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The KOF Business Situation Indicator for the Swiss private sector in April, which was calculated from the KOF Business Tendency Surveys, more than compensated for its decline from the previous month, rising above where it had been at the start of 2026. However, companies see storm clouds gathering. Their forecasts for the coming six months are more cautious for the third month in a row.

The Business Situation Indicator for the manufacturing sector has fully recovered from its decline in March. The indicator is rising even more sharply in the project engineering sector and, more moderately, in the wholesale trade. Other services and the retail trade are also showing modest upturns. The Business Situation Indicators for the construction sector and for financial services and insurance fell slightly short of the previous month's figures. The hospitality sector is experiencing a significant slowdown.

Business forecasts are becoming gloomier

However, the business outlook for the next six months is generally becoming more subdued – particularly in the hospitality sector, the wholesale trade and manufacturing. The downturn is less pronounced in other services, financial services and insurance, and the project engineering sector. The business outlook for construction remains unchanged from the previous month, whilst it is slightly more encouraging in the retail sector.

Profitability remains stable

Swiss companies are weathering the adverse international conditions to some extent; their earnings are more or less stable or are easing slightly – as in the wholesale trade and the manufacturing sector. However, firms expect international demand to slow in the near future. The export outlook for manufacturing is less positive than before, while the hospitality sector now fears a decline in overnight stays by foreign guests.

Robust supply chains in the manufacturing sector

Companies in the manufacturing sector and the wholesale trade are more frequently anticipating rising purchase prices when ordering goods themselves. At present, however, supply chains are generally holding up well: complaints about shortages of intermediate goods remain rare in the manufacturing sector, whilst in the construction sector they are rising slightly from a low base. The wholesale sector, however, is sending out warning signals: companies are anticipating longer delivery periods more often than before and are increasingly concerned about the availability of goods. This issue is therefore likely to remain a major risk over the coming months.

Widespread growing price pressures; little change in wage expectations

Swiss firms are planning to raise their prices much more frequently than before. This trend is evident in many of the sectors surveyed. It is particularly pronounced in the wholesale trade but is also clearly discernible in construction, retail, manufacturing and services. Only in the hospitality sector is price inflation easing. Companies' forecasts of general consumer price inflation over the next twelve months are also higher than before: following 0.9 per cent in January 2026, firms now expect to see inflation of 1.2 per cent. Forecasts of wage growth over the next twelve months, however, have hardly changed, with companies anticipating wage increases of 1.2 per cent (January 2026: 1.3 per cent). There are changes in the construction sector and in project engineering, where forecasts for both have risen from 1.7 per cent in January to 2.2 per cent in April, and in the hospitality sector, where they have fallen from 1.9 per cent in January to 1.4 per cent. All in all, the rise in inflation and price expectations is not causing any adjustment in wage expectations.

The results of the KOF Business Tendency Surveys for April 2026 are based on responses from around 4,200 firms in the manufacturing, construction and major service sectors. This equates to a response rate of around 54 per cent.

06 MAY 2026 – Equinor delivered an adjusted operating income* of USD 9.77 billion and USD 2.86 billion after tax* in the first quarter of 2026. Equinor reported a net operating income of USD 8.78 billion and a net income of USD 3.10 billion. Adjusted net income* was USD 3.70 billion, leading to adjusted earnings per share* of USD 1.48.

Record production and high prices drive strong financial results

Production growth of 9% from strong operational performance
Capturing value from volatility through trading
Maintaining cost and capital discipline

Key strategic milestones in the quarter

Seven commercial discoveries on the NCS
Started drilling at the Raia gas field in Brazil
First quarterly dividend from Adura of USD 150 million

Delivering competitive capital distribution

First quarter cash dividend of USD 0.39 per share
Second tranche of the share buy-back of up to USD 375 million

Anders Opedal, President and CEO of Equinor ASA:

“This quarter, we deliver exceptional operational performance and record‑high production. Combined with higher prices, we present strong financial results.”

