Oceania Reg Desk

Friday, 2026-08-07 · covering since Wednesday's edition (5–7 Aug 2026; Thursday's edition did not run)

Australia

ASIC proposes loosening pre-IPO advertising and publicity rules (CP 390). Published 4 August, the consultation proposes extending ASIC's existing relief from Corporations Act pre-lodgement advertising restrictions so companies can publicise a planned float earlier and more freely, provided the issuer and vendor are identified, investors are pointed to the disclosure document as the authoritative source, and a prospectus is available by listing. ASIC frames it as aligning Australia with comparable offshore regimes and with domestic crowd-sourced-funding/PDS advertising rules; feedback closes 11 September 2026. It would give issuers and sponsors more room to gauge investor interest ahead of an ASX listing. ASIC media release 26-178MR

No update in this window on the ASX scrip-funded M&A shareholder-approval consultation, ASIC's pre-hedging guidance consultation CP 389, CHESS Release 2 (Drop 2/Drop 4 documentation issued 6 July remains the latest milestone), or RBA clearing/settlement oversight.

New Zealand

James Miller appointed FMA chair. Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Cameron Brewer named Miller — a former NZX chair and inaugural FMA director — to a five-year term starting 6 August, succeeding Craig Stobo, who resigned earlier this year; Trevor Janes, NZ RegCo's inaugural chair, joins the FMA board for two years. The appointment lands as the FMA (now the sole conduct regulator after absorbing consumer-credit oversight) faces a workplace-culture review, and puts a market-structure-focused former exchange chair atop the body that oversees NZX. Beehive.govt.nz release

No material new NZX items in this window; the MBIE capital-markets-reform consultation (closes 25 August) is unchanged.

Informational only — summaries of public regulatory sources; not advice.