Through Employability's work integrated learning course, students collaborated with CommBank to develop a fraud detection proof of concept.
From leading Indigenous advancement at a financial regulator to Commonwealth Bank’s team works on improving fraud detection daily. And midway through 2026, so did a group of students through UNSW’s Interdisciplinary Partner Project.
From property settlement scams to payment redirection, fraud in Australia cost consumers and businesses $2.18 billion in 2025. Advancing technology is making scams harder to spot than ever before.
At Commonwealth Bank (CBA), giving staff the knowledge, time and tools to develop ways to combat the issue is a critical priority. And technology plays a central role.
“We are preparing for the future by heavily investing in AI, data and digital capability, as well as new ways of working to encourage faster problem solving and experimentation,” explains Sarah Perrens, Early Career Talent Programs Senior Manager, Commonwealth Bank.
At the bank, Perrens helps the next generation of leaders be more effective at work through various graduate, intern and analyst programs. In 2026, she and her team set 15 UNSW students a real-world fraud detection challenge through the university’s CDEV3000 / CDEV6000 Interdisciplinary Partner Project – giving soon-to-be graduates the hands-on experience they need to hit the ground running when they enter the workforce.
Losses from fraud are a significant problem for the banking sector. So CBA set UNSW students a brief drawn straight from its meeting rooms: to develop a fraud detection system that looks for anomalies in transactions like high volumes or various different locations.
“The real problem it solves is that balance of having a usable as well as secure product, which go hand in hand,” says Zoja Savkovic, Engineering Manager, Commonwealth Bank
It’s the first time the bank has brought in students from UNSW Employability to look at a work integrated learning project solely focused on technology.
“We're very excited about having these students come in with fresh perspectives to look at the challenges we have in the banking sector,” says Savkovic.
Students used real-time monitoring, AI and machine learning to better identify suspicious transactions and minimise false positives. They researched current fraud monitoring trends and recommended suitable detection methods based on data and industry developments. And they presented a proof of concept that showed how their proposed solution could detect and respond to fraudulent activity.
Work integrated learning courses like CDEV3000/6000 bridge the gap between the technical skills students learn at university and the practical applications required to be successful in industry.
“They get to apply what they’ve learned to real-world problems, collaborate in teams, and build capabilities such as problem solving and adaptability,” says Perrens. “These are critical in fast paced, customer-centric environments like CBA, and help students feel more ready for the world of work.”
For Alexander Fox, a second-year Computer Science and Commerce student, the project was exactly the kind of challenge he hopes to solve in his career.
“I want to work on something tangible,” he says. “I'm keenly interested in markets and banking, and fraud detection sits at the intersection of both my degrees. It's a technical problem, but one with consequences that are commercial and human. That's the type of work I want to be doing.”
Taha Hussain came into the program with a lot of technical skills, and one important gap.
“I have a lot of technical knowledge but one thing I lacked was industry experience,” says the fourth-year software engineering student. “CDEV3000 gave me the perfect opportunity to get that with Australia's number one financial institution. It’s a pretty big deal for my career.”
Gauri Abeysinghe is also in her fourth year, studying Bioinformatics Engineering. For her, the project gave her insight into the financial sector.
“I never had the chance to understand the financial side of technology,” Abeysinghe says. “This was a good opportunity for me to understand it. It will help me decide on my career path as I'm in my final year and I want to know the potential opportunities out there for me.”
Jessica Chui wanted to test her technical knowledge against a business problem. “I feel more confident and prepared for the career that’s ahead of me,” the third-year Information Systems and Commerce student says.
CBA sees technology as both an enabler and a competitive differentiator. It’s this perspective that has allowed the bank to deliver faster innovation cycles, improve customer experiences and boost operational efficiency across the organisation. It also helped turn CBA into one of the world’s best banks for AI maturity and number one in Asia-Pacific.
Through its partnership with UNSW, the bank wants to make sure its future leaders start building practical knowledge now to prepare for their career. By being a part of programs like CDEV3000/CDEV6000, they’re giving students hands-on experience working with a world-leading company and cutting-edge tools and resources.
“Through this project, students went through a full cycle of software development, from forming the problem and coming across roadblocks, to then coming up with a solution that works,” Perrens says. “This prepares them for industry because these things happen every day for us. We're having these conversations constantly.”
She says the value of its partnership with UNSW is two-way.
“Students gain real-world experience and become work-ready graduates and CBA benefits from fresh thinking and access to emerging talent.”
It’s a shared investment that’s enabling the next generation of leaders to tackle some of the toughest challenges of the future.
This article was brought to you by UNSW Employability.
Explore CDEV3000 / CDEV6000 Interdisciplinary Partner Project through UNSW Employability.