“Heightened geopolitical tension continues to disrupt energy flows and commodity prices. In such volatile markets, continued high production from the Norwegian continental shelf reinforces Equinor’s role as a trusted energy partner to Europe.”

“Successful exploration results on the Norwegian continental shelf underpin long‑term supply and value creation. With our strong onshore gas position in the US and the optimised international portfolio, we are further strengthening competitiveness and future cash flow.”

Record high production

Equinor delivered record high production in the first quarter, with a total equity production of 2,313 mboe per day, up 9% from 2,123 mboe per day in the same quarter last year.

Production from Johan Castberg, Halten East and Verdande drove a 10% increase in production on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) compared to the first quarter of 2025. New wells also contributed, while natural decline across several fields partially offset the increase.

Production from Adura in the UK and the Bacalhau field in Brazil contributed to an increase internationally compared to the same period last year. This was partly offset by portfolio changes, operational issues at Roncador in Brazil and natural decline.

The US portfolio delivered record high production in the quarter. Increased gas production from the Appalachia onshore assets and increased offshore production from new wells contributed to the growth.

The total power generation was 1.39 TWh. Renewable power generation increased by 29%, driven by Dogger Bank and new onshore assets. This was offset by lower gas-to-power generation, resulting in stable total power generation compared to the first quarter of 2025.

Strong financial results

Equinor delivered an adjusted operating income* of USD 9.77 billion and USD 2.86 billion after tax* in the first quarter. The results are positively impacted by higher production, higher liquids prices and higher US gas prices, partly offset by lower European gas prices.

The reported net operating income of USD 8.78 billion is down from USD 8.87 billion in the same quarter last year. The result was impacted by negative derivative effects, lower European gas prices and reduced third-party volumes.

Equinor realised a European gas price of USD 12.9 per mmbtu and realised liquids prices were USD 78.6 per bbl in the first quarter.

The Marketing, Midstream and Processing results were strong, primarily driven by products and US gas trading.

Adjusted operating and administrative expenses* were higher compared to the same quarter last year. This is mainly due to higher transportation costs from increased freight rates and currency effects.

High production generated cash flows provided by operating activities, before taxes paid and working capital items, of USD 10.29 billion.

Equinor paid two NCS tax instalments totalling USD 4.2 billion.

Cash flow from operations after taxes paid* ended at USD 6.02 billion.

Organic capital expenditure* was USD 3.04 billion and total capital expenditures were USD 4.28 billion.

The net debt to capital employed adjusted ratio* was 15.3% at the end of the first quarter, compared to 17.8% last quarter.

Key strategic milestones

On the NCS, seven new oil and gas discoveries were made. The high success rate reflects the disciplined exploration strategy toward the ambition of maintaining the 2020 production level in 2035.

In the quarter, Equinor had exploration activity on 11 offshore wells of which nine were completed.

Internationally, Equinor captured value through the sale of non-operated onshore assets in Argentina, and drilling started at the gas field Raia in Brazil.

Equinor also expanded the integrated power portfolio in Brazil by acquiring the onshore wind project Esquina do Vento. The construction phase will start in 2026.

Competitive capital distribution

The board of directors has decided a cash dividend of USD 0.39 per share for the first quarter of 2026. This is in line with the communication on 4 February 2026, when results for the fourth quarter of 2025 were announced.

The expected share buy-back programme for 2026 is up to USD 1.5 billion. The board has decided to initiate a second tranche of the share buy-back programme for 2026 of up to USD 375 million. The second tranche is subject to an authorisation from the company's annual general meeting on 12 May 2026 and will commence after this. The tranche will end no later than 20 July 2026.

The first tranche of the share buy-back programme for 2026 was completed on 27 March 2026 with a total value of USD 375 million.

All share buy-back amounts include shares to be redeemed by the Norwegian State.

