ASX made 20 ASIC referrals in last nine months

The news: The ASX made 20 referrals to the corporate regulator for suspected significant contraventions of the Corporations Act or of ASX’s operating rules during the nine months to 31 March 2026.

The context: The ASX has released its first supervision report, which said the referrals included a range of issues such as suspected insider trading, suspected continuous disclosure contraventions, suspected misleading or deceptive conduct, suspected directors’ duties contraventions and suspected false or misleading statements to a market operator.

The bourse operator also highlighted a number of planned reviews relating to:

• Post-admissions disclosures review for listed entities providing exposure to private credit
• Targeted review of shareholder approval rules for placement capacity and around transactions with a person in a position of influence
• Simultaneous disclosure by foreign exempt entities review to be undertaken in FY27
• Backward-looking review for listed entities with repeat non-compliance with listing rules
• Investigative study of biotechnology disclosures including the handling or clinical or trial data held by third parties.

More broadly, the ASX said key supervisory focus areas for FY27 will be with regards to continuous disclosure obligations and additional reporting requirements for resource companies.