Financial Standard

Centrepoint Alliance acquires two advice firms

KARREN VERGARA   Centrepoint Alliance will acquire Queensland financial advice practices Cairns Wealth and Pinnacle Wealth for $3 million from Astute Financial Management.

Small pocket of failed measures can 'blow the entire business': Anderson

MATTHEW WAI   FAAA general manager of policy, advocacy and standards Phil Anderson warned licensees to improve their control measures for authorised representatives to avoid any unintended consequences.

ASX sees trade volumes soar in May

MATTHEW WAI   ASX saw a substantial growth in trade volumes last month, despite continued lackluster movement in IPOs.

Munro expands access to climate focused fund

VINNY VUCAGO   The Munro Global Growth Climate Leaders PIE Fund has been opened to retail investors in New Zealand.

AFCA to update rules on new genetic testing laws

KARREN VERGARA   The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) is proposing to amend its rules in preparation for recent legislative changes on genetic testing protections in life insurance.

ASIC, APRA target insurers' TPD product sustainability

KARREN VERGARA   Regulators are putting the pressure on life insurers to manage problematic issues arising from total and permanent disability (TPD) products offered across the retail and group insurance channels, a recent roundtable heard.

Behavioural constraint is costing retirees greatly: Allianz Retire+

MATTHEW WAI   The insurer found that market volatility, and inadequate savings are no longer the greatest threats to retirement outcomes, rather, it comes down to hesitancy to make the decisions retirement requires.

HUB24 expands retirement options with TAL

MATTHEW WAI   HUB24 wasted no time to respond to CFS's move to expand its retirement offering, now launching a lifetime super solution with TAL.

US proposes fresh tariffs on Australia

ELIZA BAVIN   Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the proposed new tariffs are "unjustified and unwarranted".

Cooling economy could keep RBA on hold

ELIZA BAVIN   Australia's GDP cooled in the March quarter with some saying the read could be positive news for interest rates.

Treasury considers reward system for whistleblowers

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   The government has opened consultation on a review of corporate whistleblowing laws in Australia to ensure they are working to effectively protect whistleblowers.

Big Un finance chief's insider trading charges dropped

KARREN VERGARA   Big Un's former chief financial officer has been freed of insider trading charges following a hung jury and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) concluding it will discontinue further action.

M&G new hire to bolster Australian insto ties

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   M&G Investments, a global asset manager with £371.4 billion ($768.8bn) in assets under management, has appointed Cameron Sinclair as head of institutional distribution in Australia.

BT appoints new head of strategy

KARREN VERGARA   A former Allianz Retire+ executive has joined BT as the new head of strategy.

Older Australians drive majority of super complaints: ASIC

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   Older Australians between the ages of 55 to 75 accounted for half of the internal complaints made to super funds in 2025, according to ASIC's Internal Dispute Resolution (IDR) data dashboard.

Almost half of Aussies not making voluntary super contributions

VINNY VUCAGO   Almost half of Australians have never made an additional contribution to their superannuation potentially missing out on a significant opportunity to boost their retirement savings according to new research from Vanguard Australia.

Otivo launches AI-powered financial advice

MATTHEW WAI   Otivo has launched a mobile app for Australians to access licensed advice powered by AI.

Royal London AM extends SS&C mandate for new Aussie funds

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   Royal London Asset Management (RLAM) will extend its mandate with SS&C Technologies to provide its fund administration and unit registry services for its new range of Australian active funds.

Lowy family takes stake in Magellan

KARREN VERGARA   The Lowy family has acquired a 5.1% stake in Magellan Financial Group via its trust Oryxium.

Family offices hunt opportunities in AI: Report

KARREN VERGARA   A new survey of more than 300 global family offices shows that artificial intelligence (AI) is in hot demand as the majority flagged it as a thematic they will prioritise as a future investment.