Financial Standard

Many advised Aussies feel financially worse off: Report

MATTHEW WAI   A new report reflects that despite being advised, almost four in 10 Australians (37%) found themselves in a worse financial position than a year before.

MUFG expands InvestStream partnership with minority stake

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   MUFG Retirement Solutions has expanded its partnership with InvestStream by acquiring a minority interest in technology provider.

Munro completes GSFM acquisition

VINNY VUCAGO   Munro Partners has completed its acquisition of GSFM Funds Management, consolidating its Australian distribution and funds management operations as it enters a new phase of its partnership with Canadian investment manager CI Global Asset Management (CI GAM).

Perpetual awards OTC reporting mandate

MATTHEW WAI   Perpetual Corporate Trust has selected a service provider to provide independent reconciliation and oversight of over-the-counter derivative reporting across funds for which it acts as trustee and responsible entity.

Life insurers urged to act earlier on claims

VINNY VUCAGO   Life insurers are being urged to request information earlier and improve communication with customers to prevent avoidable delays in claims decisions, following an industry review that found repeated gaps in the handling of longer-running claims.

TPD claims drive insurance disputes

VINNY VUCAGO   Australia's life insurers continue to accept most claims, but total and permanent disability (TPD) and disability income insurance claims remain the main sources of disputes and delays, according to the latest data from APRA and ASIC.

Women more likely to retire earlier than planned: Vanguard

VINNY VUCAGO   Australian women are more likely than men to leave the workforce earlier than anticipated, with new Vanguard research highlighting persistent gaps in retirement confidence and financial preparedness.

Guaranteed income gives retirees 'licence to spend': JPMAM

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   Retirees with a higher share of guaranteed income spend 44% more, according to J.P. Morgan Asset Management (JPMAM) portfolio manager and head of target date strategies Daniel Oldroyd.

PC targets business barriers to lift productivity

VINNY VUCAGO   Australia's economy has become increasingly stagnant, with declining business creation, closure and worker mobility contribute to the nations productivity challenges, according to new Productivity Commission (PC) interim report.

ASX capital raisings fall, derivatives activity climbs

VINNY VUCAGO   Capital raising activity on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) contracted sharply in October, while derivatives trading increased, reflecting divergent activity across the market.

ASIC halts two private credit funds over PDS, Bathla disclosure concerns

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   The corporate regulator has halted the sales of two funds by Angas Securities over concerns on the product disclosure statements not adequately disclosing the firm's financial position and one fund's exposure to the Bathla Group.

ASIC issues serious and final warning on lead generation

VINNY VUCAGO   Financial advice licensees risk losing their licence if they fail to adequately oversee lead generation arrangements, the financial regulator has warned.

Drummond hires from Ascalon, HUB24

MATTHEW WAI   Drummond Capital Partners has expanded its national team with two senior appointments, following the launch of its tailored investment solutions last year.

360 Capital chief resigns

KARREN VERGARA   The chief executive of 360 Capital has resigned from the top job to take up an opportunity outside the group.

Australian Ethical ups fees across most super options

KARREN VERGARA   Australian Ethical has increased fees across most of its superannuation investment options shortly after decreasing them earlier in the year.

AustralianSuper scores Moody's top credit rating

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   AustralianSuper has become the first Australian superannuation fund to receive an AAA long-term issuer rating from Moody's. It has assigned a stable outlook to the rating.

AI moves beyond pilot phase for Aussie businesses: Deloitte

KARREN VERGARA   Australian organisations are making "real progress" in their artificial intelligence (AI) adoption as it shortens decision cycles, accelerates execution and drives workplace redesign, according to a study by Deloitte.

Human judgement remains key to AI advantage: GBAM

VINNY VUCAGO   Artificial intelligence (AI) is unlikely to provide asset managers with a lasting competitive edge on its own, with the Group of Boutique Asset Managers (GBAM) arguing its value will depend on personal judgment and expertise applied alongside the technology.

Australia's family offices surpass $323bn in assets

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   Family offices in Australia have surpassed $323 billion in assets, according to data from Rainmaker Information.

Mining, property fuel Aussie billionaires' wealth

KARREN VERGARA   Australian billionaires' riches are highly concentrated in mining, financial services, technology and property, accounting for 0.7% of the total US$15.1 trillion in global wealth studied by the 2026 Billionaire Census.