Financial Standard

FEATURE | Managed accounts | Industrialising advice

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   The growth in the managed accounts sector has brought scale and efficiency to advice. Rapid adoption is now reshaping the industry and drawing the regulator's attention.

FAAA pushes to expand NCA to financial advisers

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   Financial Advice Association Australia (FAAA) said it will advocate strongly to expand the scope of the New Class of Advisers' to all financial advisers, which will currently be limited to only superannuation funds and life insurers.

Australian instos inject $705m into Nuveen strategy

VINNY VUCAGO  |    12:20PM   Brighter Super and JANA are among a group of Australian institutional investors who have injected $705 million into Nuveen's Arcmont Asset Management European direct lending strategy.

APG tops up MaxCap mandate

KARREN VERGARA  |    12:09PM   APG Asset Management has topped up its mandates with MaxCap, deploying another $557 million ($US400m) to invest across Australian real estate.

AIA Australia reveals stark gender divide in IP claims

KARREN VERGARA   New analysis from AIA Australia finds a stark difference among group insurance income protection claims when it comes to gender, with women leading mental illness and musculoskeletal-related claims.

FEATURE | Group insurance | Dusk to dawn

KARREN VERGARA   Mental-health conditions sit on a broad spectrum. When diagnoses can be as tricky as the illness itself, how are super funds and life insurers responding to the growing crisis within the national income system that's being stretched to its limits?

Half of Australians lack retirement plan: Vanguard

KARREN VERGARA   Nearly half of working-age Australians approaching retirement do not have a retirement plan, raising concerns about long-term financial preparedness and confidence, according to Vanguard.

New platform provides guidance for retirees

MATTHEW WAI   A new artificial intelligence (AI) platform has launched to fill a gap that is persisting for retiring members seeking purpose in the retirement phase.

Albanese pushes Trump on tariff exemption

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   Prime Minister Anthony Albanese asked US President Donald Trump to consider a full exemption on tariffs for Australia, or at the very least no increase from the current 12.5% subject on Australian exports to the US.

RBA on hold but keeps door open for more hikes

ELIZA BAVIN   The Reserve Bank of Australia has kept the door open for further tightening despite keeping the cash rate steady at 4.35%.

AFCA consults on rule changes under upcoming scam framework

MATTHEW WAI  |    11:51AM   The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) is seeking feedback on proposed changes to consider scam-related complaints under the Scam Prevention Framework (SPF) that will come into effect early next year.

Macquarie board rejects KPMG as auditor

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   Macquarie's board has rejected KPMG as its auditor starting 2027 and will instead proceed with incumbent auditor PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

Macquarie names new wrap platform lead

MATTHEW WAI  |    12:14PM   Macquarie has appointed a new head of wrap platform after Michelle Weber stepped down from the role following a 13-year tenure at the company.

Invesco APAC head to retire

VINNY VUCAGO  |    12:13PM   Invesco Asia Pacific chief Andrew Lo will retire from the global asset manager next March after 32 years with the firm, closing out more than three decades spent building its presence and partnerships across the region.

Superannuation assets inch to nearly $4.8tn

KARREN VERGARA  |    12:20PM   Total superannuation assets hit nearly $4.8 trillion in the last financial year, marking a 9% rise, namely driven by the rise of industry funds.

Equity Trustees super exit sparks Hejaz Islamic Super and Pension closure

KARREN VERGARA   Hejaz's Islamic Super and Pension products will be terminated as a fallout from Equity Trustees ditching the superannuation trustee business. The latter, however, says otherwise.

Actuaries Institute launches AI risk management guide

RIDDHIMA TALWANI  |    12:32PM   Actuaries Institute and UTS Human Technology Institute (HTI) have partnered to launch a practical risk management guide to help financial services firms manage artificial intelligence (AI) risks.

Iress sharpens tech integration to reduce adviser admin burden

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   Iress is building a structured pathway for technology providers to connect with Xplan, its financial planning and wealth management software, helping ease administrative burden on advisers.

Family businesses turn to external chief executives: Deloitte

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   While family members will largely remain at the helm of family businesses post-succession, a Deloitte Private report anticipates a meaningful shift globally, with more businesses preferring outside professionals to step into the chief executive roles.

MST Financial broadens services to Alder & Partners

KARREN VERGARA   MST Financial has broadened its services for Alder & Partners Private Wealth Management, providing "institutional-grade investments" across managed accounts, asset allocation and research.