The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) said today (Wednesday) that 22 large proprietary companies paid A$4.36 million (about US$3.0 million) in infringement notices. Each paid A$198,000 for allegedly failing to lodge its audited 2025 financial report on time.
Payment of an infringement notice is not an admission of guilt or liability, ASIC said. The notices come from a data-led surveillance of late filers that began in August 2025 and has so far produced 70 paid notices worth more than A$13.7 million.
All 22 have paid, which is not the case for most court penalties. Fines and penalties owed to the Commonwealth reached A$419.5 million at June 30, and ASIC expected to collect a net A$28.0 million of it, FM Intelligence's review of its accounts shows.
London's trading industry is coming home!
Four in Five Had Not Filed
The campaign has grown quickly. ASIC contacted 234 companies this year after 217 in the second half of 2025, and 193 of this year's group, or 82%, allegedly had not lodged their 2025 reports. Since then, 147 have filed at least one of them.
When three Mainfreight companies paid A$594,000 earlier this year, the running count stood at 27 notices worth more than A$5 million. Today's 22 notices account for nearly a third of the A$13.7 million collected since August 2025, by FinanceMagnates.com's calculation.
The sums are small against ASIC's court results. The regulator secured a record A$830 million in civil penalties in 2025-26, with CFD cases making up about 37%.
Australian regulators have logged 156 enforcement updates so far this year in FM Intelligence's fines and warnings tracker, as of November 3.
Three Finance Firms Among the 22
The list runs from footwear and jewelry retailers to builders, property developers and a champagne and spirits distributor. The names include Pernod Ricard Pacific Holding, Ingram Micro Holdings (Australia), Menzies Aviation Holdings (Australia) and Prouds Jewellers.
Three work in finance. Bizcap AU is a non-bank lender, Think Tank Group provides commercial and residential property finance, and ASIC described Belgravia Group as active in leisure, clothing sales and financial services.
Commissioner Kate O'Rourke put the duty on the board. "Directors are accountable for ensuring their company meets its financial reporting obligations," she said.
Companies gave ASIC three main reasons for the delays: audit problems, administrative oversight and a lack of resources. Some said they had not known about the obligation until the regulator contacted them.
The rule applies to proprietary companies that meet two of three tests: consolidated revenue of A$50 million, consolidated gross assets of A$25 million or 100 employees. They generally have four months after the end of the financial year to lodge.
For a retail derivatives provider, one late filing would cost more than its annual ASIC levy. The regulator set its estimated 2025-26 levy for retail OTC derivatives issuers at A$128,388 per entity, about two-thirds of a single notice.
ASIC is still investigating companies that paid but have not yet filed. O'Rourke said the surveillance would continue into 2027, and the regulator has separately won more than A$1.1 million in court fines against three public companies that failed to lodge.
This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.
Source: Finance Magnates
