The sharp drop in the value of the New Zealand dollar and a swift end to last summer's drought has significantly improved the outlook for farmers, says Rabobank.

China's so-called "economic miracle" has hit some speed wobbles, but a top NZ economist says this country should be insulated from any direct impact.

Auckland Council chief executive Doug McKay has become a non-executive director of the Bank of Zealand - a company with business links to the council.

Kiwi house buyers can now get a mortgage on their cellphones - a first for New Zealand and Australia.

The Co-operative Bank has launched a bid to double its customer base and grab a bigger slice of the Auckland market 18 months after rebranding from PSIS.

Auckland house prices edged up for a second month in June in the face of fewer listings and intense demand among property buyers, according to Barfoot & Thompson.

Moody's Investors Service has given the Australian economy an upbeat assessment and says its currency's rating remains stable.

Reserve Bank Deputy Governor Grant Spencer gave an excellent speech this week explaining why the bank is considering regulating the growth of low deposit mortgages.

Tomorrow is D-Day for the finance industry, particularly banks and most traditional financial institutions.

A Vatican official already under investigation in a purported money-laundering plot involving the Vatican bank was arrested yesterday in a separate operation.

Q: Recently, it was reported that from July to August this year, banks will be able to repurpose a person's money in their savings account, for the bank's own needs. Could you give us more information?

A mortgage interest rate below 2.48 per cent, determined by the number of "likes" the promotion gets on Facebook, is the latest bank bid to generate customers.

Ireland's Parliament will open an investigation into the disastrous bailout of Anglo Irish Bank following newly disclosed recordings of telephone calls that show former directors conspiring to conceal the true scale of the bank's losses.