Bridget Carter

Personal lending group Now Fin­ance has engaged Goldman Sachs to test buyer appetite for the business after delivering strong growth that has seen its loan book surge to $2bn from $400m five years ago.

Global department stores may be betting big on brand expansion, but for Australian retailer David Jones the focus is decidedly more balance sheet than shop floor.

HSBC has fired the starting gun once again on a sale process for its Australian business, and this time, the bank is believed to be taking a different approach.

Morgan Stanley Australia more than doubled its profit since last year, as the Wall Street giant led several landmark deals including the largest IPO to list on the ASX in 2025.

Surging coal prices driven by Middle East tensions have sparked a scramble for Australian coal assets, with Queensland producer Vitrinite attracting at least three serious bids and multiple other operations hitting the market as buyers race to secure exposure to the rallying commodity.

Healius shares are trading at 48c, giving the embattled pathology group a market value of just $363m as a potential bidder circling the business waits for govern­ment funding announcements as part of the federal budget next week.

Fresh revelations have emerged about Dexus and its infrastructure unit, with sources saying the $5bn-plus asset manager has fielded approaches from at least one party keen to buy the division.

Blackstone has tapped Morgan Stanley to advise on its bid for HSBC’s $26bn Australian mortgage book, according to a source.

Amwins and Dragoneer Investment have lobbed a $6 a share bid for insuer Steadfast.

The race for Sanjeev Gupta’s Tahmoor coal mine is entering its final stretch, with final bids due any day from a small group of suitors that have held their nerve through a bruising period for coking coal prices.