Connect Now allows customers be connected from a Westpac branch or Business Centre to a range of business and banking specialists located in the hub via high speed video conferencing. The opening of the Sydney hub follows the success of the Melbourne and Perth hubs which have assisted over 7,000 businesses across Australia since launch.

Julie Rynski, Westpac’s General Manager of Small Business said: “Westpac has invested more than $12 million in the national roll-out of Connect Now to ensure businesses around Australia have access to the specialised advice they need to keep their business moving. We have Connect Now hubs established in Perth, Melbourne and now Sydney. We look forward to opening a fourth hub in Brisbane by the end of 2015.”

“The success of Connect Now with our business customers has meant we are now able to offer the service to our retail customers. Today customers across Australia can visit over 240 branches and business banking centre and be connected to experts in a central hub via a high quality video link that replicates the face to face experience with features such as document sharing.”

Ms Rynski said Connect Now is also integrated with Westpac’s national network of: - Over 310 local business bankers; - Over 300 personal business bankers - which combined is Australia’s largest network of branch based business specialists; and - And over 850 commercial relationship managers.

“The wider roll out of Connect Now to rural areas across Australia shows how Westpac is backing customers in regional Australia as they will now be able to experience the benefits of the high speed Connect Now technology at the same time as meeting with their local business banker at the branch to work through their business plans for next year.”

The specialist bankers in the Connect Now Sydney hub will provide advice on areas such as equipment finance, working capital, complex payment solutions, foreign exchange, SMSF, transactional banking, wealth and financial planning.

Westpac will open an additional Connect Now hub in Brisbane by the end of 2015. As well as servicing customers in their own states, the hubs will be available to all Westpac customers to ensure they have access to the right specialists and information when they need it.