Last month saw more than 21 million Australians access finance-related websites or apps, marking a 4.3% month-on-month increase and a 5.6% rise compared to the previous year, according to the latest Ipsos iris data.

According to the data, the average time spent on finance-related websites and apps during February was nearly two hours per user. The banking sub-category was the most utilised, engaged with by 96.9% of online Australians aged 14 and over

Insurance and loans sub-categories experienced the largest year-on-year growth, with increases of 21.6% and 16% respectively.

Both men and women engaged equally with insurance websites and apps, while women, particularly those aged 40 to 54, were more inclined to visit loans websites and apps.

In the news sector, 20.9 million people, or 96.5% of online Australians aged 14 and over, accessed a news website or app in February. Australians spent more than four hours consuming news content online during February.

Trending news stories in Australia included a shark attack, Cyclone Zelia, and various controversies and events such as the RBA interest rate reduction and the death of AFL player Troy Selwood. Global news attention was dominated by Donald Trump's return to politics, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and actions by Elon Musk.

Ipsos iris, endorsed by IAB Australia, reported that 22.127 million Australians used the internet in February 2025. Australians aged 14 and over spent an average of 4.7 hours per day online in February 2025, a 6.8% increase from the previous year.

In the latest report, News Corp Australia highlighted it had reach 17.66 million Australians across its portfolio of digital assets, up 2.2 per cent year-on-year, with an engaged reach of 144 browser page views per person.

The media juggernaut was the top news and information publisher in the news category at an organisation level, with audience of 14.594 million, 482 million browser page views, and an engaged reach of 33 browser page views per person.

Managing Director and Publisher Free News and Lifestyle, Pippa Leary, said: “Every month, millions of Australians come to our network of trusted news and lifestyle sites. They actively explore multiple pages and invest considerable time with our content. Our laser focus on building a network of engaged audiences at scale is key to delivering strong results for our clients.

The methodology of Ipsos iris combines metered data from a single-source passive panel with site-centric census measurement, ensuring full privacy compliance and cross-media readiness, with ongoing enhancements planned.