The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) reported a system issue on the morning of January 27, 2026, which disrupted some payment settlement services. The incident affected certain payments and property settlements, with the problem occurring at around 10:30 am and resulting in an inability to process some file-based payments.
According to the RBA, “The cause of the outage was identified, and services were progressively restored, with file exchange services becoming available from around 5:20 pm the same day.” The Fast Settlement Service remained operational during this period. However, a related issue led to delays in PEXA property settlements, causing about 500 property transactions to remain incomplete by the end of the settlement day. The settlement window was extended until 10:45 pm to address these delays.
The central bank stated that it has worked closely with industry participants and remains in regular contact to aid recovery efforts. “Following the restoration of RBA services on Tuesday, financial institutions were able to resume exchanging payment files and progressively process payments, including those delayed by the outage,” according to an RBA spokesperson.
The RBA expressed regret for the disruption: “The RBA apologises for the disruption caused and recognises the impact this would have had on financial institutions and their customers.”
Since late Tuesday evening there have been no further system issues at the RBA. Customers experiencing transaction difficulties or payment delays are advised to contact their own financial institution for assistance.
As Australia’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of Australia is responsible for monetary policy, managing inflation targets, issuing currency, supporting financial stability and overseeing payments systems. It manages gold and foreign exchange reserves for Australia as outlined on its official website. The Payments System Board was established by the RBA in 1998 to improve safety and efficiency in national payment systems (source). Michele Bullock has served as governor since September 18, 2023 (source).
