ASIC Annual Report Details $830 Million in Civil Penalties and $580 Million in Consumer Refunds for 2025–26

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) secured court orders for $830 million in civil penalties and assisted in securing over $580 million in repayments and refunds for consumers and investors during the 2025–26 financial year, according to the regulator's latest annual report.

Over the reporting period, ASIC initiated 260 formal investigations, launched 32 civil proceedings against 65 defendants, and completed 1,012 surveillances. ASIC Chair Sarah Court stated that the agency's efforts were focused on addressing market misconduct and securing outcomes for investors and consumers.

According to the report, major enforcement actions and financial penalties included:

• Combined penalties of $250 million against ANZ related to misconduct in retail banking, institutional operations, and markets.
• A $300.2 million penalty ordered against Union Standard International Group Pty Ltd and two former corporate authorised representatives within the contracts for difference sector.
• Proceedings against 11 former executives and directors of The Star Entertainment Group Ltd.
• Enforcement actions connected to the Shield and First Guardian collapses, leading to 15 Federal Court proceedings against 30 defendants and approximately $421 million in repayments to around 4,000 consumers following court-enforceable undertakings with Macquarie and Netwealth.

ASIC also reported taking regulatory actions to protect consumers and financial systems. These measures included facilitating over $160 million in bank refunds for low-income customers and consumers in financial hardship, transitioning more than 810,000 customers to low-fee accounts, and removing upwards of 19,400 investment scam websites, phishing pages, and related social media advertisements.

Additionally, the regulator conducted an inquiry into ASX Group's governance, capability, and risk management, initiated actions against market participants with inadequate cybersecurity, and established clearer compliance expectations for private credit funds.

ASIC stated that it also modernized its internal operations by removing more than 9,000 pages of legacy web content, updating more than 280 form landing pages, and enabling email lodgement for over 97% of previously paper-only forms.

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