Australia capital markets ride AI deal wave as cloud startups target listings

<p class="P1" data-sourcepos="5:1-5:396;103-498">Australia's capital markets have picked up pace on the back of AI-related demand, with listings and equity raisings reaching US$11.4 million in the first half of 2026, up from US$10.6 billion in the first half of 2025, according to <em>Bloomberg</em>. This growth has been driven in part by investors seeking exposure to the AI supply chain, including data center and cloud services businesses.