Business briefing — October 27, 2026.

ASIC Finds Most Australian Liquidations Pay No Dividend to Unsecured Creditors

ASIC’s review of 26,664 Australian liquidation appointments from July 2021 to June 2025 found that about half of finalised cases realised no more than A$10,000 in gross assets, and about one-quarter realised none. Ordinary unsecured creditors received no dividend in 88.1% of finalised liquidations. The regulator also reported only eight uses of simplified liquidation in 2024–25 and urged directors to seek advice early when financial difficulties arise.

Why it matters For unsecured creditors, a valid claim may have little practical recovery value when the estate cannot even fully fund the liquidation process; practitioners also frequently go unpaid in part.

What to watch next Why simplified liquidation reaches so few companies remains unresolved; the review does not establish the cause of low uptake.

BaFin Cuts flatexDEGIRO Group’s Extra Capital Requirement to 1.5%

Germany’s BaFin removed a capital surcharge on flatexDEGIRO Bank and reduced the group’s Pillar 2 Requirement by 100 basis points, to 1.50% from 2.50%, the company said. The measure follows supervisory action after a 2022 special audit; the requirement had been 4.25% before December 2024. flatexDEGIRO has separately sought BaFin consent for a share buyback of up to €100 million, which remains subject to approval.

What changed The group requirement is being reduced from 2.50% to 1.50%, extending earlier reductions from 2.75% in December 2024.

Why it matters The lower capital floor gives management more scope to allocate capital, but shareholders should not confuse that flexibility with authorization to distribute it through the proposed buyback.

What to watch next BaFin’s consent to the proposed buyback remains outstanding; capital relief does not itself resolve that application.

ASIC Draft Sets Out How AFCA Will Refer Scam Complaints to Regulators

ASIC proposed an update to its guidance for overseeing the Australian Financial Complaints Authority, including how scam disputes involving banks, telecoms firms and digital platforms should be referred. Under the draft, bank-related reports go to ASIC and the ACCC, telecom matters to ACMA and the ACCC, and digital-platform matters to the ACCC alone. Feedback is due by November 24, and ASIC plans to publish the final guide by March 31, 2027, when the expanded scam framework is due to start.

What changed The draft would make the usual 15-day reporting window adjustable by agreement, while continuing to require prompt reporting where conduct suggests ongoing harm.

Why it matters Telecom and digital-platform firms will enter a complaints framework originally built for finance, but scam oversight will remain divided by sector rather than concentrated at ASIC.

What to watch next Feedback closes on November 24. ASIC plans final guidance by March 31, 2027, but says the draft may change again once AFCA’s scam rules are final.

Brent Falls for a Second Session as Tehran Talks Raise Hopes of De-escalation

Brent traded at $114.68 a barrel in early Asian trade on October 27, down 0.98%, after settling at $115.81 the previous day. The report linked the decline to a meeting in Tehran among senior Saudi, Turkish, Pakistani and Iranian officials, who agreed to continue talks, according to Iranian state media. Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia were still reported, and the Federal Reserve’s policy decision and US inflation data were due later in the week.

What changed Brent fell from Monday’s $115.81 settlement to $114.68 in early Asian trading on October 27; this is an intraday comparison, not a second completed daily close.

Why it matters US policymakers have a smaller emergency oil buffer available against a supply shock, so the diplomatic price relief does not remove the practical constraint on cushioning disruption.

What to watch next The Fed decision is scheduled for October 28, followed by September PCE inflation and third-quarter GDP on October 29.

Sandisk Shares Rise Ahead of Earnings as Memory Stocks Rally in Asia

Sandisk closed Monday at $1,255.58, up 1.42%, as semiconductor and memory shares advanced; the report said there was no Sandisk-specific news behind the move. SK hynix and Samsung Electronics also rose in Seoul on Tuesday, with coverage tying the broader AI trade’s renewed interest to Anthropic’s IPO filing. Sandisk’s fiscal first-quarter results were scheduled for October 29, with company guidance of $10.3 billion to $10.8 billion in revenue and non-GAAP EPS of $44 to $46.

What changed According to the cited Bank of America analyst, memory customers’ supply agreements now last three to five years, compared with a year or less previously.

Why it matters For Sandisk shareholders, delivering within company guidance may still fall short of some published expectations: two cited EPS consensus estimates exceed the $46 upper bound.

What to watch next Sandisk reports after the close on October 29, providing a scheduled check against its $10.3–$10.8 billion revenue and $44–$46 non-GAAP EPS guidance.