The S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries Index closed marginally lower yesterday, dipping 2.70 points or 0.08% to finish at 3,378.60. Despite the slight decline, the index has gained 67.40 points or 2.04% over the past five sessions.
Today is the final day of the Noosa Mining Conference. It’s been a full house at the conference since Wednesday, as investors immerse themselves in the work done by ASX-listed energy and resources companies. That hasn’t stopped the news flow, and we'll report on the following throughout the day.
Welcome to Five at Five, your daily whip-round of the top market movers and headline-makers. From surging shares and bold outlooks to companies navigating bumps in the road, here’s what you need to know before the market calls it a day.
1. Reckitt Benckiser: Investors cheered as Reckitt’s upgraded outlook and cost cuts sparked a swift 9% share rally. Read more
Blockmate Ventures Inc (TSX-V:MATE, OTCQB:MATEF) has launched a Bitcoin treasury division and completed its first purchase of the cryptocurrency, aligning its corporate strategy with a long-term view on Bitcoin’s value.
The move comes alongside the company’s mine-and-hold strategy through its wholly owned subsidiary, Blockmate Mining, which aims to accumulate Bitcoin as mining operations expand.
Synchronoss Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:SNCR) announced that it has received a tax refund of $30.2 million under the 2020 CARES Act.
The provider of personal Cloud solutions said that the Internal Revenue Service confirmed the total refund amount will be $33.9 million, including $5.9 million in interest.
Candel Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:CADL) announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted Orphan Designation to its investigational immunotherapy CAN-2409 for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
The designation adds to CAN-2409’s existing Orphan Drug Designation and Fast Track Designation from the US Food and Drug Administration for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
American Resources Corp (NASDAQ:AREC) said its rare earth and critical mineral refining subsidiary, ReElement Technologies, has added several new hires.
The company named David Appy as principal research scientist, Alexis Thomas as a materials lab technician, and Rhett Rezendes as a government affairs intern. The hires are part of ReElement's effort to scale operations and strengthen research, development, and policy engagement capabilities.
Bango PLC (AIM:BGO, OTCQX:BGOPF)shares rose 5% after the digital payments and subscription specialist posted a solid first-half update, with revenue up 5% to $25.2 million.
The group’s Digital Vending Machine (DVM), which lets telecom operators offer bundled web and media subscriptions like Netflix and Disney+, saw recurring revenue jump 21% to $15.6 million, fuelled by strong growth in active subscriptions, which doubled to 19.2 million over the year.
HIVE Digital Technologies (TSX-V:HIVE, NASDAQ:HIVE) said it has surpassed 13 exahash per second (EH/s) in global Bitcoin mining capacity as it scales up operations at its hydro-cooled mining facility in Yguazú, Paraguay.
The milestone comes as over 2 EH/s of Bitmain’s next-generation S21+ Hydro ASIC miners went online in Phase 2 of the project.
Nextech3D.AI (CSE:NTAR, OTCQX:NEXCF) has announced an expansion of its event technology platform MapD into an AI Event Technology Suite.
The company has migrated MapD to Amazon Web Services (AWS) and launched a new mobile app with advanced features, including AI matchmaking, augmented reality navigation, and cryptocurrency payments, it said on Thursday.
Bango PLC (AIM:BGO, OTCQX:BGOPF) has confirmed a 5% increase in revenue in the first half of 2025, rising to $25.2 million.
In the six months to 30 June, Digital Vending Machine (DVM), a B2B product which allows partnered telcos to resell to their customers webservices and media subscriptions like Netflix and Disney+ from central hubs, and one-off revenues rose by 15% to $8.9 million.
Global revenue for the entertainment and media sector is expected to reach $3.5 trillion by 2029, according to PwC’s latest Global Entertainment & Media Outlook.
The report highlights a 3.7% compound annual growth rate, driven by increasing adoption of artificial intelligence in advertising, as well as ongoing contributions from live events and other non-digital areas.
Genflow Biosciences PLC (LSE:GENF, OTCQB:GENFF) has reported progress across its two main research programmes, as the company moves closer to starting human trials for its gene therapies aimed at tackling age-related conditions.
The London-listed group said it is continuing to prepare GF-1002, its lead candidate, for clinical trial authorisation in Europe.
European Lithium Ltd (ASX:EUR, OTCQB:EULIF) has raised another US$1.8 million (A$2.7 million) through the sale of 500,000 shares in Critical Metals Corp (Nasdaq: CRML) to a US institutional investor, after a similar deal in June raised US$5 million (A$7.8 million). The latest off-market transaction was completed at a price of US$3.60 per share, representing a 10% discount on CRML’s closing price of US$4.03 on July 22, 2025.
The proceeds from both sales are part of European Lithium’s strategy to capitalise on its substantial holding in Critical Metals while furthering its own project development and exploration initiatives.
In a sector where the right drug emerging at the right time can yield billions, Prescient Therapeutics Ltd (ASX:PTX, OTC:PSTTF) is working to become a success story, as its advanced T-Cell Lymphoma (TCL) drug, PTX-100, moves into Phase 2 clinical trials — where the most significant value inflection typically occurs in biotech.
According to Prescient, PTX-100 is showing promise in treating a brutal cancer with limited options, including a 64% reduction or halt in tumour growth in early-stage trials.
FireFly Metals Ltd (ASX:FFM, TSX:FFM, OTC:MNXMF) has identified numerous compelling drill-ready targets at its Green Bay Copper-Gold Project in Newfoundland, Canada, after an extensive geophysical survey revealed 325 conductive anomalies resembling known copper-gold mineralisation in the area, including the highly productive Ming, Rambler Main, and East Mines.
The airborne electromagnetic (EM) and magnetic surveys — the first modern geophysical campaign conducted at Green Bay — alongside ground-based follow-up work have uncovered anomalies that share key geological characteristics with the rich deposits at Green Bay, including similar orientations, conductive responses, and geological settings, the company reported.
Solis Minerals Ltd (ASX:SLM, TSX-V:SLMN, OTCQB:SLMFF) has appointed Rachel Kogiopoulos as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), strengthening its executive team with a seasoned financial leader in the mining and minerals processing industry.
Kogiopoulos brings more than 25 years of experience to the role, having held senior finance positions across mineral exploration and development companies. Her expertise spans strategic leadership, business planning and complex finance transformation initiatives.
American Rare Earths Ltd (ASX:ARR, OTCQB:ARRNF) has secured firm commitments for a A$15 million institutional placement to advance the Halleck Creek Rare Earths Project in Wyoming, United States — one of the largest rare earth deposits in the country. The placement, priced at A$0.32 per share, received strong backing from both existing shareholders and new institutional investors.
Funds will be used to accelerate development of a demonstration plant, in-fill drilling and engineering works, as ARR aims to position itself as a major domestic supplier to the US magnet industry.