
Accenture to buy Australian firm CyberCX in its largest-ever cyber deal
Private equity firm BGH Capital is selling CyberCX. However, financial terms have not been disclosed. Neither Accenture nor BGH Capital immediately responded to Reuters requests for comment on the reported valuation.
The deal comes amid a global surge in cases of cyberattacks, as companies from healthcare to finance grapple with increasingly sophisticated threats that disrupt operations and compromise sensitive data.
Melbourne-based CyberCX was formed in 2019 through the merger of 12 smaller cybersecurity firms backed by BGH Capital.
The company now employs about 1,400 people and runs security operations centres across Australia and New Zealand, with offices in London and New York.
Since 2015, Accenture has completed 20 security acquisitions, including recent purchases of Brazilian cyber defense firm Morphus, MNEMO Mexico and Spain-based Innotec Security.
"Client demand for cybersecurity services is accelerating as data and digital environments become increasingly connected and heightened threats are exposed across operational value chains, supply chains and the enterprise," said Peter Burns, who leads Accenture's business in Australia and New Zealand.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Australia edge China for Asia Cup 'three-peat'
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Australia landed a third straight Asia Cup title when China's Hu Mingxuan missed a three-point buzzer beater at the end of Sunday's final, leaving the Boomers to lift the trophy with a 90-89 victory at Jeddah's King Abdullah Sports City. Xavier Cooks, who was named game MVP, scored 30 points and tournament MVP Jaylin Galloway poured in 23 as Australia fought back from an early deficit to deny China a record-extending 17th triumph in the continental championship. "The main thing is I am so proud of the character of our guys," said Boomers coach Adam Caporn. "We were down by 15, but we saw our players' toughness, their problem-solving attitude. We have great people in the programme, and in my opinion that's why we won." Hu was the standout for China with 26 points and captain Zhao Rui said coming so close to snatching the title proved the team were on the right track. "This loss actually motivates us," he said. "Some fans probably didn't expect a close game, but we delivered a wonderful game for the fans tonight. "This one-point loss will remind us to work harder and get better. Today is just the start, not the end." Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NDR 2025: Age Well Neighbourhoods will help improve seniors' access to healthcare, social activities Singapore NDR 2025: New govt-funded traineeship scheme for ITE, poly, university graduates Singapore NDR 2025: More avenues for S'poreans to be heard, get involved will be opened up, says PM Wong Business Singapore key exports fall worse than expected in July as shipments to US plunge 42.7% World Trump, tech and Texas: What's next for the US? Singapore N(T) students more likely to finish school, do as well in job market as N(A) peers: Study Singapore Singapore-developed device for diabetics measures long-term average blood sugar levels within 6 mins Business Asean can fend off blow from protectionism by boosting integration: Singapore Business Federation Australia joined FIBA's Asian zone from Oceania a decade ago and Sunday's victory kept them unbeaten in 18 Asia Cup matches going back to their debut in 2017. Earlier on Sunday, Iran beat New Zealand's Tall Blacks 79-73 to secure third place. REUTERS

Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Straits Times
Singtel rises 3% on robust earnings; Keppel slides after Simba-M1 deal
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Singtel ended the week higher after an initial fall following the Aug 11 announcement of Simba's acquisition of M1's telco business. SINGAPORE - Telco consolidation made headlines last week, with StarHub fully acquiring MyRepublic Broadband and Keppel selling M1's telecoms operations. Keppel is divesting its 83.9 per cent stake in M1's telecoms business to Simba Telecom , a unit of Australia-listed company Tuas, in a $1.43 billion deal. Shares of the global asset manager and operator fell after the Aug 11 announcement, with some observers noting that it booked an accounting loss, or loss on paper, for the sale. The stock declined 1.52 per cent from last week's close to $8.45 on Aug 15. The estimated $222 million accounting loss for Keppel stems from goodwill and intangible assets tied to the telco business. Keppel first invested in M1 in 1994 and was later involved in its privatisation in 2019. At a media briefing, Keppel chief executive Loh Chin Hua said that the company has been making an effort to divest non-core assets. 