*For items marked with an asterisk throughout this report, see Use and reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures in the Supplementary disclosures.

06 MAY 2026 – Equinor will, after the annual general meeting on 12 May 2026, commence the second tranche of up to USD 375 million of the share buy-back programme for 2026, as announced in connection with the company’s first quarter results on 6 May 2026.

Execution of share buy-back under the tranche is subject to renewal of a board authorisation for share buy-back from the annual general meeting 12 May 2026 and agreement with the Norwegian State regarding share buy-back.

In this second tranche of the share buy-back programme for 2026, shares for up to USD 123.8 million will be purchased in the market, implying a total second tranche of up to USD 375 million including shares to be redeemed from the Norwegian State. The tranche will end no later than 20 July 2026.

Equinor announced at the 4Q and full year 2025 results presentation on 4 February 2026, a share buy-back programme of up to USD 1.5 billion for 2026, including shares to be redeemed from the Norwegian State. The share buy-back programme will be subject to market outlook and balance sheet strength and be structured into tranches where Equinor will buy back shares for a certain value in USD over a defined period. For the second tranche for 2026, Equinor will be entering into a non-discretionary agreement with a third party who will execute repurchases of shares and make its trading decisions independently of the company.

Commencement of new share buy-back tranches after the second tranche for 2026 will be decided by the board of directors on a quarterly basis in line with the company’s dividend policy and will be subject to a new board authorisation for share buy-back from the company’s annual general meeting and agreement with the Norwegian State regarding share buy-back (as further described below).

The purpose of the share buy-back programme is to reduce the issued share capital of the company. All shares purchased as part of the second tranche for 2026 will thus be cancelled through a capital reduction at the annual general meeting of the company in May 2027.

Further information about the share buy-back programme and the second tranche:

The second tranche of the share buy-back programme for 2026 is subject to an authorisation being granted to the board of directors by the annual general meeting of the company on 12 May 2026. According to such authorisation proposed by the board of directors, the maximum number of shares which can be purchased in the market is 78 million. The minimum price that can be paid per share is NOK 50, and the maximum price is NOK 1,000. The authorisation proposed will be valid until the annual general meeting of the company in May 2027, but no later than 30 June 2027.

It is a precondition for execution of the second tranche that Equinor and the Norwegian State have entered into an agreement regulating the State’s participation in the share buy-back programme: At the annual general meeting of the company in May 2027, the State will, as per proposal by the board of directors, vote for the cancellation of shares purchased in the market pursuant to the board authorisation, and the redemption and cancellation of a proportionate number of its shares in order to maintain its ownership share in the company at 67%. The price to be paid to the State for redemption of the State’s shares shall be the volume-weighted average of the price paid by Equinor for shares purchased in the market plus interest rate compensation, adjusted for any dividends paid.

In the second tranche for 2026, shares will be purchased on the Oslo Stock Exchange and possibly other trading venues within the EEA. Transactions will be conducted in accordance with applicable safe harbour conditions, and as further set out in the Norwegian Securities Trading Act of 2007, EU Commission Regulation No 2016/1052 and the Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority's Guidelines for buy-back programmes from March 2025.

The board of directors will propose to the annual general meeting to be held in May 2027, to cancel shares purchased in the market in this second tranche for 2026 and to redeem and cancel a proportionate number of the State’s shares pursuant to the agreement with the State. Based on renewal of this agreement, shares purchased under subsequent tranches of the share buy-back programme for 2026, and a proportionate number of the State’s shares will follow a similar process at the annual general meeting of the company in 2027.

This is information that Equinor is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and that is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

Port Sudan, 6 May 2026 – Three years of war in Sudan have dismantled vaccination programmes and collapsed disease surveillance systems, fuelling deadly, preventable epidemics.

