Finance
Young Aussie breaks taboo to reveal savings account balance: ‘Not always easy’
A young Aussie saving up for her first home has shared exactly how much money she has in her bank account. Talking about money and how much you earn or have in savings has long been considered taboo, but more and more Aussies are now breaking the stigma.
Natalie Hale has been openly sharing her finances online and bringing people along on her journey to save up for her first home. The 23-year-old told Yahoo Finance she wanted to learn about budgeting and managing money but struggled to find relatable content online.
“I decided to start openly sharing my finances online because there wasn’t a lot of representation for young people learning how to budget and how to manage money when I was starting my journey,” she said.
“I wanted to learn more but I couldn’t really find anything relatable so I created it.”
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In a recent TikTok video, Hale shared she had around $40,000 in her savings account spread across multiple savings accounts. That included $31,064 saved up for a home deposit, $1,071 for emergency expenses, $1,150 for car expenses and $1,250 for business expenses.
Hale, who works as an independent disability support worker in Queensland’s Fraser Coast, said she was currently trying to put half of her income towards saving up for her first home and the rest towards other expenses that were important to her.
Her income fluctuates but she revealed she earned six figures last financial year. For example, in the last few months, she made $2,330 in one week and $5,521 in another.
“I’m currently prioritising putting as much as I can into my house, I keep my expenses small, I don’t have many subscriptions which is the number one killer of young people’s bank accounts and I don’t go out on weekends,” Hale said.
“Making small changes where I can because every bit of money adds up. It’s not always easy but it’s important to take the steps now while I’m young so future me doesn’t have to worry.”
After meeting with a mortgage broker, Hale aimed to save a $38,000 deposit for a home.
She noted there were a range of government grants available to first-home buyers that could also help towards her goal.
‘Start simple’: Budgeting tips
Hale has more than 20 savings accounts with her bank, ANZ Plus, which she uses to allocate her cash towards different specific expenses and goals.
“I currently budget my money by dividing the bill by my pay cycle and allocating it to that savings jar in my ANZ plus account,” she told Yahoo Finance.
Hale recommended other Aussies “start simple” and break their budget down in a way that works for their lifestyle.
“Ultimately saving for something big comes with some sacrifices so it’s just deciding what you can sacrifice and where you can earn some extra money, I do affiliate marketing and online surveys to make some extra money,” she said.
“I have a ‘round up’ feature on my bank account so every time I spend it rounds it up to my savings account and keep my money in a high-interest account so my money works for me.”
While Hale said she received a few negative comments online, she said the positive comments made “it all worth it”.
How much does an average Australian have in savings?
The average Australian has $37,915 in savings, according to Finder data.
Men have more savings than women, with an average of $47,398 in savings compared to $27,492 for women.
Savings also vary greatly depending on age, with Gen X having the most in savings at $57,794, while Gen Z had the least at $28,372.
It’s important to note these are just averages. Finder also found a staggering 47 per cent of Aussies could only survive off their savings for one month or less, with just 22 per cent confident they could last six months or more.
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Digital payments are becoming an increasingly common part of everyday life in Uzbekistan, helping bring more consumers into the formal financial system and increasing demand for services beyond basic transactions.
According to a financial inclusion survey conducted by the Central Bank of Uzbekistan with support from the Asian Development Bank, 71.17% of respondents reported making or receiving at least one digital payment in 2025, compared with 39% in 2021.
The increase follows several years of policies aimed at expanding financial inclusion, encouraging electronic payments and introducing digital tools such as remote identification systems for banking customers.
Interviews conducted by Euronews on the sidelines of the Tashkent International Investment Forum (TIIF) suggest that the rapid adoption of digital payments is now beginning to influence wider parts of the financial sector, from lending and insurance to investment products and banking services for businesses.
Digital payments enter the mainstream
Industry executives point to a combination of demographic, technological and regulatory factors behind the growth of digital financial services.
Nikolay Seleznyov, co-founder of Uzum, a company active in e-commerce, digital payments and financial services, said the expansion is bringing more people into the banking system.
“More and more people are becoming bank customers. And this trend is irreversible.”
