An "oligopoly" is a form of market in which a company or industry is directed by a smaller number of sellers also known as (oligopolists)(2). Oligopolies can give rise to numerous forms of collusion between any of the dominant markets, which can reduce competition and therefore lead to higher prices for buyers. The banking system is liquid and highly regarded in the Australian financial sector. Over the past 10 years, Australia's four major banks have demonstrated on numerous occasions just how far they are willing to go to become the most successful bank. In recent times, the well-known Commonwealth Bank is now the second largest Australian registered institution in the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) as of January 2008. Also noting that COM Bank has achieved a market capitalization of 79.86 billion of Australian dollars at the end of the financial year (June 2011). (1)Company Ranking Market Capitalization1 Commonwealth Bank A$79.86 billion2 Westpac Banking Corporation A$65.62 billion3 Australian and New Zealand Banking Group A$56.25 billion4 National Australia Bank A$54.54 billion More...