Westpac Banking Corp chief Brian Hartzer describes bitcoin and the blockchain as "potentially disruptive" technologies which could be "quite powerful from an efficiency point of view" but says there's no need for banks to panic about being cut out from the monetary system because any impact will only come in the long term.
http://www.afr.com/technology/bitcoin-could-disrupt-banks-warns-westpac-boss-20150908-gjhjnk
We have come a long way - banks talk about the potential of Bitcoin, rather than dismissing it outright.
Banks are really not the place where you expect technological novelties to be implemented quickly - given the regulations that they have to comply with. If they are exploring / experimenting, it is good news.