SYDNEY, Feb 16, 2026, 18:07 AEDT — The session wrapped up with the market now closed.
- Bendigo & Adelaide Bank dropped 2.2% Monday, reacting to the lender’s half-year update.
- The bank kept its interim dividend steady at 30 Australian cents per share, while net interest margin came in higher.
- Traders are eyeing specifics on compliance spending, with the ex-dividend date coming up later this week.
Bendigo & Adelaide Bank Ltd finished Monday’s session at A$11.20, down 2.2%. The stock lost ground after an initial pop, as the regional lender released half-year results and outlined additional steps on its compliance overhaul. (Investing)
This is significant—investors are once more picky about Australian banks lacking the heft of the biggest players. Right now, markets hit back hard at any sign of rising costs, sluggish lending, or looming capital strain.
Bendigo’s update drops just ahead of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s release of minutes from its February policy meeting—a disclosure known for moving rate bets, which in turn feeds straight into bank margin forecasts. (Reserve Bank of Australia)
The bank posted cash earnings after tax of A$256.4 million for the half-year to Dec. 31, slipping 3.3% from the previous year. Statutory earnings after tax, though, climbed 6.4% to A$230.6 million. Directors announced a 30 Australian cent interim dividend per share, fully franked—so shareholders get Australian tax credits. Net interest margin nudged up by 4 basis points to 1.92%. CEO Richard Fennell called it “good progress” as the bank leaned further into its deposit-led strategy. The common equity tier 1 ratio, a crucial capital buffer, landed at 11.37%. (Markitdigital)
Bendigo, in an investor presentation, disclosed it had self-reported gaps in its handling of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing risk. The price tag for its response plan: A$70 million to A$90 million spread across as many as three years. The same deck highlighted a drive toward cheaper deposits, mentioned “strong application flow” for December, and pointed out that Up, its digital bank, turned its first monthly profit in September—beating expectations.
Thomas Strong at Citi warned that investors shouldn’t just focus on Bendigo Bank’s cash earnings beat. “Balance sheet growth continues to be an issue for Bendigo Bank,” he noted. Strong also pointed to the market’s need to weigh the bank’s early AML cost guidance and changes to its dividend reinvestment plan (DRP), which gives shareholders the option to receive dividends in shares rather than cash. (Sharecafe)
Bendigo highlighted firmer margins, helped by an uptick in deposits and some relief on funding costs in certain segments. Lending growth, though, remained sluggish. The push-pull—improving margins but a shrinking balance sheet—leaves investors wary, despite what appears to be a solid capital position.
Bulls face a straightforward risk here. Should compliance costs exceed the bank’s target range, or if aggressive rivals drive up deposit costs, margins could flatten, putting pressure on earnings. A pronounced economic slowdown would pose another challenge, exposing credit quality that’s stayed benign so far across the sector.
Bendigo isn’t the only one feeling the pinch. Major banks sit on bigger funding bases and rake in more fee income. Smaller players, on the other hand, lean harder on sharp pricing just to keep the loans flowing—until a price war breaks out, and then things can get messy fast.
Now, eyes turn to Bendigo’s interim dividend schedule. Shares go ex-dividend Feb. 20, with payment landing March 31 — classic dates that usually attract some tactical yield plays. (Company Announcements)
