Profitability and EPS Growth
Cash/stated profit around $5.4bn (statutory and cash profits on continuing operations), with cash net profit up ~6% year-on-year and earnings per share up $0.19. Cash profit growth described as a little over 6% on both the prior corresponding period and the prior half.
Dividend and Capital Returns
Interim dividend of $2.35 per share, up $0.10 on the prior corresponding period; fully franked. Dividend payout ~72% headline (normalized ~74%). $4.4bn in dividends paid this half; 11th consecutive period of DRP neutralization and DRP offered fully neutralized with no discount.
Strong Balance Sheet and Liquidity
Common Equity Tier 1 ratio 12.3% (about $10bn above minimum regulatory requirements). Liquid assets $199bn. Deposit funding ratio ~79% and weighted average maturity of long-term funding 5.2 years. Total provisions ~$6.3bn, ~$2.8bn above central economic scenario.
Exceptional Deposit and Lending Growth
Deposit balances increased by ~$44bn in the half. Mortgage balances up ~$45bn (≈7% year-on-year) to $622bn. Business lending grew strongly (cited as 12% and described as 1.3x system), with business lending balances up ~$18bn in the year and 87% growth over six years in business lending balances.
Revenue and Income Momentum
Operating income increased 6.6% year-on-year; net interest income increased (up $761m) supported by above-system profitable lending and deposit growth. Retail pre-provision profit +5%; Business Bank pre-provision profit +8% and cash profit +14%; Institutional pre-provision profit +13%.
Customer Franchises, Engagement and Market Shares
Retail MFI share increased slightly to 33.5%; Business Bank MFI share up to 26.9% (310 bps increase since COVID). 9.4m CommBank app users and 14m daily log-ins; 12m retail transaction accounts (35% increase since start of COVID, +585k in past year). 97% of home loan customers hold a transaction account with CBA.
Technology, AI and Operational Improvements
Investing in data, technology and AI: migrated core banking to cloud (30% more technology changes), reduced critical incidents and improved recovery times by 65%, deployed 2,900+ AI bots against scammers and send ~40,000 daily suspicious-activity alerts. Auto-decisioning: 70% of proprietary home loan applications auto-decisioned same day; BizExpress auto approvals doubled in 2 years and annual loan maintenance reduced by ~85%.
Credit Quality and Provisioning Buffer
Credit environment described as benign: loan impairment expense ~$319m (flat y/y), business loan losses ~6 basis points in the half, troublesome/nonperforming exposures decreased and home loan hardship customers down 28% since June 2024. Provision balance of ~$6.3bn provides a material buffer above central economic scenario.