Oliver Hughes, chairman of TBC Uzbekistan, a digital bank operating through the TBC UZ and Payme applications, pointed to the country’s young population and widespread use of mobile technology as factors supporting the shift towards digital services.
The trend is also affecting established lenders. Dmitry Sapronov, deputy chairman of Ipoteka Bank, which became part of Hungary’s OTP Group in 2023, said customer demand for digital services has increased significantly in recent years, requiring banks to rethink how they deliver products and interact with clients.
Regulation and infrastructure
Executives said the growth of digital finance has been supported by both regulatory changes and investment in digital infrastructure.
The Central Bank and other institutions have introduced measures aimed at expanding financial inclusion and encouraging electronic payments, while digital identification systems have made it easier for consumers to access banking products remotely.
“The digital ID product was one of the biggest enablers here for all the players in the financial services industry,” Seleznyov said.
Anne Arundel County is preparing to launch a new finance and e-procurement system to modernize county operations and improve how businesses interact with local government.
The new platform, called Harbor, is scheduled to go live in July and will replace the County’s legacy procurement system with a centralized cloud-based platform built on Oracle Fusion Cloud.
County officials say the new system is designed to streamline procurement and financial processes while making it easier for both existing and prospective vendors to do business with the County.
From the press release:
“Harbor is a much-needed upgrade that will streamline services for our county agencies and those who do business with the county,” said Anne Arundel County Chief Administrative Officer Christine Anderson.
The platform will serve as a single portal for supplier registration, bid opportunities, invoicing, payment tracking, and contract management, consolidating what had previously been spread across multiple systems. County leaders say the transition is part of a broader effort to modernize operations, improve efficiency, and lower barriers for businesses seeking to compete for county contracts.
For counties, procurement modernization remains an important operational priority as local governments look to improve transparency, strengthen vendor engagement, and simplify access for businesses of all sizes. Anne Arundel County has encouraged interested suppliers to review training materials and registration information ahead of the July launch.
Finance
Quadient Recognized as a Leader in the 2026 SPARK Matrix for Accounts Receivable Applications
Quadient demonstrates continued innovation in AI-driven invoice-to-cash automation and unified finance operations
Paris
Quadient (Euronext Paris: QDT), a global automation platform powering secure and sustainable business connections, announced today it has been recognized for the fifth consecutive year as a Leader in the 2026 SPARK Matrix™ for Accounts Receivable Applications by technology analyst and advisory firm QKS Group. Quadient strengthened its position in the report year-over-year, with a notable improvement in Technology Excellence, reflecting continued innovation in its AI-driven invoice-to-cash solution.
According to QKS Group, Quadient’s leadership position highlights its evolution into a comprehensive, AI-powered platform that delivers strong predictive accuracy and straight-through processing. The analyst firm also emphasized the capability of Quadient’s solutions to unify accounts receivable (AR) and accounts payable (AP), offering finance leaders greater visibility and insights into their business finances to make faster, better decisions on working capital management.
Earlier this month, Quadient announced the release of its new cash dashboard capability for AR and AP that allows finance teams to bring together traditionally siloed data in a single view. An AI assistant summarizes key metrics and provides analysis that helps finance leaders accelerate cash on hand, improve forecasting, reduce risk and uncover opportunities to optimize working capital.
“Quadient has established a strong position in the 2026 Accounts Receivable Automation market through its focus on intelligent automation, cash flow optimization and integrated financial operations,” said Sanjeevi C R, associate vice president, Enterprise Research at QKS Group. “The platform’s evolution from predictive analytics to AI-driven autonomous collections execution represents a meaningful step forward in reducing manual effort across the invoice-to-cash cycle. What differentiates Quadient is its ability to combine collections management, cash application, and payment processing with a unified accounts receivable and accounts payable ecosystem, providing finance leaders with a more holistic view of working capital performance. By enabling greater automation, enhanced cash flow visibility, and more efficient receivables operations, Quadient continues to deliver measurable value for organizations seeking to modernize their financial processes and improve liquidity management.”
QKS Group highlighted the following key strengths for Quadient AR:
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