The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) is providing this clarification to explain its expectations for reporting points of presence as required by Reporting Standard ARS 796.0 points of presence (ARS 796), with particular focus on co‑located face‑to‑face service channels.
APRA’s points of presence reporting framework in ARS 796 aims to ensure a consistent and accurate representation of the physical banking service channels provided across Australia by Authorised Deposit‑taking Institutions (ADIs). As ADIs increasingly operate multiple face‑to‑face service channels within shared premises (co-location), APRA is issuing the below specific guidance to support consistent and reliable reporting across the industry.
The reporting standard focuses on physical presence and the service channels provided, rather than location alone. This guidance is intended to clarify reporting expectations under ARS 796, promote consistency across ADIs, and support the integrity and comparability of reported data on face‑to‑face service channels.
Reporting criteria for non‑co‑located face‑to‑face service channels
Face‑to‑face points of presence should be reported separately under the following criteria:
- Face-to-face service channels are located in different geographic locations; or
- Multiple face‑to‑face service channels operate within the same geographic location and the service channels are not co‑located. This includes circumstances where service channels operate within the same building but are located on different floors and have separate customer entrances. In such cases, each face‑to‑face service channel is considered a distinct point of presence and should be reported separately.
Reporting criteria for co‑located face‑to‑face service channels
Where multiple face‑to‑face points of presence are co‑located within the same geographic location, APRA expects these to be reported as a single point of presence. Specifically:
- If a branch is co‑located with one or more other face‑to‑face service channels, the point of presence should be reported as a branch.
- If more than one other face‑to‑face service channel is co‑located, ADIs should report a single ‘other face‑to‑face’ point of presence.
APRA expects ADIs to apply this guidance consistently when reporting face-to-face points of presence to ensure the accuracy and comparability of data across the industry. ADIs should review their existing reporting practices and make any necessary adjustments to ensure alignment with these expectations.