As World Immunization Week (24–30 April) ended last week, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is calling on donors, diplomatic actors, and health authorities to increase flexible funding and pressure warring parties to end administrative obstruction, unblock delivery routes, and guarantee safe passage for humanitarian supplies. Without immediate action, outbreaks will continue to spiral, and people will keep dying from diseases we have the tools to prevent.

In just the first four months of 2026 MSF teams have treated at least 13,000 measles cases in Darfur alone after responding to six outbreaks of the contagious disease, often in areas where displaced communities are settled. The outbreaks have happened in Feina, Kas and Nyala and surrounding areas (South Darfur), Tawila (North Darfur) and El Geneina (West Darfur).

Most patients treated were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status. MSF has the teams, expertise, and operational capacity to deliver vaccinations, and has supported partners and health authorities to implement targeted and mass vaccination campaigns to control the outbreaks.

“In January 2026, Tawila was a measles hotspot, with 957 cases treated that month. Following a partner-led vaccination campaign that reached over 130,000 people, the number of cases declined steadily, dropping to just 40 by late April. However, the issue is that outbreaks are contained in one place only to re-emerge elsewhere, as displacement forces people to move and gaps in vaccination coverage allow diseases to spread,” says Joseph Amadomon Sagara, MSF Emergency Medical Coordinator in Sudan.

Organizing vaccination campaigns in Sudan means navigating with insufficient doses, broken supply chains, and a shortage of trained vaccinators. Added to this are layers of approvals for importation, and long delays from the Ministry of Health to develop vaccination plans or confirm outbreaks, a necessary precondition for deploying vaccines. By the time authorization is granted, the outbreak has often already spread.

“Drastic funding cuts and deliberate bureaucratic obstruction by the warring parties are blocking lifesaving vaccines and medicines from reaching people in need timely,” says Miriam Alía, MSF vaccination and outbreak advisor.

Despite these multiple challenges, vaccination drives have proven highly effective in containing the spread of a highly contagious viral disease that can cause severe illness, complications, and death, affecting disproportionately young children under five.

In El Geneina, West Darfur, measles cases fell 96% since January, from a peak to just 22 cases, following the large-scale vaccination campaign in which 186,000 doses were administered. In Central Darfur, the Ministry of Health launched its first mass vaccination campaign since the start of the war, covering 810,000 children across the state.

MSF supported the campaign in Zalingei, where high coverage has since led to a drastic reduction in hospital measles cases. In South Darfur, MSF vaccinated over 200,000 children against measles in 2026 across Kas and the remote Southern Jebel Marra region, and supported a Ministry of Health and UNICEF campaign in Nyala and East Jebel Marra reaching over 550,000 children.

“I’m happy the children are receiving the vaccine. I’ve seen kids with measles in the community and it’s painful; they have fever and rashes, and many had to be admitted to the hospital. In the community, we can’t control the disease on our own, we need vaccines,” said Mariam, who took her 11-year-old son, Hamaza, to a vaccination site in Umalgora, in West Darfur.

“Vaccination campaigns are working, but the gains won't last without routine immunization. Across Sudan, collapsed health systems, difficult access to remote areas, and mobile teams stretched beyond capacity have left coverage far below 2022 levels. Many children are still not being reached. Until these structural gaps are addressed, outbreaks will keep coming back,” says Miriam Alía, MSF Vaccination and Outbreak Advisor.

Sudan is a vast country, and many areas have remained inaccessible to humanitarian organisations during the conflict. In Rokero, Central Darfur, a mountainous area in northern Jebel Marra, a pertussis outbreak with over 1,000 cases since mid-2025 only began to decline in March.

When MSF teams reach new areas, they often find communities that have gone long periods without vaccination due to the collapse of local health systems. For example, mid-April, an exploration in Suni, South Darfur, identified dozens of cases of whooping cough, pertussis, and measles.

Beyond Darfur, MSF surveillance teams in South Khartoum are tracking disease spread as thousands return to a destroyed city with no access to basic services. In El Obeid, North Kordofan's capital, one of the most active frontlines today, MSF is supporting an isolation centre at the Teaching Hospital responding to an ongoing measles outbreak, predominantly affecting displaced populations.

