Overview
- Managing director and CEO Helen Lofthouse will leave in May, and ASX has begun a search for her successor.
- ASX now expects full‑year expenses to rise 20%–23%, up from prior guidance of 14%–19%, citing system outages, regulatory scrutiny and the corporate watchdog’s probe.
- Shares fell as much as 2.6% on Thursday after a 6.2% slide the prior session, undercutting gains in the broader market.
- For the half year to December 31, underlying NPAT rose to A$263.6 million as expenses climbed 20% to A$264.3 million; the fully franked interim dividend was cut 8.5% to 101.8 cents with a 75% payout ratio.
- ASIC’s governance and operational risk review is due to report by March 31, 2026, with inquiry costs expected near the top of A$25m–A$35m, as ASX contends with recent operational failures and plans the first phase of its reset CHESS rollout in April.