The Full Federal Court has dismissed ASIC’s appeal against Finder Wallet, confirming that its crypto-yield product, Finder Earn, didn’t require an AFSL. ASIC argued the product was a debenture, as users deposited AUD, which Finder converted to stablecoins and used, in return for 4.01%–6.01% compounding returns. But the Court found no enforceable promise to repay or obligation that met the test for a debenture. ASIC’s loss underscores the regulatory grey zone surrounding crypto-financial products. It’s reviewing the decision, while Finder called it a win for “innovation outpacing regulation”: Capital Brief

From 11 August 2025, the ASX will require all listed entities to publicly disclose waiver decisions (including the nature, effect and reasons) within one business day of being granted. This new blanket rule replaces the current case-by-case approach and will often require a standalone announcement. If your waiver relates to a confidential deal, ASX will usually let you time disclosure with the proposal’s release. Draft announcements must now be included in waiver applications: ASX

In a warning shot to Big Tech, ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said competition in financial services now hinges on fair access to digital infrastructure, with Apple and Google’s dominance over app stores and mobile operating systems posing a serious threat. She backed a new digital competition regime, citing the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which imposes strict rules on "gatekeepers", and the Epic v Apple ruling that now lets developers bypass Apple’s in-app payment fees. Her message: if digital gatekeepers go unchecked, innovation and consumer choice will suffer: ACCC

Piyush Bohara, a former senior associate, is suing Piper Alderman, claiming she was unfairly dismissed and that the firm breached WHS duties. The case names litigation partner Martin del Gallego and HR boss Dani Guest. The firm calls it a redundancy, denies all wrongdoing, and says the whole case may be out of time. Stay tuned: Lawyerly

NSW Chief Justice Andrew Bell has warned judicial workloads are “neither personally nor institutionally sustainable”, with mounting pressures driving judges to early retirement. “It’s critical that judges themselves are not constantly exhausted,” he said, especially when handling child abuse or sexual assault matters. Add in poor resourcing and court closures, and the system's under real strain: The Australian

Global law firm Freshfields is paying its junior lawyers to study an LLM in Law & Tech at King’s College London, covering how AI will reshape legal services. They’ll get a £20k stipend, mentoring from Freshfields’ Innovation team, and exposure to Gemini AI and Vertex. It’s a strategic play to future-proof its talent, and it’s not a bad strategy: Artificial Lawyer

In its final solo year, HSF posted record profits, with revenue up 4% to £1.36bn (A$2.79bn) and profit per equity partner up 8.6% to £1.4m (A$2.87m). That’s 12 years of growth before its $2.7bn merger with Kramer Levin. It’s also lifted London’s newly qualified lawyer pay to £145k (A$297k). Big numbers, bigger ambitions for the newly minted HSF Kramer: Legal Cheek

Five Aussie women can now sue Qatar Airways over a 2020 incident where they were forcibly removed from a Sydney-bound flight in Doha and subjected to invasive physical exams without consent. The women allege assault, battery, false imprisonment and negligence. Justice Angus Stewart ruled that the previous judge made a mistake in throwing out the case too early. He said it’s not clear-cut that the invasive exams didn’t happen during the process of disembarking the plane; that question should be decided at trial: Guardian

How’d you like to be paid millions after being terminated? Well, become a CEO and you can. Though termination payments for ASX 100 CEOs plunged to $8.4m in FY24, down from $33.5m the year prior, per ACSI’s annual CEO pay report. The drop continues a long-term trend post-GFC, after changes to the Corporations Act curbed excessive exit payouts. The days of the $30m golden handshake might finally be behind us, but $8m is not nothing to scoff at: ACSI

Labor wants to make ASIO’s questioning powers permanent and expand their reach to sabotage, communal violence and border threats. But the Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay warns the powers are “extraordinary” and were never meant to last. The Greens are fuming over a stitched-up inquiry, warning the changes could target protesters, critics and whistleblowers under the guise of national security: The Guardian

CoStar’s: $3bn buyout of Domain just got the all-clear from FIRB, subject to conditions the US giant is happy with. The $4.43/share offer heads to a shareholder vote on 4 August, with Nine (60%) backing it. CoStar already owns 16.9% and plans to install ex-Domain CEO Jason Pellegrino to run the Aussie ops: Capital Brief

FleetPartners: is down nearly 10% after a vague FY25 “transition year” update, wiping its 2024 gains and trimming its value to $634m. Now there’s fresh chatter that TPG or KKR could circle back after walking away earlier this month. UBS is advising. Pacific Equity Partners and BGH Capital are sitting this one out, for now: The Australian

Ontario Teachers: has kicked off a sale of its 60% stake in the Sydney Desalination Plant, a highly regulated asset supplying up to 15% of Sydney’s drinking water. Bidders get a model, IM, and regulatory DD, with Allens running point on legal DD. Price tag? Over $2.5bn: AFR

BP has scrapped its stake in the Pilbara’s mega green hydrogen project, walking away from the $54bn AREH venture as it pivots back to oil and gas. The exit follows similar hydrogen retreats from Fortescue, Origin, and Woodside, piling pressure on Australia’s clean energy export dreams. BP says the project just doesn’t fit its new “disciplined” strategy: AFR

The IEA reckons global coal use will hover near 2024’s all-time high of 8.8bn tonnes, despite softer demand from China, India and Europe. US consumption is actually up, thanks to pricier gas. While production is set to hit a record in 2025, global coal trade volumes are tipped to fall for two straight years - a first this century: Mining Weekly

Macquarie’s first-ever strike on exec pay has sparked crisis talks with major investors, after 25% voted down the bonus plan. The backlash follows regulatory scandals, speculation over Shemara’s future, and a surprise CFO exit. Chair Glenn Stevens conceded the board had “not adequately reflected” risk issues in pay, and promised change. A second strike next year could trigger a board spill: AFR

CBA’s teaming up with the RBA, ASX, J.P. Morgan and Deutsche Börse to trial blockchain in the $350bn Aussie repo market. Project Acacia will test tokenised assets and digital collateral to boost liquidity, cut risk and streamline settlements. J.P. Morgan’s Kinexys platform and CBA’s Digital Assets Platform will power the pilot: Finextra

Crown Resorts is being sued for $55m by liquidators of collapsed fund iProsperity, claiming the casino let iProsperity’s Michael Gu blow company money at the tables. The case alleges Crown knew or should’ve known the money was misused company funds. It's a fresh hit for Crown, already fined $450m over past AML failures, and now owned by Blackstone: The Australian

Brookfield's picked up ESR’s final 19.9% holding in Cromwell Property Group for $200m, taking its ownership to just under 20%. ESR's exit follows its own buyout by Starwood and a long-running strategic review. Brookfield’s move adds to a busy run, after flipping Aveo for $3.85bn and growing its Aussie office footprint: AFR

OpenAI just dropped ChatGPT Agent — a step closer to replacing our jobs. The tool gives pro users the power to automate multi-step tasks like reports, bookings or gift shopping. It combines browsing, summarising, and app access (like Gmail) into a single tool. OpenAI’s Sam Altman warned it’s experimental and comes with “potential risks” like rogue clicks, privacy risks and oversharing with your boss.

Looking for a VC boost for your startup? Well, LaunchVic's dropping $3.75m into Victoria’s startup scene, backing seven new VC funds with $2.1m and helping four unis run pre-accelerators for 90k students. Aussie Founders Club also scored $200k for startup events. The VCs, including Scale, Tidal and Boson, are tipped to raise $275m+ in early-stage capital. All unveiled at the 2025 Victorian Startup Gala: Capital Brief