Australian Prudential Regulation Authority clarifies points of presence reporting and says co located face to face service channels should be reported as one

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority has issued clarification on its expectations under Reporting Standard ARS 796.0 for reporting points of presence, with a particular focus on co-located face-to-face banking service channels. The guidance is intended to improve consistency and comparability in how Authorised Deposit-taking Institutions report physical banking service channels across Australia, and it stresses that the standard is based on physical presence and the service provided rather than location alone. Under the clarification, face-to-face service channels must be reported separately when they are in different geographic locations or when they operate in the same geographic location but are not co-located. This includes channels in the same building that are on different floors and have separate customer entrances. Where multiple face-to-face points of presence are co-located in the same geographic location, they should be reported as a single point of presence. If a branch is co-located with one or more other face-to-face service channels, it should be reported as a branch. If more than one other face-to-face service channel is co-located, the institution should report a single other face-to-face point of presence. Authorised Deposit-taking Institutions are expected to apply the guidance consistently and review existing reporting practices to make any necessary adjustments.