☕️ Leak crackdown

Good morning.

ASIC’s out for blood on deal leaks, launching an insider trading unit after a year of – erm – market incidents.

As Capital Brief’s Jack Derwin reports, leaks on everything from capital raisings to takeovers have been piling up on ASIC's radar since November.

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Market movers

Sigma Healthcare extended its rally for a third straight day, once again leading the ASX 200 performance rankings.

The quick sync

• Oil prices jump as Joe Biden hints Israeli strikes on Iran’s oil infrastructure are being discussed, fuelling market fears. (Capital Brief)

• Guzman y Gomez shares were flagged by Goldman Sachs for a sell-off, citing a "stretched valuation”. (Capital Brief)

• Banks reclaim US$30b ($43.9b) in debt deals from private credit this year, leveraging rate cuts to claw back corporate debt deals from funds. (Bloomberg)

• Green hydrogen hype fades as costly projects, including Origin's, are cancelled. (Capital Brief)(Bloomberg)(AFR)

• Warner Bros stares down Australian content quotas as it prepares to launch Max, joining rivals like Netflix and Disney+ under local drama rules. (Capital Brief)

• Two-year-old startup Zitcha helps Coles cash in on media, with co-founder Troy Townsend eyeing a $180 billion global market. (Capital Brief)

• Cabinet papers went missing in Doha just before Labor blocked Qatar Airways' extra flights, adding a layer of intrigue to the saga. (Capital Brief)

Trading floor

M&A

• Origin Energy halts hydrogen projects, including Hunter Valley Hydrogen Hub, due to uncertainties and costs. (Capital Brief)

• HMC Capital, led by David Di Pilla, is acquiring Global Switch Australia for $2bn, anchoring a $1bn real estate listing planned for this year. (AFR)

• Rumors suggest Rio Tinto may soon pursue a major lithium acquisition, eyeing targets like Arcadium and Albemarle, based on discussions from a recent gold mining conference. (The Australian)

• Resimac acquires Westpac's auto loan portfolio to support growth, despite recent profit decline. (Capital Brief)

• Regis Resources investors are asking about dividends as the McPhillamys gold project faces delays. (The Australian)

• UniSuper has canceled its multimillion-dollar mandate with Tanarra Credit Partners, led by John Wylie, as it shifts its private credit strategy towards larger investments. (AFR)

• Woodside Energy is receiving multiple offers for its Driftwood LNG project, with EIG, partially owned by Saudi Aramco, as a potential buyer. (The Australian)

Capital Markets

• Attekus raised $5m to scale, expand offerings, and target new markets. (Capital Brief)

• Air Vanuatu has emerged from administration after courts approved an EY-led restructuring plan to transfer its shares to the government-owned AV3 Ltd, ending its liquidation. (AFR)

• OpenAI gains $4bn credit line, raising its valuation to $157bn after its $6.6bn equity round. (Capital Brief)

• MA Money is launching a $500m RMBS deal, a year after its record-setting securitisation, with NAB, HSBC, and Westpac as joint lead managers. (AFR)

• Morningstar raised Ingenia's valuation, citing rapid growth and a development pipeline that could double its land-lease portfolio in the next decade. (Capital Brief)

• Upscale Funds Management is raising $6.6m for its second Koala Farmland Fund, aimed at purchasing rural land for koala habitat offsets. (AFR)

• Water and Carbon Group raised $14.5m to expand in the U.S. and combat "forever chemicals" in wastewater. (BNA)

VC

• Cauldron Ferm is building a biomanufacturing plant in Queensland with government backing from the $415m Industry Partnership Program. (Startup Daily)

People moves

• Rest CIO Andrew Lill resigned after five years, with the fund now searching for a new CIO. (Capital Brief)

• E&P Financial hired a new healthcare research lead after Gretel Janu moved to Regal. (AFR)

• Chris Comino is now Head of Investor Relations at Folklore, focusing on limited partner engagement and supporting the company's growth. (LinkedIn)

• Simon Lee will retire from Emerald Resources' board and the mining industry at the next AGM. (Capital Brief)

The watercooler