Sydney, June 25, 2026, 07:05 AEST
- ASX Ltd ended up 0.08% at A$51.28 with 1.87 million shares traded.
- Federal Court set July 1 to review a proposed A$20.5 million civil penalty.
- ASX is guiding for FY27 expenses to jump 18% to 21%. The company is also planning capital expenditure between A$180 million and A$200 million.
ASX Limited shares were set to resume trading Thursday, after ending almost unchanged in busy trade. The market is watching a July 1 Federal Court hearing on ASX’s settlement with Australia’s corporate regulator.
The stock closed at A$51.28 on Wednesday, gaining 4 cents. Nearly 1.87 million shares changed hands, close to triple its 12-month daily average of 652,564. The S&P/ASX 200 advanced 0.24%.
Cash trading was yet to get underway at the dateline time. The opening auction is set to start around 9:59:45 a.m. Sydney time. ASX lists June 25 as a standard trading day in its 2026 calendar.
ASX admitted its February 2022 claim that the CHESS replacement was “progressing well” wasn’t accurate. The CHESS system clears and settles Australian share trades and keeps records of holdings. ASX and ASIC are pushing for ASX to pay a A$20.5 million penalty plus A$3 million covering ASIC’s costs. A court hearing is set for 10:15 a.m. July 1. ASIC
ASIC Chair Sarah Court said “accurate and timely disclosures are fundamental” for firms running core market infrastructure.
ASX Chair David Clarke said, “Our words matter. I am sorry ASX fell short.” The company plans to book the proposed penalty and legal-cost contribution as significant items in fiscal 2026.
The updated CHESS system’s first phase went live in April, now running clearing. ASX expects the full replacement by 2029. “The deeper structural questions will persist,” said Kai Chen, director at MPC Markets, until ASX shows it can make reforms happen. Reuters
ASX is warning it sees cost pressure sticking around. The exchange said it expects FY27 operating expenses up 18%-21%. Capex is set for A$180 million-A$200 million in FY27, then A$170 million-A$190 million in FY28. Shares dropped 13.2% on May 26 after the outlook, marking their worst day since April 2000.
But the settlement is not final yet and needs court approval. Spending more may also not solve reliability issues right away. Another outage or cost blowout could hit the stock again. Greg Smith at Generate KiwiSaver said the market is still “scarred from the original CHESS failure.” Reuters
Anthony Attia will take over as CEO on September 1, coming from Euronext. Darren Yip stays on as interim CEO until the handover is done.
ASX taps London Stock Exchange Group for ASX 24 tech upgrade, fiscal 2026 results due August 13
ASX said it chose London Stock Exchange Group to provide technology for the coming upgrade of its ASX 24 derivatives trading platform, aiming for the first half of 2028. The company plans to announce its fiscal 2026 results on August 13.