Across nine of Sudan's 18 states, MSF teams are preparing for a potential cholera surge ahead of the rainy season. Since 2024, cholera has killed more than 3,500 people in Sudan, in 2025 alone, MSF treated over 42,000 cases.

MSF is an international, medical, humanitarian organisation that delivers medical care to people in need, regardless of their origin, religion, or political affiliation.  MSF Australia was established in 1995 and is one of 24 international MSF sections committed to delivering medical humanitarian assistance to people in crisis. Every year more than 120 Australians and New Zealanders go on assignment with Médecins Sans Frontières  working as: doctors, midwives, psychologists, laboratory technicians, human resource/finance coordinators, pharmacists, mental health specialists and logisticians. MSF delivers medical care based on need alone and operates independently of government, religion or economic influence and irrespective of race, religion or gender. For more information visit msf.org.au  

Migrant and refugee settlement agency AMES Australia has welcomed measures announced in the Victorian state budget that support multicultural communities and take pressure off struggling families, including many refugee and migrant families.

The 2026-27 Victorian Budget is investing more than $123.8 million to support multicultural and multifaith families.

This includes $9.1 million to support students from migrant and refugee backgrounds to stay engaged in education through initiatives like homework clubs.

There is also $3.6 million provided to continue the Early Childhood Language Program in Victorian kindergartens.

The budget also invests $61.9 million to support students with English as an Additional Language program and provide interpreting and translating services in schools.

There is a $400 payment for Victorian government school students as part of a $287 million package that will see parents able to choose how they spend the payment on education-related expenses such as uniforms, school camps and excursions.

An $11 billion injection into the state’s healthcare system will also support the health care of many migrant and refugee families.

The budget includes $13.6 million for the Multicultural Affairs portfolio, including $4 million in targeted support for newly arrived migrant and refugee communities as well as asylum seekers and temporary visa holders.

There is $17 million in the budget to expand the delivery of the Victorian African Communities Action Plan as well as more than $10 million for community language schools to help people maintain their cultural identity through language.

Also in the budget is $3.4 million in 2026-27 for community led projects to fight racism, including antisemitism and Islamophobia.

AMES Australia CEO Melinda Collinson welcomed the measures, saying many migrant and refugee families would benefit from the measures.

“At a time when we are seeing a cost-of-living crisis, measures that support the most vulnerable families are welcome,” Ms Collinson said.

“The budget also includes measures that will help to bolster social cohesion at a time when it is coming under stress.

 “As many Victorians are grappling with the cost-of-living crisis, migrant and refugee families will be among the people who will be finding some relief in the budget measures,” she said.

CiteSentinel Helps Lawyers File Faster While Avoiding Sanctions and Embarrassment

LOS ANGELES, May 5, 2026 – Legal tech startup BrentWorks Inc. launched CiteSentinel, among the first dedicated platforms built specifically to detect and prevent AI hallucinations in legal citations. The tool scans legal documents and flags case law, statutes, and legal authorities that may be fabricated, misstated, or otherwise erroneous, before they reach a judge.

Courts across the country are increasingly sanctioning attorneys who submit briefs containing invented case citations, a well-documented byproduct of generative AI drafting tools that produce authoritative-sounding, but entirely fictional, legal authority. CiteSentinel was designed to close that verification gap, giving attorneys a fast and easy way to confirm that every citation in a filing corresponds to a real case, a real statute, and a real legal authority.

“The legal profession is learning, in very public ways, that AI doesn't just make mistakes, it confidently lies to your face,” said BrentWorks co-founder Brent Britton. “CiteSentinel is about restoring trust. It lets lawyers move fast with the irresistible efficiencies of generative AI while still filing documents reciting authorities they can stand behind. It also enables them to scan opposing counsel's documents, giving them a competitive edge in the courtroom.”

