Government wins and retail deployments drive gains, while PEXA faces pricing uncertainty

PEXA Group (ASX:PXA) fell -21.85% for the week, the biggest move by a wide margin. RocketBoots (ASX:ROC) surged 15.00% after a major retail rollout progressed into paid deployment work. Adveritas (ASX:AV1) gained 11.63% as it pushed a new self-serve product at small businesses.

Pricing risk hit the biggest name

Heavy selling in PEXA Group (ASX:PXA) followed a preliminary IPART consultation paper on pricing methodology. In plain English, investors worried the rules for what PEXA can charge might tighten. That could mean lower revenue per transaction later on. PEXA said the move was not driven by undisclosed company news and pointed to the consultation paper as the likely trigger.

Rollouts and self-serve: investors paid for “real” revenue

RocketBoots (ASX:ROC) rose after it executed a A$3.3 million activation contract alongside an existing A$9.1 million annual SaaS agreement. The activation work matters because it brings cash in while stores are being set up. Investors often value that more than a contract that has not started billing yet. Trading was also choppy, but the stock kept part of its early gains after re-opening. Adveritas (ASX:AV1) pushed higher on an upgraded self-serve TrafficGuard™ platform aimed at SMEs. The pitch is simple: smaller advertisers can sign up without a sales call, starting at about US$49 a month. The risk is also simple. This model needs lots of customers and low support costs. Adveritas flagged more platform coverage next, including Meta protection.

Government and defence budgets supported several names

Etherstack (ASX:ESK) climbed 11.11% after its subsidiary Auria Wireless won a Department of Home Affairs contract worth about A$9 million initially, with scope to reach about A$15 million if extended. Investors cared because government contracts can run for years, and this one lasts to December 2028 before any extension. Ava Risk Group (ASX:AVA) added 7.84% after taking a $7 million strategic investment from US-based Hale Capital. The company plans to build a US federal sales push. That matters because federal contracts can be large, but sales cycles can be slow. Harvest Technology Group (ASX:HTG) gained 9.09% after an independent review backed its defence focus and it began third-party technical validation. The concern for investors is the company withdrew FY26 and FY27 forecasts. In plain terms, it is saying it cannot give reliable numbers yet.

AI, chips and hardware: big claims, early proof points

FortifAI (ASX:FTI) rose 11.11% on benchmark claims that Nol8 can beat Google’s RE2 by up to 200,000 times in AI-grade workloads. FortifAI says FPGA acceleration is the key. In plain English, it uses specialised hardware to do the matching work faster than normal software. What could go wrong next is verification. FortifAI flagged an enterprise-ready benchmarking engine expected by June 2026. BrainChip (ASX:BRN) announced a non-exclusive Akida 2 licensing deal with Korea’s EDGEAI, with milestones and royalties tied to product sales. Licensing matters because it can scale without BrainChip building each chip itself. Still, the stock did not hold up after re-opening and drifted lower, which suggests investors want to see actual product shipments. GCM Corporation (ASX:GCM) gained 8.33% after launching its first Very High Density heat sink range for air-cooled devices. The near-term test is whether interest turns into repeat orders, because thermal products can be hard to distribute without strong channel partners.

M&A and restructuring: deals closed, guidance pulled, cash raised

Vection Technologies (ASX:VR1) confirmed its acquisition of DXLabs, adding stated revenue and EBIT contributions. The market reaction was mixed after re-opening, with the price slipping. Investors often wait to see whether cross-selling actually happens, not just whether the deal closes. Count Limited (ASX:CUP) fell -6.58% despite completing a $35.9 million placement to help fund its Oracle Group acquisition. Placements are new shares sold at a discount, so existing holders can worry about their slice of the company shrinking. Count also opened a $5 million share purchase plan for eligible shareholders at the same price. Frontier Digital Ventures (ASX:FDV) slipped -4.35% even after reporting a 205% lift in EBITDA as it cut low-margin businesses. Investors may be cautious because revenue fell 18%, and the company is still proving that the leaner version can grow again. Elsewhere, iCandy Interactive (ASX:ICI) confirmed it will delist on 1 April 2026 while it works on a potential NYSE American listing for Lemon Sky Studios. That change can reduce day-to-day liquidity for Australian retail investors, even if the longer-term goal is a larger capital market offshore.