ASIC secures $480m of penalty orders in first half of 2026
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The news: Corporate regulator ASIC has secured $480 million in civil penalties in the first half of 2026 including against Union Standard and HSBC, among others.
The numbers: Total penalty orders for the financial year exceeded $800 million as previously reported by Capital Brief, totalling $830 million in civil penalties imposed by courts in FY26.
ASIC said its enforcement and regulatory figures also indicate that $643.5 million is being paid back. This is due to $61 million in the second half of the financial year on top of the $583 million announced between June and December 2025.
Between July 2025 and June 2026, ASIC launched more than 250 investigations. There were 25 criminal convictions, 32 new civil proceedings and 18 new criminal prosecutions commenced.
The context: Major penalties during the period include a $300 million order against Union Standard International Group for serious contracts for difference misconduct and failures affecting retail investors.
HSBC Bank Australia was also ordered to pay a $35 million penalty after admitting scam protection failures, Macquarie Securities was ordered to pay $35 million for systematic failures resulting in misreporting of millions of short sales and Westpac was ordered to pay $26 million for widespread failures in responding to customer hardship requests.
What they said: “Our enforcement work is focused on misconduct that causes real harm and we are delivering results, forcing change, strengthening accountability, and returning money to consumers and investors,” ASIC chair Sarah Court said.
“We are pursuing cases that expose serious failures in systems, governance and conduct, from scams and hardship failures to market infrastructure, superannuation, private credit, financial reporting, and digital assets.”
The source: ASIC media release
