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.

Mall owners count cost as David Jones enters administration

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   Shopping centre owners Scentre Group and Vicinity Centres have almost $80 million a year in rent at stake after Australia's iconic David Jones went into voluntary administration following 188 years of trading.

Instos lower active risk to 'eke out more alpha': Acadian

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   Large superannuation funds are reallocating from their passive books, and in some cases away from discretionary managers, and moving it into lower-risk systematic strategies, according to Acadian Asset Management (AAM).

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.

Wikramanayake exits Macquarie, APRA slams 'serious' governance failure

KARREN VERGARA   APRA has slammed Macquarie Group's leadership on the day chief executive Shemara Wikramanayake officially bows out for "a serious failure" in complying with another capital requirement.

ASIC raises red flags on prediction markets

KARREN VERGARA   ASIC chair Sarah Court has warned retail investors to be wary of "highly speculative" prediction markets, likening them to betting.

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.

Succession Recruitment strengthens executive team

VINNY VUCAGO   Succession Recruitment has strengthened its executive team with a new appointment adding significant financial markets experience to the specialist recruitment and executive search firm.

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.

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.

FBI accuses North Korea of $9bn Binance crypto heist

MATTHEW WAI   North Korea has been accused of being the culprit behind the $9 billion (US$6.3bn) cryptocurrency heist from global digital asset platform Binance that took place last week.

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.