Financial Standard

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.

Sequoia gives InterPrac sale a second shot

ELIZA BAVIN   Sequoia is trying its hand at selling InterPrac Financial Planning again after its first sale attempt to Conquest Investment Management was left in the air.

Vanguard to acquire custodian Altruist

KARREN VERGARA   Vanguard will acquire custodian and investment platform Altruist in a bid to expand into the American independent financial adviser market.

AUDC supports startup to launch tokenised private credit offering

MATTHEW WAI   Australian stablecoin issuer AUDC has selected a local fintech company to integrate its Australian domiciled stablecoin for a tokenised private credit offering via its grant program.

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%.

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).

AFCA moves to reinstate APT Strategy, opens doors for victims

KARREN VERGARA   The Australian Fiduciaries-linked APT Strategy has been reinstated as a member of the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), paving the way for victims to come forward.

Capital Group makes C-suite appointment

ELIZA BAVIN   Capital Group has named a new chief information officer, set to join in November.

Centuria steps away from joint-chief executive model

RIDDHIMA TALWANI   Centuria Capital will be led solely by Jason Huljich from November 27, who will take the role of group chief executive, after joint chief executive John McBain decided to step down from the role, which will also come into effect on the same date.

APRA hits 12 super options with failed grade

KARREN VERGARA   The number of failed investment products nearly doubled in the 2026 APRA superannuation performance test, with BUSSQ being the only industry fund to make the list dominated by retail funds.

UniSuper unlocks close to $15k for members moving into retirement

MATTHEW WAI   Eligible UniSuper members will receive a tax-free bonus of up to $14,700 when they move into retirement phase from October 1.

MUFG to acquire GROW Inc

ELIZA BAVIN   MUFG Pension & Market Services has entered into a binding scheme implementation deed to acquire GROW Technology Services.

ASIC, APRA urge finance sector to demonstrate AI threat response

VINNY VUCAGO   ASIC and APRA have called on financial services firms to move beyond awareness of frontier AI risks and demonstrate they can respond to threats unfolding at unprecedented speed.

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.