The Community Bank® model was developed by Bendigo Bank to provide communities with the certainty that banking services will be available locally.

It is a franchise, with the community owning the rights to operate a Bendigo Bank branch.

The local community forms a public company limited by shares to represent the local community. The company raises capital locally and purchases from Bendigo Bank the right to run a bank branch.

A Community Bank® branch has three aims:

• To secure branch banking services for participating communities.
• To help communities better manage locally generated capital, and so provide them with a better return on their capital.
• To enable participating communities to share in revenues generated from their Community Banking enterprise.