In , CommBank general manager of online banking, Drew Unsworth, said he was "a little disappointed" that Apple didn't include NFC in the iPhone 5.

"There are also other factors to consider which will potentially help with NFC adoption in this country," Babus said. That includes "the prevalence of contactless terminals and the familiarity of making contactless payments, and Australia is well positioned on these two fronts to still see NFC take-off."

For other banks, however, NFC may not yet have the customer base needed to support an investment. Suncorp Bank is looking at NFC but isn't ready to commit to the technology, said Suncorp Bank Channel Specialist, Simon Clarke.

"While the pace of mobile developments are rapid, in many cases consumers are still coming to grips with contactless payment systems," he said.

Here's a look at where some of Australia's top banks stand on NFC deployment: