ASIC Enforcement Drives $830M in FY26 Penalties
Synopsis
Australia's corporate regulator has secured $480 million in civil penalties in the first half of 2026, contributing to a record $830 million in court-imposed penalties for the financial year.
ASIC fined $830 million in court-ordered civil penalties for 2025-26 - its highest ever annual figure, the regulator reported, since it began its annual penalty data.
Of the total, more than $480 million was recouped during the first half of 2026 in a number of Federal Court actions brought against banks, finance and listed companies. The number was significantly higher than previous years of enforcement activity.
ASIC’s recovered civil penalties in the latter half of 2025 amounted to $349.8 million, and its FY2022 annual total for civil penalties was $229.9 million.
The new annual total is comparable to the $887.2 million in civil penalties secured over the past decade.
Major Court Cases Lift Annual Total
The largest single penalty of $300.2 million was imposed on contract-for-difference (CFD) provider Union Standard International Group, for pervasive failures in policies around retail client failures.
Other substantial fines included a $250 million penalty imposed on ANZ for a range of Federal Court orders covering several misconduct cases.
It was followed by $33.5 million for Snaffle in failing to adhere to consumer credit pricing laws, $26 million for Westpac in failing to adhere to hardship application deadlines, $20.5 million for ASX for misleading representations made about its CHESS replacement project, and a $10 million penalty against Binance Australia Derivatives for inappropriately categorising retail clients.
ASIC’s enforcement efforts remain focused on misconduct affecting consumers, market integrity and good company governance, the regulator stated.
Alongside the penalties, ASIC observed an uptick in legal proceedings for the year, including new civil and criminal prosecutions, adding it continued to escalate investigations into major corporate wrongdoing through increased court activity in the year.
Source: Reuters
Pooja Malik is a business journalist with over six years of experience covering startups, entrepreneurship, and emerging trends. She has previously worked with leading media platforms such as YourStory Media and BW BusinessWorld, where she reported on business, policy, and market developments. Currently, she serves as Editor at The Inspirepreneur Magazine, where she writes and edits stories across business, lifestyle, and travel, with a focus on clarity, accuracy, and reader relevance.
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