Challenger Limited (CGF) Q2 2026 Earnings Call

Investor webinar replay

Replay transcript excerpt

Good morning, everybody, and a warm welcome to those in person and online to Challenges 2026 Half Year Results Briefing. I'm Mark Chen, Challenges General Manager of Investor Relations. We're pleased to come to you today from Five Miner Place in Sydney. Before we begin, I would like to acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Inora Nation. the traditional custodians of the land on which we are hosting this event today and pay my respects to both Elders past and present. Today's presentation will be delivered by our Chief Executive Officer Nick Hamilton and Chief Financial Officer Alex Bell. It will then be followed by a Q&A session. You can ask a question either in person, via the online portal or through the telephone. As you'll see from today's presentation, we've made a great start to 2026. That demonstrates both the resilience of our earnings and the progress we're making in positioning Challenger for the next phase of growth. In the half, we've delivered earnings growth and returns above target alongside book growth driven by rising demand for income and financial security as retirement income tailwinds continue to strengthen. This performance is underpinned by a disciplined capital management and a very strong balance sheet. Our capital position remains a clear differentiator, providing flexibility to support growth and deliver shareholder returns, as reflected in increased dividend and on-market buyback we have announced today. Overall, this is a result that shows that Challenger is in great shape. It's delivering consistency through the cycle, and it is strongly capitalised and strongly positioned to capture the growth opportunity ahead. I'll now pass to Nick to take you through the results. Thank you Mark and thank you everyone for joining us. So this year mark...