Matt Comyn: Leading Australia’s Biggest Bank Through Crisis and AI Disruption

This is just an excerpt. The full interview with Matt Comyn is available exclusively for Rampart subscribers - go to rampart.news to watch now.Commonwealth Bank CEO Matt Comyn sits down for a candid conversation with Rampart’s Joe Aston. From the very restaurant where he landed his first CBA job in 1999, Comyn opens up about being the unlikely choice as CEO, his two days in the witness box at the Banking Royal Commission and the subsequent challenge of restoring public trust in the company. What makes this episode unmissable:The world's most expensive bank: How he runs the bank which trades at 26 times forward earnings, while also overseeing a healthy corporate culture.The Royal Commission: Comyn reveals what it was like spending 8.5 hours in the witness box, including the explosive moment when his notes about being told to "temper your sense of justice" became headline news.AI's real impact: Comyn likens the impact of AI and its consequences to changes brought by the industrial revolution and notes that there’s no “island or moat” that will protect Australian industry from these changes. Housing affordability's impossible equation: Comyn notes the challenges for ordinary Australians to enter the housing market who don’t have access to the “Bank of Mum and Dad”. Comyn says supply-side solutions are needed to ease the housing crisis.  Resilience forged through personal hardship: Comyn shares how traumatic events in his childhood fortified him against professional challenges as an adult. He notes that psychological and physiological resilience are just as important as elite banking skills. From Canberra power dynamics to multi-billion-dollar investments in CBA’s technology, from the loss of sponsorship of the Australian cricket teams to measuring sleep and staying fit —this is a rare interview where one of Australia’s leading CEOs discusses the importance of having good judgement and knowing when to walk away.  Rampart Talks is brought to you by ⁠RESOLVE Forensic⁠, ⁠BHP⁠ and ⁠Ray White Commercial⁠.About Joe Aston:Joe Aston is one of Australia’s most influential commentators on business, finance and politics.For 12 years, he struck fear into the hearts of the nation’s political and corporate leaders, transforming The Australian Financial Review’s Rear Window into the nation’s premier daily column.In 2024, he became a best-selling author with the publication of his first book, The Chairman’s Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out.And in 2025, he launched ⁠Rampart⁠, a premium subscription news publication specialising in Australian business and finance. Follow Joe Aston on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, Instagram and ⁠X⁠.Follow Rampart on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠.Rampart TalksProducer: Eliza HarveyProduction/Editing: Mentored Studios Technical and commercial support: Squiz Media