WillItSurvive
Financial data and information services · subsidiary of Experian plc · Australia

illion

illion.com.au ↗

illion is Australia/NZ's #2 credit bureau, now absorbed into Experian plc.

Defensible for now
Assessed 25 July 2026 · Evidence as of 25 July 2026
Real protection, with named pressure against it.
On the recordSince 25 July 2026 · Checkable from Nov 2025 · Every call on the record Checkpoint: Experian FY26 interim results, next update on AU/NZ integration and headcount
The call

illion the company is gone, folded into Experian; what remains is a data engine and jobs still being trimmed as integration continues.

illion was an Australian credit-reporting company that checked people's financial history for banks and lenders. Experian, a much larger British company, bought it for about A$820 million in October 2024. Credit bureaus are hard to replace because they own years of data on millions of people and have direct relationships with 190+ lenders, plus government approval to handle sensitive information, so new competitors or AI tools cannot easily recreate this advantage. The real question is whether Experian finishes integrating by late 2025 as promised or continues cutting through 2026 and 2027, and which specific jobs survive each round of consolidation.

Why
01
AI pressure: None apparent. AI underwriting tools run on bureau data like illion's, they don't replace the regulated data itself yet. Could AI do the core job? Unlikely.
02
Bigger players: Equifax Australia. Equifax leads Australia's bureau market with 20.8M+ files; regulators called Experian plus illion combined only a weak check on it. Could a giant copy it? No, they are blocked.
03
What protects it. CDR accreditation, 190+ lender data relationships, and now Experian's global balance sheet and scale.
What would change this call
Experian formally announces the illion brand fully retired and replaced by Experian A/NZ. Confirms integration completion timeline and full absorption into Experian's structure.
Experian reports a second wave of AU/NZ headcount cuts beyond the current ~245 employees in 2026 earnings updates. Would show integration-driven job losses continuing past the initial consolidation phase.
Equifax Australia launches a new AI-driven bureau product or reports AU/NZ market-share gains in its earnings releases. Would show Equifax converting its scale advantage into direct share gains from Experian A/NZ.
Key numbers
  • Experian paid up to A$820m for illion (2024-04-04)
  • Headcount down 15.2% YoY to ~245 staff (mid-2026)
  • Australia now Experian's 4th-largest market (2025-05-14)
Named risks
  • illion brand being fully retired into 'Experian' name within ~12 months of Oct 2024 close. Severity: medium
  • Ongoing headcount reduction in duplicated corporate functions during integration (-15.2% YoY as of mid-2026). Severity: high
  • Evolving Privacy Credit Reporting Code and CDR rules could alter data practices and compliance costs. Severity: medium
  • Persistent market concentration versus dominant Equifax limits competitive upside even post-merger. Severity: low
Rivals, as read in July 2026
RivalDirectionEvidence
Equifax Australialosing toACCC (2024-08-15) said Experian plus illion combined only gave a 'weak competitive constraint' against Equifax's 20.8M+ file
Equifax AustraliacontestingExperian FY25 results (2025-05-14) report Australia now its 4th-largest market with integration 'ahead of buy plan'
Questions people ask
Does illion still exist as a separate company?
No. illion was acquired by Experian plc for up to A$820m, with the deal completing 1 October 2024. Experian folded in illion's roughly 500 staff, data and IP, and stated the combined Australia/NZ business would be rebranded fully to 'Experian' within about 12 months of close.
Who owns illion now?
illion is a wholly owned subsidiary of Experian plc, the LSE-listed global data and analytics group. Experian completed its A$820m acquisition of illion on 1 October 2024, ending illion's prior ownership by Australian private equity firm Archer Capital.
Could AI replace illion's business?
Not the core bureau, but yes for some workflows. illion's regulated credit-file data, Consumer Data Right accreditation and 190+ lender relationships (2024) are AI-resistant, but bank-statement OCR and transaction categorisation, which illion's own 2019 survey said cut manual processing 80%, are increasingly automatable by generic AI tools.
Who is illion's biggest competitor?
Equifax Australia (formerly Veda, bought by Equifax for US$1.9bn in February 2016) is the dominant incumbent, holding data on over 20.8 million individuals as of its 2024-25 annual report. The ACCC said Experian plus illion combined still only offered a 'weak competitive constraint' against Equifax (15 August 2024).
Has illion had layoffs?
Headcount has fallen sharply since the Experian merger. illion had about 500 employees at deal close on 1 October 2024; a workforce profile dated 30 June 2026 put the figure at roughly 245, a 15.2% year-over-year decline tied to post-acquisition integration.
Is illion (Experian Australia) profitable?
Standalone illion profit figures aren't disclosed post-acquisition, but Experian projected the business would add about A$175m revenue and A$65m Benchmark EBITDA in its first full year (announced 4 April 2024), and Experian's FY25 results (14 May 2025) called integration 'ahead of buy plan.'
Timeline
  • 2026-06-30Workforce data shows illion at ~245 employees, down 15.2% year over year
  • 2025-08illion/Experian publishes OAIC Credit Reporting Code compliance report for FY2024-25
  • 2025-05-14Experian FY25 results call illion integration 'ahead of buy plan'; Australia now 4th-largest market
  • 2024-10-01Experian completes A$820m acquisition of illion; CEO John Banfield steps down
  • 2024-08-15ACCC declines to oppose Experian-illion merger, citing weak constraint on Equifax
  • 2024-04-04Experian plc agrees to acquire illion for up to A$820m
  • 2018Dun & Bradstreet Australia rebrands to illion
  • 1986Company established in Australia as Dun & Bradstreet (Australia)
Revision history
25 July 2026
First assessed. Defensible for now. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.
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