ANZ flagged by ASIC for continuous disclosure breach

The alleged breach involved a $2.5 billion institutional share placement undertaken by ANZ in 2015.

In 2015, ANZ issued a release to the ASX announcing a fully underwritten share purchase plan to raise $3 billion and then the next day released an announcement that it had raised $2.5 billion in new equity capital through the placement of shares.

ASIC alleges that ANZ contravened the Corporations Act by failing to notify the ASX that approximately $791 million of the $2.5 billion of ANZ shares offered in the placement were to be acquired by its underwriters rather than placed with investors.

ASIC is seeking a declaration that ANZ breached its continuous disclosure obligations and a pecuniary penalty order.

ANZ has released a statement stating that the shares in question represented less than 1 per cent of the shares on issue at the time and were taken up by the joint lead managers in circumstances where the book indicated the placement was covered at 103 per cent. 

ANZ chief risk officer Kevin Corbally said that ANZ was not aware of a precedent for a listed entity to disclose the take up of shares by underwriters in an equity placement. 

"ANZ's disclosure in relation to the placement was in accordance with its ASX disclosure obligations as well as market practice and we are defending the matter," he said.

Eliot Hastie

Eliot Hastie is a journalist at Momentum Media, writing primarily for its wealth and financial services platforms. 

Eliot joined the team in 2018 having previously written on Real Estate Business with Momentum Media as well.

Eliot graduated from the University of Westminster, UK with a Bachelor of Arts (Journalism).

You can email him on: [email protected]