Many attorneys who do not personally use AI to draft documents are discovering they have a problem anyway. Opposing counsel may have used AI. Co-counsel may have. Contract attorneys and paralegals almost certainly have access to it and may be using it

without disclosing that fact. When a brief containing fabricated citations reaches the court, the question of who drafted it quickly becomes secondary to the question of whose name is on it.

CiteSentinel lets attorneys scan any document, their own, a colleague's, or an adversary's, for citation errors before those errors become their problem. Attorneys who review opposing counsel's filings with CiteSentinel gain an additional advantage: the ability to identify and challenge citations to authorities that simply do not exist.

Today, a lawyer's supervisory obligation includes a question that would have seemed absurd just a few short years ago: Are the cases cited in this brief real or imaginary?

Senior lawyers cannot personally verify every citation in every document produced by everyone under their supervision. CiteSentinel can. At a cost that is modest compared to a single sanctions proceeding or the reputational damage that comes with public embarrassment before a court, CiteSentinel is among the most cost-effective risk management tools available to any law firm, legal department, or solo practice today.

Unlike traditional research platforms that focus on finding more information, CiteSentinel focuses on confirming the law cited in a document is real. Attorneys can scan:

· Their own AI-assisted drafts, before filing

· Submissions from co-counsel, contract attorneys, and support staff

· Opposing counsel's filings, for strategic advantage

· Any document where citation accuracy carries professional or ethical weight

Like a reality check for legal briefs, the tool flags citations that may be hallucinated, misstated, or inaccurately referenced, allowing lawyers to correct errors before courts, clients, or competitors discover them first.

Under mounting deadline pressure, many attorneys now rely on AI-generated research, but verification has not kept pace. CiteSentinel addresses that verification gap head-on, helping lawyers practice faster, more accurately, and with the confidence that their work reflects reality.

BrentWorks was founded by Brent Britton, a veteran technology attorney and MIT-trained engineer, and Brent Hunter, a longtime technologist and AI pioneer. CiteSentinel is the first in a series of products the company will be releasing to elevate the practice of law in the age of AI.

BRENT C.J. BRITTON/CEO

Brent Britton is what happens when law school meets the MIT Media Lab. A veteran engineer, technology attorney licensed in three states (California, New York and Florida), and entrepreneur who literally wrote the book on IP law, Britton has spent his career guiding creators and companies at the frontier of innovation, overseeing billions of dollars of aggregate deal flow in the process. The culmination of his life is re-engineering legal tools to think faster, decide better, and serve humanity at the speed of innovation.

BRENT N. HUNTER/PRESIDENT AND CIO

Brent N. Hunter is a technology pioneer who applied neural networks to finance in 1993. He has since led multimillion-dollar transformation programs for Fortune 500 giants, including GE, Wells Fargo, Disney, and Warner Bros. Discovery. An author, technologist, and systems thinker, he fuses psychology, technology, and leadership into a single mission: to build intelligent systems that serve humanity.

Learn more at https://brentworks.ai/.

05 MAY 2026 – The Eirin field has come on stream and is now exporting gas to Europe via the Gina Krog and Sleipner A platforms in the North Sea. The subsea development has been developed in record time.

Expected recoverable resources from Eirin are about 27.6 million barrels of oil equivalent, mainly gas.

Eirin was proven as early as 1978 but was abandoned due to lack of profitability. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Norwegian gas became more important, and the discovery was reassessed in 2023.

“The partnership saw an opportunity to contribute to Europe's energy security in a challenging time. We made an ambitious plan for a fast, cost-effective and safe development, which has now been realised. Eirin will extend production from the Gina Krog platform by seven years. This means gas to Europe and continued good value creation from the jobs associated with the platform,” says Linda Kåda Høiland, senior vice president for late-life fields in Equinor, newly appointed vice president for Statfjord in Exploration & Production Norway.

