Commonwealth Bank

Commonwealth Bank reports a cash NPAT of $5.45bn for the first half of 2026 (+6%) and declares an interim dividend of $2.35 per share (+$0.10). Operating income rose 6.6% to $15.02bn, profit before risk provisions increased 5.3% to $8.13bn, and operating expenses were $6.72bn. Loan growth outpaced the market (home lending +7%, business loans +12%), the CET1 ratio was 12.3%, deposits cover 79% of funding, and risk provisions amounted to $6.3bn. The bank emphasizes continued investment in technology, data and security; the CommBank app has 9.4m active users. » More on de.investing.com

Commonwealth Bank of Australia has rescinded customer-service layoffs and offered the return of 45 union members after management admitted the new AI chatbot had not reduced call volumes. The bank apologized, is offering rehire or severance, and said it will invest further in staff training, while CEO Matt Comyn confirmed collaboration with OpenAI and the use of ChatGPT Enterprise. A Bloomberg analysis meanwhile warns of larger job losses in the banking sector from LLMs in the coming years. » More on golem.de

In the third quarter Westpac reported a 5% rise in net profit to AUD 1.9 billion and improved its net interest margin, which pushed the stock up about 6% and to a 10-year high. Higher Australian interest rates, robust consumer demand and increased lending contributed to the result; the figures followed a record performance by rival Commonwealth Bank of Australia. » More on de.investing.com