Home topics news Image provided by Square: Claire and Sam, founders of Flamin Galah News Small Business News Australian regional businesses are booming Heidi Heck November 17, 2021 Square’s State of Regional Business Report shows regional Australia is undergoing a revival. The report shows regional businesses have processed 259 per cent more in sales through Square since the onset of the pandemic. Comparatively, companies in metro areas have processed 178 per cent more in sales through Square. The report focuses on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the recovery of small businesses across Australia. Key findings include: Regional businesses growing faster than metropolitan: Regional businesses have outpaced their metropolitan counterparts in terms of payment processing growth since the pandemic’s beginning. Regional Queensland leads on growth: Regional Queensland has the fastest growing regional hubs on the Square platform, with Goondiwindi, on the QLD-NSW border, leading the charge in the state. Digital divide in rural areas: Just over a quarter of all businesses have an online store. Businesses in regional Australia are signing up to Square Online faster than those in metro areas. Small business confidence is high, but typical challenges persist: Seven in ten small business owners are confident about their prospects but are concerned about access to capital and having the tools and skills needed to run their business. State of regional business Aggregated data from millions of transactions across Square’s Australian seller’s platform forms the base of Square’s State of Regional Business Report. The data reported since the