Borrow
CBA announces $10bn bumper profits
Australia’s largest bank will return almost $10 billion to shareholders through buybacks and dividends after announcing a bumper increase in profits.
CBA announces $10bn bumper profits
Australia’s largest bank will return almost $10 billion to shareholders through buybacks and dividends after announcing a bumper increase in profits.
All up, Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has announced a 19.8 per cent increase in cash profits to $8.65 billion.
Meanwhile, CBA confirmed a $6 billion off-market buyback of shares on the back of the divestment of some of its businesses.
The CBA board determined a final dividend of $2 a share – based on a payout ratio of 71 per cent of cash profit – with the total coming to $3.50 a share fully franked.
Commonwealth Bank’s chief executive, Matt Comyn, said Wednesday’s results reflect an “ongoing strong operational performance of the core businesses of retail, business and institutional banking”.

Describing the Australian and New Zealand economies as resilient, Mr Comyn said Australia’s control of the pandemic and its swift rebounds were the catalyst for a bumper half-yearly result.
“While the Australian economic recovery continued strongly through most of FY21, the pandemic continues to have an impact on the Australian economy,” Mr Comyn said in a statement.
Off the back of stronger economy CBA’s real loan growth was 6.7 per cent increase, while business lending grew by 11.2 per cent.
Plato’s senior portfolio manager Dr Peter Gardner, said today’s result was further evidence that the dire outcomes for Australia’s banks due to COVID-19 simply have not eventuated.
“The forecast avalanche of bad debts has so far been a trickle as we see CBA reporting a loan impairment expense of just 7 bps. It’s a similar story right across the sector with the writing back of provisions also bolstering profits,” he said.
Describing CBA’s results as a win for investors, to Dr Gardner the buyback is a logical way for CBA to take advantage of its surplus capital, as well as pointing to a windfall for retirees through franking credits.
“Using CBA’s closing price yesterday of $106.56 as a guide, we estimate the buyback will be worth approximately $121.63 per share for tax-exempt investors, including a franking credit component of $29.99. This will represent a premium of around 14 per cent to the market price of CBA today for a tax-exempt Australian investor.”
Looking forward, Dr Gardner expects stronger results to continue from the big four bank.
“CBA’s buyback and the strong result galvanises our view that equity income will continue to rise over the next 12 months and deliver greater yield than most other asset classes, with the banks and miners leading the charge,” he concluded.
About the author
About the author
Banking
Brokers own the mortgage funnel: Why a 77% share is reshaping bank strategy in Australia
Australia’s mortgage market has quietly consolidated around one gatekeeper: the broker. With brokers facilitating roughly 77% of new home loans, distribution power has migrated from bank branches to ...Read more
Banking
Commonwealth Bank leads consideration while People First Bank tops satisfaction in YouGov’s latest rankings
In a revealing snapshot of Australia's banking landscape, the Commonwealth Bank (CBA) has emerged as the most considered financial institution among prospective customers, according to YouGov's ...Read more
Banking
End of the easing: what a major bank’s call signals for Australian balance sheets
A major Australian bank now argues the Reserve Bank’s rate-cut run has hit a pause, resetting the risk-free rate narrative across corporate Australia. The Reserve Bank of Australia’s latest Statement ...Read more
Banking
Open banking, real returns: How an Australian brokerage turned CDR data into deal velocity
Open banking is no longer a whiteboard theory—it’s a working growth engine. This case study unpacks how a mid-sized Australian brokerage (“Pink Finance”) operationalised Consumer Data Right (CDR) data ...Read more
Banking
Open banking’s quiet revolution: how one broker’s data play rewrites speed, trust and margin
Open banking is shifting from compliance cost to commercial engine, and early adopters in Australia’s broking market are already monetising the curve. The playbook: consented bank-grade data piped ...Read more
Banking
Open banking in action: An early adopter’s playbook—and the ROI case for Australian brokers
Open banking is shifting from conference buzzword to operational backbone in Australia’s broking sector. Early adopters are using bank-grade data and AI to compress underwriting cycles, cut compliance ...Read more
Banking
Australian brokerage pedals ahead using consented data for a speedy advantage
Open banking is no longer a concept; it is an operating model shift changing how brokers originate and package credit. Australia’s early movers, backed by the Consumer Data Right (CDR) and a ...Read more
Banking
BOQ’s mortgage squeeze is a market signal: where banks will win next as competition bites
Bank of Queensland’s shrinking home-loan book is more than a single-institution story; it’s a barometer of how Australia’s mortgage market is being rewired by broker power, non-bank agility and ...Read more
Banking
Brokers own the mortgage funnel: Why a 77% share is reshaping bank strategy in Australia
Australia’s mortgage market has quietly consolidated around one gatekeeper: the broker. With brokers facilitating roughly 77% of new home loans, distribution power has migrated from bank branches to ...Read more
Banking
Commonwealth Bank leads consideration while People First Bank tops satisfaction in YouGov’s latest rankings
In a revealing snapshot of Australia's banking landscape, the Commonwealth Bank (CBA) has emerged as the most considered financial institution among prospective customers, according to YouGov's ...Read more
Banking
End of the easing: what a major bank’s call signals for Australian balance sheets
A major Australian bank now argues the Reserve Bank’s rate-cut run has hit a pause, resetting the risk-free rate narrative across corporate Australia. The Reserve Bank of Australia’s latest Statement ...Read more
Banking
Open banking, real returns: How an Australian brokerage turned CDR data into deal velocity
Open banking is no longer a whiteboard theory—it’s a working growth engine. This case study unpacks how a mid-sized Australian brokerage (“Pink Finance”) operationalised Consumer Data Right (CDR) data ...Read more
Banking
Open banking’s quiet revolution: how one broker’s data play rewrites speed, trust and margin
Open banking is shifting from compliance cost to commercial engine, and early adopters in Australia’s broking market are already monetising the curve. The playbook: consented bank-grade data piped ...Read more
Banking
Open banking in action: An early adopter’s playbook—and the ROI case for Australian brokers
Open banking is shifting from conference buzzword to operational backbone in Australia’s broking sector. Early adopters are using bank-grade data and AI to compress underwriting cycles, cut compliance ...Read more
Banking
Australian brokerage pedals ahead using consented data for a speedy advantage
Open banking is no longer a concept; it is an operating model shift changing how brokers originate and package credit. Australia’s early movers, backed by the Consumer Data Right (CDR) and a ...Read more
Banking
BOQ’s mortgage squeeze is a market signal: where banks will win next as competition bites
Bank of Queensland’s shrinking home-loan book is more than a single-institution story; it’s a barometer of how Australia’s mortgage market is being rewired by broker power, non-bank agility and ...Read more