Eirin has been developed as a subsea facility tied back to the Gina Krog platform. The gas is exported via Sleipner A. The Sleipner area is a key hub for Norwegian gas exports to Europe. Total investments are estimated at NOK 4.5 billion. The project will be able to extend Gina Krog's economic life from 2029 to 2036.

“The project has given us important learnings on how to develop marginal discoveries quickly and profitably. Such subsea developments will be important for maintaining production and value creation from the Norwegian shelf in the future. Early collaboration, efficient decision-making processes and standardized solutions have been crucial to realizing Eirin in a short time. From the establishment of the project to the start of production, we have only spent three years,” says Høiland.

The Eirin development has very good safety results and has made a lot of reuse of mature technology. Gina Krog was electrified in 2023, which means low CO2 emissions for the Eirin field as well, around 3 kg CO2 per barrel produced (oil equivalents).

Facts:

• Partners in the licence are Equinor (operator and 58.7% interest) and ORLEN Upstream Norway AS (41.3% interest).
• The Eirin discovery was proven in 1978 and is located about 250 kilometres west of Stavanger in about 120 metres of water, with a reservoir at a depth of about 4000 metres.
• Eirin is being developed as a subsea facility (subsea template with two slots) with tie-back to Gina Krog. Volumes are further processed to Sleipner A. Gas is exported through Gassled, while liquids go to Kårstø for further processing and export. The solution utilises existing risers and facilitates possible step-by-step expansion and tie-in of new discoveries in the area.
• The project matured until Equinor's investment decision in record time, in just 4.5 months. From the establishment of the project in January 2023 to the start-up of production, 3 years have passed.

Taiwan’s (Province of China) card payments market is set to reach TWD5.7 trillion ($177.7 billion) in 2026, driven by the growing preference for digital payments, near-universal banking access and value-added benefits associated with payment cards, reveals GlobalData, a leading intelligence and productivity platform.

GlobalData’s Payment Cards Analytics reveals that the total card payment value in Taiwan registered a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.7% over 2021-2025 to reach TWD5.4 trillion ($168.3 billion). The rise of digital-only banks, phasing out of magnetic stripe cards, and increasing use of contactless payments are expected to further support this growth.

Shivani Gupta, Lead Banking and Payments Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Taiwan’s payments landscape shifted decisively from cash to electronic payments over 2021–2025, with digital transaction methods becoming the more prevalent way to pay. The growth in card payments is expanding on the back of strong banking penetration, widening payment acceptance, and issuer-led efforts to substitute small-ticket cash spending with electronic payments.”

Debit card penetration is notably high in Taiwan, with everyone holding over five debit cards in 2025. However, their usage has primarily been confined to cash withdrawals, rather than payments.

Credit and charge cards, on the other hand, are increasingly used for making payments. This growth can be attributed to the country's developing payment infrastructure, and the ongoing efforts by issuers to boost credit card usage through rewards, co-branded propositions, and campaign-driven merchant partnerships, particularly in categories that lend themselves to repeat payments such as ecommerce, mass retail, dining, and travel.

The expansion of contactless payment technology is further accelerating card adoption. From 02 March 2026, Taiwan Railway Corporation began accepting credit cards, along with mobile wallets for ticket adjustments and upgrades. In addition, from 01 July 2026, passengers will be able to enter and exit the Taipei Metro system using contactless credit cards.

The growing POS terminalization is accelerating card payment growth in Taiwan by expanding acceptance, particularly among SMEs. In December 2025, the Ministry of Finance introduced tax incentives for small businesses adopting mobile payments or Multimedia Information Service Machines (KIOSKs), including a reduced 1% business tax rate and invoice exemptions through 2028.

In January 2026, Neweb Technologies partnered with MineSec to launch NewebAIO SoftPOS, enabling merchants to accept contactless payments on Android devices without traditional POS hardware.