'Our narrative is that we're going to create an asset-light 'New Keppel'. This particular business is no longer core to us. Being able to monetise it is probably the most important point,' he added. The other telco consolidation came on Aug 12, the day after the Keppel announcement. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NDR 2025: New govt-funded traineeship scheme for ITE, poly, university graduates Singapore NDR 2025: CDCs to spearhead new effort to match job seekers to roles nearer to home, says PM Wong Singapore NDR 2025: US baseline tariff of 10% on Singapore offers 'little comfort', says PM Wong Singapore NDR 2025: More avenues for S'poreans to be heard, get involved will be opened up, says PM Wong World European leaders to join Zelensky for Ukraine talks with Trump Sport Third time's the charm as Aaron Liang dethrones Samuel Kang en route to national squash title Asia Mandarin with Taiwanese characteristics: Taipei leverages language as soft power tool Asia 'Rats from the sky': Urban India finds itself divided on pigeons StarHub, which already held a 50.1 per cent stake in MyRepublic Broadband, said it acquired the remaining 49.9 per cent share in a roughly $105 million deal, in a move aimed at strengthening StarHub's strategy in the broadband market. StarHub CEO Nikhil Eapen said: 'We're in a phase of consolidation, and we're not just watching it unfold, we're shaping it.' He added: 'As the market shifts, scale, quality and resilience matter more than ever. Smaller players may find it harder to sustain, especially without robust platforms.' Singapore telcos post mixed results Analysts noted that the industry consolidation could benefit Singapore's two listed telcos – StarHub and Singtel – by helping to ease intense price competition in an overcrowded market. For StarHub, the deal also comes amid weakening performance. Singapore's second-largest telco on Aug 14 posted a 41.7 per cent year-on-year fall in first-half earnings to $47.9 million. The lower profit was partly due to a one-off forfeiture payment of $14.1 million for the return of certain spectrum rights. Excluding this sum, net profit rose to $62 million, though this still works out to a 23 per cent drop year on year. Mr Eapen said the telco intends 'to remain aggressive across brands and segments in the domestic consumer market to position for eventual market recovery'. StarHub shares closed at $1.18 on Aug 15, down 3.28 per cent from last week's close. In contrast, Singtel ended the week higher after an initial fall following Keppel's Aug 11 announcement. Its stock rose 3 per cent from Aug 8 to close at $4.10 on Aug 15. The telco on Aug 13 announced that its underlying first-quarter net profit rose 13.9 per cent year on year to $686 million, driven by higher earnings from its Australian unit Optus and contributions from regional associates, including India's Bharti Airtel. Singtel CEO Yuen Kuan Moon expects the telecom operator's data centre business to be a 'bright spot' in the current financial year as its data centres in Singapore and Thailand near completion. Property stocks soar on robust earnings Shares of real estate-related companies mostly rose last week on robust earnings. Real estate services provider PropNex jumped more than 30 per cent in the past week to $2.03, while its peer Apac Realty was up 13 per cent from Aug 8 to close at 72 cents on Aug 15, driven by higher home sales. PropNex on Aug 12 posted record net profit of $42.3 million for its first half-year, a 122.4 per cent increase from the year before and surpassing analysts' estimates. Apac Realty's net profit more than doubled to $11.3 million in the same period, the company said on Aug 8. Analysts said that sales momentum could remain strong, supported by a pipeline of upcoming launches. Developer City Developments Limited (CDL) was up 6.3 per cent to $6.73 and UOL rose more than 3 per cent over the week to close at $7.27. CDL's first-half net income rose 3.9 per cent to $91.2 million, with revenue up 8 per cent to $1.69 billion, driven by the fully sold executive condominium project Copen Grand. A special interim dividend of three cents per share was proposed, up from the two cents it paid out a year earlier. CEO Sherman Kwek told a briefing on Aug 13 that CDL will try to pay one-third of its net income as dividends every year and reward shareholders when divestments are made. Meanwhile, Pan Pacific and Parkroyal owner UOL's first-half net profit increased 58 per cent to $205.5 million due to strong performance from property development and property investments, and other gains from the disposal of Parkroyal Yangon, the firm said on Aug 13. CapitaLand Investment (CLI) shares fell 2.5 per cent from Aug 8, closing at $2.70 on Aug 15, on the back of weaker earnings. First-half earnings dropped 13 per cent , attributed to loss of contributions from divested assets, lower fund performance and transaction fees, and absence of a one-off tax write-back. CLI also attributed part of its performance to the downturn in