processes and improve operational efficiency.
“We’ll expand strategic data partnerships – across sources and channels – to fuel revenue growth, drive innovation and optimise the process wherever possible.”
— Kevin Vargordi, Head of Data Strategy & Partnerships
Looking ahead to 2026, we are actively exploring new data sources and undertaking a comprehensive refresh of our commercial data strategy – work that will unlock fresh opportunities across both our product suite and our competitive positioning.
Equally important is our focus on strategic data partnerships where there lies a foundation for reciprocal data exchange. Our Trade Data Programexemplifies this approach – enabling us to build deeper, more comprehensive views of business payment behaviour across the market, creating a virtuous cycle of data richness, analytical insight and client value.
Analytics and data science – Bringing intelligence to the market
The analytics and data science capabilities illion and Experian brought into the merged entity were already best-in-class: transaction scoring, fraud detection and commercial credit models that set the benchmark for the Australian credit market.
What 2025 delivered was not a rebuild, but an amplification: combining proven analytics excellence with world-class software suite, cloud infrastructure, and global expertise. As we enter 2026, the competitive advantage is clear: we’re not starting from scratch, we’re starting from a position of strength – and now Experian have the infrastructure, the technical depth and the cross-functional data assets to accelerate innovation, expand our product suite and deliver even greater value to our clientsthan ever before. 
“We have reduced uncategorised transactions by 50% by unifying our two leading categorisation platforms. This improvement helps credit providers derive more accurate insights and better customer experiences, driving measurable value across their businesses.”
— Barrett Hasseldine, Head of Data Science
And that’s only the beginning.
Our Analytics Consulting Frameworkis genuinely comprehensive – spanning risk analytics, marketing analytics, risk mitigation strategy consulting, business growth acceleration strategy work, lead generation analysis, and beyond.
What makes this framework powerful isn’t just breadth; it’s the calibre of talent delivering it. We’ve assembled leading analysts, subject matter experts, and experienced leaderswho understand the Australian and New Zealand markets deeply. This team is supported by global Experian resources and executive vision– a combination that enables us to tackle complex, multi-faceted challenges with both local insight and international best practice.
In 2025, we had already delivered a significant project with a major bank identifying high-risk industries using our combined data assets, demonstrating the genuine impact of unified analytics and integrated data on client outcomes.”
— Robbie Dyer, Head of Data & Innovation
Experian’s adoption of AI is purposeful – deployed strategically to drive streamlining, efficiency, and speed. Our commitment to efficiency enables us to develop and deliver quick, effective solutions that create genuine value for clients. The result is accelerated digital transformation: we’re helping our clients move faster, work smarter, and unlock competitive advantage through technology that genuinely works.
“AI and predictive analytics are powerful digital accelerators and they are key in unlocking automation, simplification, and real value in everything we deliver.“
— Magali Cocconi, Head of Product Management and Presales Commercial Bureaux
Thank you for your support and partnership through 2025; we’re excited for what’s to come in 2026.
How can we help?
Market insights provide our clients with a deep understanding of their competitive landscape, customer behaviour and market dynamics. By leveraging internal data, industry benchmarks, and external market intelligence, these services can help uncover trends, identify growth opportunities, and inform strategic decision-making. Turn market intelligence into competitive advantage with data-driven insights that drive growth. Contact us to find out how.
Like what you’re reading? We release the Experian Business Pulse Monthly each month and features a Spotlight topic, much like this article. To get the latest reports directly to your inbox, be sure to subscribe.
Contact Us
Disclaimer: This report is provided by Experian Australia Pty Ltd general information and it is not (and does not contain any form of) professional, legal or financial advice. Experian and its related bodies corporate make no representations, warranties or guarantees that the information (including links and the views / opinions of authors and / or contributors) contained in this report are error free, accurate or complete. You are solely responsible and liable for any decision made (or not made) by you in connection with the information contained in this report. Experian (and its related bodies corporate) exclude, to the extent permitted by law, all liability for any and all loss, cost, expense, damage or claim incurred by a party as a result of or in connection with (whether directly or indirectly) this report or any reliance on the information in this report or links contained within. Nothing in this disclaimer excludes, restricts or modifies any rights or remedies that cannot be excluded, restricted or modified under applicable law. Experian and its related entities own, or are licensed to use, the intellectual property rights in this report and its contents. Except as permitted by law, the contents of this report must not be reproduced, modified, distributed or republished without Experian’s prior written consent.
Experian and the Experian marks used herein are service marks or registered trademarks of Experian or its related entities worldwide. Other product and company names mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.