Financial Standard

Vietnam joins FTSE Russell emerging market index

VINNY VUCAGO   Vietnam has officially joined the FTSE Russell Global Equity Index Series, marking a new phase for its capital market as it moves from frontier to Secondary Emerging Market status.

FAAA flags gaps in discretionary trusts tax reforms, deficient framework

KARREN VERGARA   Under the proposed minimum tax on discretionary trust reforms, the Financial Advice Association Australia (FAAA) highlighted concerns over trustees potentially being forced to make "major and largely irreversible decisions" before the rules and guidance have been finalised.

Prime Value Opportunities Fund winds up

KARREN VERGARA   Boutique fund manager Prime Value Asset Management has wound up its Opportunities Fund and its Significant Investor Visa (SIV) counterpart.

Pacific AM to land SMA solutions Down Under, appoints investment chief

MATTHEW WAI   Pacific Portfolio Solutions, the related body corporate of Pacific Asset Management, will bring the latter's SMA solutions to Australia from the UK, welcoming an industry stalwart to chart the course.

Australian life insurers lag global peers: Capgemini

MATTHEW WAI   A new survey from Capgemini found that Australian life insurers are stowed behind the global average when it comes to member engagement and educational efforts.

AIA Australia rolls out TPD CORE

KARREN VERGARA   AIA Australia has launched TPD CORE, a new retail product that charges lower premiums and provides clearer claim assessment criteria for total and permanent disability (TPD).

Retirement confidence lags as investors turn to AI

VINNY VUCAGO   Retirement has emerged as a central for investors globally, but a lack of confidence and financial literacy is keeping many savers on the sidelines, according to Amundi's latest global investor study.

ART leads retirement product race, others wrestle with covenant

KARREN VERGARA   Superannuation funds continue to grapple with their Retirement Income Covenant obligations, underscored by Australian Retirement Trust (ART) being the only fund from a sample that has successfully brought two products to market.

Intergenerational Report looks to AI to buoy productivity slump

KARREN VERGARA   Australia's economy will continue to stagnate over the next 40 years, growing at just 2% annually, according to the latest Intergenerational Report (IGR), which points to the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution to buoy sagging productivity.

Fed's rate hike exacerbates Australia's outlook

MATTHEW WAI   The Federal Reserve has lifted its interest rate for the first time in more than three years, contributing to the ongoing adversity the global economy is facing, especially in Australia.

Treasury consults to improve data visibility into MISs

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   Treasury has opened a consultation for managed investment schemes (MISs) to provide more data to help identify emerging risks earlier.

ASIC halts Remara's private credit products for TMD deficiencies

KARREN VERGARA   ASIC has slapped interim stop orders on Remara Investment Management's private credit products over deficiencies in its target market determination (TMD), claiming they were too risky for retail investors.

Antares Equities veteran resigns ahead of Janus Henderson takeover

KARREN VERGARA   Antares Equities' portfolio manager and head of fundamentals will conclude a long-serving tenure at the firm and will not transition to its soon-to-be parent company Janus Henderson.

Rest director for product departs

MATTHEW WAI   The general manager, product at Rest has left the super fund after nearly four years.

Equity Trustees pushes bidders for better price

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   Equity Trustees' parent company EQT Holdings' board confirmed it is engaging with its two bidders - TPG Global and BGH Capital - and has pushed for an improved offer from both.

Australian Ethical, Bloomberg join ASFA

VINNY VUCAGO   Stakeholders in the superannuation industry are becoming increasingly diverse despite continued consolidation among funds, with the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) expanding its membership to include organisations spanning responsible investment, technology, banking and workplace health.

AI overtakes superfunds for investor education

VINNY VUCAGO   Artificial intelligence (AI) has overtaken superannuation funds as a source of investment information among younger, highly knowledgeable Australian investors, according to new research from Global X.

New digital asset trading platform targets HNWs, instos

VINNY VUCAGO   CloudTech Group has launched a digital asset trading platform in Australia giving institutional, high-net-worth and individual investors access to aggregated liquidity, institutional-grade pricing and advanced trading tools.

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.