Financial Standard

Praemium's new leadership toughens earnings yardstick

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   Praemium's new leadership will be keeping a close eye on costs, with new chief executive Denis Orrock noting he will make sure the technology upgrade underway translates into stronger earnings and better returns for shareholders.

ASIC 'scrutinising' Sequoia's second InterPrac fire sale

KARREN VERGARA   The corporate regulator says it is "closely scrutinising" Sequoia Financial Group's second attempt at a fire sale of InterPrac Financial Planning to a little-known private investor.

China's comeback story has three core themes: Matthews Asia

MATTHEW WAI   After a few sluggish years, the Chinese government has identified several growth areas to turn its economy around, relying upon innovation in those sectors, according to Matthews Asia.

Australian Ethical FUM drops by $70m

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   Australian Ethical saw a net outflow of $100 million in its investment business in the first quarter of the financial year.

Genetic testing ban takes effect for life insurance

VINNY VUCAGO   Australians can access genetic testing without risking discrimination in life insurance under a new ban that took effect on October 8, with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) also updating its rules to handle complaints involving adverse genetic test results.

Life CCC spots 10.6k breaches in FY26

MATTHEW WAI   The Life Code Compliance Committee has published its FY26 annual report, which saw over 10,600 breaches by insurers with close to 30,000 customers affected.

AMP Super launches new app

VINNY VUCAGO   AMP Super has launched a new app aimed at helping members better understand their retirement position, plan for the future and manage income.

AMP, CFS and Vision Super get the Epic Retirement Tick

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   Three super funds, AMP Super, CFS FirstChoice and Vision Super, have joined the line-up of funds that have received the Epic Retirement Tick from Chant West and the Epic Retirement Institute.

MSCI proposes taking away Indonesia's EM status

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   MSCI is proposing to reclassify the MSCI Indonesia Indexes from Emerging Market to Standalone Market status.

RBA switches to 'decidedly hawkish' tone

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) switched to a "decisively hawkish" tone in the September Minutes, with a focus on the upside risks to inflation.

ASIC consults on new digital asset laws

MATTHEW WAI   ASIC is seeking industry feedback on its draft guidance for the upcoming laws around digital assets and operators in the broader digital economy.

Stumping up

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   In closing the gaps exposed by the collapse of Shield and First Guardian, the government is putting trustees first in the firing line, requiring them to compensate members when due diligence failures put retirement savings at risk.

Euroz Hartleys names chief executive

MATTHEW WAI   Euroz Hartleys Group has named a new chief executive, commencing October 26.

Integro appoints first Queensland private wealth adviser

VINNY VUCAGO   Integro Private Wealth has appointed its first Queensland-based private wealth adviser, extending its east coast presence as the firm pursues national growth.

CareSuper rejigs beneficiary nominations, investment options

KARREN VERGARA   CareSuper has introduced several changes to its investment options and beneficiary nominations.

Brighter Super expands indexed investment suite

MATTHEW WAI   Brighter Super has launched two new low-cost indexed share options, expanding its investment menus to meet adviser demand.

Advice firms lacking AI integration: Iress

VINNY VUCAGO   Artificial intelligence (AI) is delivering productivity gains across financial advice, but only 7% of practices have embedded the technology across most of their workflows, research from Iress has found.

Finura brings AI engineering in house with merger

MATTHEW WAI   Finura Group has merged with a software engineering business to bring artificial intelligence agent technology and sovereign cloud services in house.

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.