PRE-MARKET AUSTRALIAN, JAPANESE & SOUTH KOREAN STOCKS NEWS: Ingenia Communities (INA AT) rejected a Warburg Pincus takeover proposal worth AUD 4.75/shr in cash

AUSTRALIA BHP Group (BHP AT) - Co.’s statement did little to quell political concerns over market speculation involving Beijing’s interest in its WA Iron Ore unit. (The Australian) BetMakers Technology Group (BET AT) - Chair Matt Davey increased his stake in the Co. by more than 1mln shares in the months leading up to a AUD 267mln takeover offer, including a 750k-share purchase a month after takeover discussions with Tabcorp were made public. (AFR) Healius (HLS AT) - Private equity firms have reportedly been sounding out the Co. as a potential takeover target despite its shares falling around 50% over the past year. (The Australian) Ingenia Communities (INA AT) - Co. rejected a Warburg Pincus takeover proposal worth AUD 4.75/shr in cash, valuing its equity at around AUD 1.4bln, with directors determining the offer substantially undervalues the Co.; the proposal was conditional on Ingenia's proposed acquisition of Peet not proceeding. (Dow Jones Newsplus) Mader Group (MAD AT) - Co. will launch an on-market share buyback worth up to AUD 30mln, reflecting its strong balance sheet, cash flow generation and confidence in its long-term growth outlook. (Dow Jones Newsplus) Southern Cross Media (SXL AT) - Teresa Dyson stepped down as Chair, with the Co. naming Ryan Stokes as Chair effective immediately and Cathy O'Connor as Lead Independent Director. (Dow Jones Newsplus) Westpac Banking Corporation (WBC AT) - Co. is preparing to increase the proportion of its mortgage and business loan book distributed to private credit firms and superannuation funds, appointing a former Goldman Sachs banker to oversee the strategy and help free up capital. (AFR) JAPAN Itochu (8001 JT) - Co. has acquired the remaining stake in New York-based used smartphone distributor We Sell Cellular for around USD 13.4mln, making it a wholly owned subsidiary as it targets growing US demand for lower-cost handsets. (Nikkei) MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings (8725 JT) - Co. is considering entering the European reinsurance brokerage market as it seeks overseas growth opportunities. (Nikkei) NEC (6701 JT) - Co. has halted development of a working quantum computer after determining that development would likely take too long to generate an adequate return on investment. (Nikkei) Rakuten Group (4755 JT) - Co. plans to launch a direct-to-mobile satellite communications service as early as this year through a partnership with AST SpaceMobile. (Nikkei) SoftBank Group (9984 JT) - Co.'s JPY 1trln retail bond will carry a 4.75% coupon, its highest straight-bond coupon in 17 years. (Nikkei) Toyota Motor (7203 JT) - Co. aims to increase operating profit from businesses outside new-car sales by around 40% to JPY 3trln by FY2030, with software updates and vehicle leasing among the key earnings drivers. (Nikkei) JTB - Co. plans to invest JPY 600bln through 2035 on M&A and sports-related deals as it seeks to expand its global business. (Nikkei) Financials Japan's Financial Services Agency will examine whether domestic financial institutions are adequately assessing credit risks associated with lending to overseas nonbank lenders and real estate firms. (Nikkei) Tech Japan's planned AI data centres are set to more than quadruple the country's capacity by 2033, supported by around USD 60bln of investment, with NTT targeting 2GW of capacity by FY2033. (Nikkei) Index Changes Nikkei will add JX Advanced Metals (5016 JT), Kokusai Electric (6525 JT) and Capcom (9697 JT) to the Nikkei 225, while removing Archion (543A JT), Konica Minolta (4902 JT) and Kanadevia (7004 JT), effective 1st October. (Nikkei) Other News Delistings from the Tokyo Stock Exchange are set to hit a record high for a third consecutive year in 2026 as companies go private with investment-fund backing or fail to meet tougher listing requirements. (Nikkei) SOUTH KOREA Naver (035420 KS) - Founder and Chairman Lee Hae-jin met Brookfield CEO Bruce Flatt for follow-up talks on plans to build a 1GW AI factory. (Yonhap) Samsung Electronics (005930 KS) - Co. and LG Electronics (066570 KS) won a combined 11 innovation awards at IFA 2026 in Berlin for technological and design excellence. (Yonhap) SK Hynix (000660 KS) - Co. is sharply increasing the production share of its sixth-generation 10nm-class 1c DRAM, which is expected to become its main process early next year and serve as a core die for next-generation HBM4E. (Newswires) Geopolitical Iran warned South Korea against joining a Strait of Hormuz deployment and threatened to target South Korean assets if Seoul participates in the mission. (KBS) North Korean leader Kim said the country's naval nuclear armament will put nuclear combat systems into practical use and restrain enemy fleets, adding that a new warship can carry out retaliatory strikes at any time and reflects rapid changes in capabilities over the past two to three years. (KCNA) Other News South Korea plans to integrate five public power companies in October 2027 to accelerate investment needed to meet rising electricity demand from AI, semiconductors and large data centres, while also looking to streamline public corporations in oil, gas and ports. (Nikkei) South Korea's industry minister urged the US to ease tariffs on equipment Korean companies need to import for a USD 5.8bln steel mill project in Louisiana. (Yonhap) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung arrived in Nice, France, on Sunday for a four-day visit that will include a bilateral summit with French President Emmanuel Macron, with the two leaders also set to co-chair the Lumiere Summit on Monday. (Yonhap)