In 1997, the internet sounded different.
It crackled and beeped through a dial-up modem. Desktop computers sat in spare rooms and home offices. Mobile phones were used for calls and text messages. Most people still visited a branch or waited for their bank statement to arrive in the mail.
Then came NetBank.
For many Australians, it was the first time they could check their bank balance, transfer money or pay a bill without leaving their home. At the time, it felt revolutionary.
Nearly 30 years later, Australians bank a lot differently.
Today, many Australians reach for their phone to do their banking. But online banking on a larger screen remains an important way millions of customers manage their money – and that’s why CommBank continues to invest in NetBank.
In fact, more than 2.1 million Australians logged into NetBank in April 2026, with customers aged 65 and over logging on more frequently than any other age group. More than half a million choose to use NetBank without the CommBank app.1
It’s why online banking continues to matter – not instead of mobile banking, but alongside it.
"One of the biggest things we heard from customers about their online banking was that they wanted it to be easier to find what they were looking for," says Allison Ravenhall, CBA’s Digital Accessibility Lead.
"We worked closely with customers with a variety of accessibility needs, including customers with cognitive, mobility and vision-related conditions. The aim wasn’t to add more - it was to remove complexity so people could find what they need more easily.”
Those insights helped shape the next chapter of NetBank.
As we prepare to introduce a refreshed online banking experience, the focus hasn't been on adding dozens of new features. Instead, it's been about making everyday banking simpler and easier to use.
Customer research showed that some of the things people do most often – checking transactions, making payments and finding statements – weren’t always as easy to find online as they could be.
The new NetBank features a cleaner layout, simpler navigation and improved accessibility, helping customers complete everyday banking tasks with greater confidence.
For the team who helped build the original NetBank, seeing the refreshed experience alongside the archives from 1997 has been a reminder of just how far digital banking has come.
Old screenshots, early promotional videos and stories from those first years paint a picture of an internet that now feels worlds away. Yet the purpose behind NetBank has remained remarkably familiar.
"When NetBank launched, it completely changed the way many Australians managed their money," says Michael Baumann, Executive General Manager Customer, Digital and AI.
"Nearly 30 years on, customers still tell us online banking on a larger screen is important to them. That's why we're continuing to invest in making NetBank simpler, more accessible and easier to use, while keeping the things customers rely on every day."
CommBank retail customers will gradually begin seeing the new NetBank experience from September 2026. Business customers will start to see the new experience later in the year.