China, where it has 18 retail and commercial properties. Group CEO Lee Chee Koon urged investors to be patient with the firm's investment returns, hinting at an improved performance in the second half of 2025 when SC Capital and Wingate are expected to deliver stronger returns. Dezign Format makes SGX debut Spatial design specialist Dezign Format surged 40 per cent in its trading debut on the Singapore Exchange's Catalist board on Aug 15, closing at 28 cents from its initial public offering (IPO) price of 20 cents. Dezign Format CEO Mike Chong said that the proceeds from the IPO will support the firm's regional expansion strategy, which includes establishing a Malaysian production facility and sales offices in Thailand and Vietnam. The company joins other firms, such as NTT DC Real Estate Investment Trust and Lum Chang Creations, to be listed on Singapore's stock exchange in 2025 amid a revival in IPOs. Another local firm, semiconductor optics company MetaOptics, is expected to list on the local bourse after it filed its prospectus on July 30 to list on the Catalist board. The group said it intends to use the IPO proceeds for areas such as product development, research and development, and strategic partnerships. Other market movers Shares of CNMC Goldmine surged more than 18 per cent over last week to close at a record 64.5 cents. The gold mining company posted strong earnings of US$15.8 million (S$20.3 million) for the first half, up 256.1 per cent year on year, driven by higher production and surging gold prices. Investment manager Yangzijiang Financial was up 9.3 per cent to $1.06, as first-half net profit increased 28 per cent to $137.7 million. This was largely attributed to the reversal of credit loss allowances, increased contributions from maritime joint ventures and net foreign exchange gains. What to look out for this week On Aug 18, Singapore will release its non-oil domestic exports data for July. DBS chief economist Taimur Baig forecasts a 6 per cent year-on-year contraction, marking a reversal from June's growth as an earlier boost from the front-loading of orders ahead of US tariff hikes tapers off. Sats is scheduled to release its business update for the first quarter ended June 30 on Aug 20, after the market closes.


CNA
3 days ago
- CNA
Between protection and policing, can we really keep kids safe on the internet with new laws?
Mr Tan likened this approach to successful frameworks in other sectors. In cybersecurity, for example, critical infrastructure employs layered standards, continuous monitoring and red-teaming exercises to anticipate threats. In public health, risk-scaled interventions, adaptable protocols and public education campaigns have proven effective in disease outbreak response. "When you align policy for direction, technology for enablement and education for sustainment, and build a culture that embraces them, you create an environment that not only protects effectively, but also adapts, improves and builds trust of those it's meant to protect," Mr Tan said. Are age-based content policies, similar to those in the UK and Australia, potentially on the horizon for Singapore, then? Mr Kieran Donovan, co-founder and CEO of Singapore-based startup k-ID, which helps online service providers comply with global age-related regulations, said Singaporean regulators are known for being measured and deliberate. They take the time to gather input from a wide range of stakeholders, including the industries that will be affected, and it is no different in the online safety space. "Singapore is taking a thoughtful approach, carefully observing international developments while considering local cultural contexts and capabilities," he said. For example, Mr Donovan said that through the Ministry of Education, the government is able to allocate sufficient resources to teach digital literacy and cyber awareness to children, helping them become more aware of online harms and dangers. Asked about the most realistic enforcement mechanisms to keep pace with and potentially outsmart users' resourcefulness, Mr Donovan acknowledged that every protective system will face attempts to bypass it. "But that doesn't mean we throw the whole system out. We work tirelessly to keep protecting more people online every single day," he said. "Unfortunately, there are those who call for the removal of all online protections, which would be counterproductive to the protection of the rights of the child." Mr Donovan stressed that there is a place and need for regulation for all the reasons mentioned previously. "But regulation alone cannot solve this problem, and in Singapore, that includes continuing with stronger education and training of both parents and children that ultimately empowers our children to be smart and safe digital natives." Building on that, Ms Quinn also stressed the importance of engaging young people directly in shaping the rules that affect them.