Category Archives: Financial Services

Financial success for tomorrow

SME growth aspirations on hold as revenues slide

Updates to this research are published monthly. View previous wave The latest edition of Fifth Quadrant’s SME Sentiment Tracker shows ongoing downward pressure on revenues, with 40% of businesses reporting lower…

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the financial struggles of Australians

Recent data from the Fifth Quadrant Consumer Omnibus highlights the significant financial hardships faced by Australians, with 37% struggling to meet household expenses and 10% unable to pay all their…

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understanding financial hardship in 2024: insights from the ABA banking conference

I had the privilege of participating in a panel discussion on financial hardship at the recent Australian Banking Association conference in Melbourne. It was a great panel of experts that…

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SME employment data continues to nosedive

Updates to this research are published monthly. View previous wave The latest edition of Fifth Quadrant’s SME Sentiment Tracker shows that the current economic climate for SMEs remains challenging, with 38%…

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SME sentiment points to rise in unemployment

Updates to this research are published monthly. View previous wave The latest Fifth Quadrant SME Sentiment Tracker continues to report soft revenues in line with weak economic conditions.  33% report lower…

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SMEs in holding pattern amid interest rate speculation

Updates to this research are published monthly. View previous wave The latest findings from the Fifth Quadrant SME Sentiment Tracker reveal a slight weakening in year-on-year revenue, with 34% of SMEs…

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business insolvencies surge in FY24

Difficult economic conditions in FY24 have triggered a record increase in the number business failures. In February, the number of monthly insolvencies reached its highest level in almost a decade….

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SME optimism cools as revenue & profitability soften

Updates to this research are published monthly. View previous wave. The latest wave of the Fifth Quadrant SME Sentiment Tracker reveals more measured sentiment in March, with revenue declining and expectations regarding lower…

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cashless confidence: SMEs embrace change with caution

In this third post in the series, we continue our exploration of Australia’s transition towards a cashless society. Following on from our previous posts looking at the overall shift to…

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the journey to 3 million

Australia’s business sector has shown consistent growth over the years, reaching a total of 2,611,688 businesses by the end of 2023. Accordingly, we decided to take a look back over…

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