The ASX Daily Friday, 17 April 2026

Top StoriesWAF — West African Resources halted as Burkina Faso government moves to acquire additional 25% stake in Kiaka gold projectWest African Resources has entered a trading halt after the Burkina Faso government published a decree relating to the potential acquisition of an additional 25% stake in Kiaka SA — the subsidiary that owns WAF’s recently constructed Kiaka gold project. This is a major sovereign risk event that could significantly dilute WAF’s economic interest in its flagship asset at the worst possible moment, right as the mine was transitioning into production. The halt runs until at least Tuesday 21 April. Investors will be watching closely for the full terms of any forced dilution and what compensation, if any, WAF receives.IFL — Insignia Financial shares suspended as CC Capital Partners acquisition nears completionInsignia Financial has been suspended from ASX trading at the close of Friday 17 April, following Federal Court approval of the scheme of arrangement. Daintree BidCo — the CC Capital Partners vehicle — will now take full ownership of one of Australia’s largest wealth management platforms. This wraps up a drawn-out acquisition process that began well over a year ago. A reminder that some of the biggest ASX stories end not with a bang but a quiet suspension notice on a Friday afternoon.RXL — Rox Resources approves Final Investment Decision for Youanmi Gold Project, fully funded with A$350M debt facilityRox Resources has approved the Final Investment Decision for its Youanmi Gold Project in Western Australia, backed by a A$350 million debt facility from a syndicate of Australian and international banks — no equity dilution required to get this mine built. Construction approvals are in hand, underground development at United North is tracking on schedule with 1,013 metres of total advance completed, and the main pit is approximately 90% dewatered. First gold pour is targeted for mid-2027, marking Rox’s transformation from explorer to producer — a milestone that typically re-rates a stock significantly.PEN — Peninsula Energy files urgent court application over share sale disclosure failure, securities to be suspended from 21 AprilPeninsula Energy has filed an urgent application with the Supreme Court of Western Australia seeking to validate share sales made between 12 February and 7 April 2026 that may have breached disclosure obligations. A full trading suspension kicks in from 21 April, with a court hearing scheduled for 22 April. If the court doesn’t grant the orders, the consequences for those transactions could be significant. Shareholders are effectively locked out over the long weekend — this is one to watch very carefully next week.Mid-Tier MoversZIP — Zip Co delivered a record March quarter with cash EBTDA of $65.1 million — up 41.5% year-on-year — and upgraded full-year guidance to no less than $260 million, driven by US transaction volume growth of 43% in USD terms. Credit quality is holding firm with US net bad debts at 1.86% of TTV and expected to fall below 1.75% next quarter — the bears’ main concern continues to fade.ENN — Elanor Investors has completed a $125 million recapitalisation with Rockworth Capital Partners — $70M in senior secured notes and $55M in subordinated notes — fully repaying existing debt and seeking ASX approval to resume trading in ENN securities. The Firmus Capital acquisition in Singapore is also progressing, with the sunset date extended to 31 May 2026 pending regulatory approvals.PDN — Paladin Energy upgraded FY26 uranium production guidance by up to 9% at the midpoint — from 4.0–4.4 million pounds to 4.5–4.8 million pounds — on the back of better feed grades and strong recovery rates at Langer Heinrich. Capital expenditure guidance was also slashed from up to US$32M down to US$17M, meaning significantly more cash retained. A double positive for uranium investors.A1G — African Gold has received Supreme Court approval for both its Share Scheme and Option Scheme with Montage. Schemes become legally effective on 20 April, with shareholders receiving consideration on 29 April when scheme shares transfer and options are cancelled with compensation.PDI — Predictive Discovery has completed its merger with Robex Resources, issuing 2.17 billion new shares worth around A$2 billion to create a West African gold producer targeting over 400,000 ounces per year by 2029 from its Bankan and Kiniero projects. PDI will now trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange from Monday — dual-listed and with serious scale on the global gold stage.AEL — Amplitude Energy has signed a binding 20 petajoule gas supply agreement with AGL — 5 PJ per year over four years from its East Coast Supply Project, with supply targeted for H2 2028. Securing AGL as a foundation customer is a major commercial validation, though the deal remains conditional on the current drilling campaign confirming minimum reserve levels.SKS — SKS Technologies has expanded its Melbourne hyperscale data centre contract with Hickory from $130M to $210M after the facility grew from 90MW to 126MW capacity. Total work on hand now sits at $350 million — approximately 8x the June 2023 level — with FY26 guidance of $340M revenue and a 10% pre-tax margin reaffirmed. One of the quieter beneficiaries of the AI infrastructure boom.HUM — The Takeovers Panel has affirmed unacceptable circumstances in the Humm Group control battle between founder Andrew Abercrombie’s TAG vehicle at $0.58 per share and Credit Corp at $0.72–$0.77 per share. No orders have been made yet — Humm shareholders remain in limbo as to which bidder, if either, will ultimately prevail.Rapid Fire* NZK — New Zealand King Salmon more than doubled its FY26 EBITDA guidance to $19M–$27M after lower-than-expected summer fish mortality — a significant operational turnaround.* AKN — AuKing Mining is acquiring 100% of the Tundulu Rare Earths Project in Malawi — a 91.5 km² carbonatite complex with historic drill hits up to 41 metres at 3.7% TREO.* IAG — The ACCC has escalated IAG’s proposed acquisition of RAC Insurance to a Phase 2 review over competition concerns in Western Australia, adding up to 90 business days of uncertainty to the deal.* 5E — 5E Advanced Materials will delist from ASX on 28 May 2026, retaining its Nasdaq listing. CDI holders can sell on-market, convert to Nasdaq stock, or use the sale facility before the 26 May cutoff.* KSM — K2 Asset Management is closing its ASX-listed small cap ETF KSM after finding it unviable. Investors can sell before 15 May or wait for wind-up redemption proceeds expected by 15 June.* OCC — Orthocell completed the first Remplir nerve repair surgery in a US military hospital just two days after securing DoD and VA procurement approval — opening access to 221 hospitals across the defence and veterans network.* AAI — Alcoa posted Q1 2026 net income of $425 million on higher aluminium prices, ending the quarter with $1.4 billion cash and redeeming $219 million in senior notes.* QML — QMines has halted trading ahead of a strategic investment announcement to fast-track development of its Mt Chalmers copper-gold mine in Central Queensland. Details expected Tuesday.* SLM — Solis Minerals has halted ahead of an announcement about acquiring a lithium project in Brazil’s Minas Gerais state. Details due by Tuesday.* CPM — Cooper Metals has halted ahead of a dual acquisition and capital raising announcement — the combination suggests a meaningful strategic transaction being finalised over the long weekend.* NRW — NRW Holdings’ Fredon subsidiary has won five electrical and mechanical contracts worth approximately $160 million, including a ~$110 million Commonwealth infrastructure project in Northern Australia.* AI1 — Adisyn has halted trading ahead of a material update on its graphene deposition process — graphene is the company’s core technology focus. Details due Tuesday.ASX Daily Digest · Not financial advice · Price-sensitive announcements only This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thelisteddigest.substack.com