The complex [Ni(pydc)(pydm)]·H2O, pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylato-2,6-bis(hydroxymethyl)pyridine-nickel(ii) monohydrate, possesses a sizable magnetic anisotropy, D/hc = −14 cm−1. It displays superparamagnetic behavior in an applied external field that culminates at BDC = 0.2 T.