There's rarely a boring moment on the Aussie bourse, and this week has been no different. Huge announcements from many of the market's favourite ASX shares have been making news over the last few days.
We've had major news of takeovers, cyberattacks, guidance upgrades, lithium prices, and a whopping $100 million fine.
So, without further ado, these are the ASX announcements you need to know about today.
These ASX shares released major announcements this week
Westpac eyes Tyro Payments
Let's start with the announcement from big four bank Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) and tech share Tyro Payments Ltd (ASX: TYR).
The pair revealed they're in takeover talks on Tuesday after plenty of speculation the fintech could be an acquisition target.
As of today, there's been no word how much might be on the table for the ASX favourite, or whether a deal will go ahead.
Star slapped with $100 million fine
Speaking of a potentially hefty sum, the Star Entertainment Group Ltd (ASX: SGR) responded to the New South Wales Independent Casino Commission (NICC)'s decision to fine the casino operator $100 million and suspend its gaming licence on Monday.
NICC chief commissioner Philip Crawford said earlier that day:
If it were not for The Star's change in attitude and our belief that it is in the public interest to protect the thousands of jobs at risk, there might have been a different outcome.
Medibank's unfurling cyber attack
It was a rough week for Medibank Private Ltd (ASX: MPL) shares. They've been in and out of the freezer as the company continually updated the market on a "cyber incident" that became an attack.
The company initially gave assurances no customer data appeared to have been taken.
However, come Thursday, it announced to the ASX it was being held to ransom by hackers. The criminals were threatening to release 200 gigabytes of its customers' data, including certain medical information.
Origin reveals guidance
Origin Energy Ltd (ASX: ORG) shares have also been in the news after the company finally announced financial year 2023 guidance for its energy markets business.
It expects the segment to bring in between $500 million and $650 million of EBITDA this fiscal year.
The company previously withdrew its outlook due to "material developments in… energy markets".
Pilbara Minerals' lithium auction
The final ASX announcement to detail today came from lithium share Pilbara Minerals Ltd (ASX: PLS).
The company accepted a pre-auction offer of US$7,100 dry metric tonnes for its latest shipment of spodumene concentrate. Therefore, the shipment has a total value of more than US$35 million.