Gupta concludes: “Taiwan’s payment card market is poised for sustained growth over the next five years, supported by rising consumer awareness and usage of payment cards, continued shift of transit and other low-value everyday payments to card-enabled acceptance, and government measures to digitize payments among SMEs. Growth in e-commerce and the continued rollout of digital-only banks will further reinforce this momentum.”

About GlobalData

GlobalData Plc (LSE: DATA) operates an intelligence platform that empowers leaders to act decisively in a world of complexity and change. By uniting proprietary data, human expertise, and purpose-built AI into a single, connected platform, we help organizations see what’s coming, move faster, and lead with confidence. Our solutions are used by over 5,000 organizations across the world’s largest industries, delivering tailored intelligence that supports strategic planning, innovation, risk management, and sustainable growth.

Commonwealth Bank responds to the Reserve Bank of Australia’s cash rate increase.

5 May 2026 – Following the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) decision to increase the official cash rate by 0.25% per annum (p.a.), CBA will increase home loan variable interest rates by 0.25% p.a.  

All CommBank home loan variable rate changes announced today will be effective 15 May 2026.

Commenting on the changes, Angus Sullivan, CBA’s Group Executive Retail Banking, said the bank recognises many customers are already managing higher living costs, and further rate increases can add to that pressure.

“Our focus is on supporting customers to stay on top of their finances with practical tools, clear guidance and access to help when it’s needed,” Sullivan said.

Through the CommBank app, customers have access to a range of digital money management tools – including Money Plan, Spend Tracker and Category Budgets – designed to help them track spending, manage bills, set budgets and stay in control of their finances.

Eligible home loan customers also have the flexibility to change the date and frequency of their repayments, helping them better align repayments with their income and manage cash flow.

“Adjusting how and when repayments are made can make a meaningful difference,” Sullivan said.

“For example, more frequent repayments may help reduce interest over time, while timing them with pay cycles can make it easier for customers to stay on track.”

Customers looking for additional guidance can visit CommBank’s new Lend a Hand page, which brings together practical tools, tips and pathways to support those navigating increased financial pressures in one place.

For those who may need further support they can also contact the bank at any time through the CommBank app to connect with our Financial Assistance Solutions team.

“By having proactive conversations early and often, we can ensure we are providing the right support and solutions for our customers when they need it,” Sullivan said.

Quick tips to help manage your finances: 

1. Estimate how much your home loan repayments may change via the Home Loan Repayments Calculator.
2. Eligible customers can align their home loan repayments to when and how often they are paid via the Home Loan repayment change tool. 
3. Make the most of an offset account. An offset account is a transaction account linked to your eligible Standard Variable Rate, Simple Home Loan and Digi Home Loan that can help you pay less interest over time. For customers looking to maximise the benefits of offsetting, up to 99 Everyday Offset accounts can be linked to a CommBank Standard Variable Rate home loan. A $10 Offset Feature fee applies to link up to two Everyday Offset accounts to a CommBank Simple Home Loan, or one Everyday Offset account to a CommBank Digi Home Loan.
4. Use our suite of budgeting tools to help manage your finances, including Money Plan in the CommBank app, which helps you to track your spending, stay on top of bills and set goals. 
5. Use Spend Tracker in the CommBank app to help categorise your debit and credit card transactions, making it easier to see the impact your spending decisions have on your everyday finances.
6. Use Category Budgets to set weekly, fortnightly or monthly budgets for different categories of your spending – from entertainment to transport, eating out and shopping. You can see how your spending compares to the budget you set yourself, to help you stay on track.
7. Use CommBank Yello to unlock additional benefits and support that can help eligible customers manage everyday household costs.
8. Visit our Lend a Hand page to view a range of tools, tips and guidance all designed to help you navigate current cost of living pressures. 
9. If additional assistance is needed, customers can message us at any time in the CommBank app to be connected with our Financial Assistance Solutions Team.