Financial Standard

ASIC bans advisers for dodgy Shield Master Fund advice

KARREN VERGARA   Two former MWL Financial Services financial advisers who invested clients' superannuation in the Shield Master Fund have copped bans from the regulator.

Findex partners with brokerage firm to deliver 'best-in-class' service

MATTHEW WAI   Findex is entering a joint venture with Ortus Financial to bolster its expertise and breadth of its service.

GQG assets hit record high despite underperformance

KARREN VERGARA   GQG Partners' assets jumped $4 billion to reach a record high of US$172.4 billion for the 2025 financial year despite experiencing "short-term relative underperformance".

Coller Capital closes $10bn private credit strategy

MATTHEW WAI   The private market secondaries manager announced the final closing of Coller Credit Opportunities II (CCO II), bringing in a total US$6.8 billion ($10bn) for the strategy that's focused on direct lending and high performing credit investments.

AMP actions impacted 'hundreds of thousands' of customers: Shine

ELIZA BAVIN   Shine Lawyers, who filed a class action against AMP this week, said hundreds of thousands of customers have been impacted.

TAL partners to expand access to affordable insurance

MATTHEW WAI   The life insurer has today launched backd by TAL in partnership with Cover Genius, targeting those with limited access to affordable cover options.

SMSFs' risk appetite to change under Division 296: Wilson

MATTHEW WAI   The controversial superannuation tax will likely see an exodus of SMSF capital from emerging companies as they look to avoid growth companies, a discussion paper says.

New SMSF trustees drive financial advice uptake

ANDREW MCKEAN   Trustees of newly established self-managed super funds (SMSFs) are behind a surge in the uptake of financial advice, according to a Vanguard/Investment Trends SMSF report.

RBA delivers 'confounding' rates decision

ELIZA BAVIN   The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) kept interest rates on hold at the July meeting.

Trade war could have positive impact on Aussie GDP: PC

ELIZA BAVIN   The Productivity Commission has released new modelling showing how Australia may be impacted by US President Donald Trump's trade tariffs.

Australia an 'efficient' market for multinationals

MATTHEW WAI   A new report by Mercator by Citco (Mercator) has revealed that while multinational organisations face significantly higher operations demands in Asia-Pacific (APAC), Australia has proven to be one of the most efficient markets.

Licensee compliance head banned over fees for no service

MATTHEW WAI   The former head of compliance at a now defunct advice licensee has been banned for three years over the way he dealt with an adviser's fees for no service misconduct.

SIAA chief executive steps down

ELIZA BAVIN   Stockbrokers and Investment Advisers Association chief executive Judith Fox will step down after six years in the role.

Plenary adds to executive lineup

MATTHEW WAI   Plenary Group has unveiled a slew of promotions to its senior management structure, including the appointment of a new chief investment officer.

Brighter Super default members earn 11% in FY25

KARREN VERGARA   Brighter Super's MySuper option achieved 10.9% p.a. for the 2025 financial year, exceeding performance for the medium and long term.

Mercer SmartPath returns exceed 12%

KARREN VERGARA   Mercer Super Trust's default lifecycle option made more than 12% p.a. for the 2025 financial year for members aged between 18 and 52.

AustralianSuper readies tech stack for Payday Super

JAMIE WILLIAMSON   Following a successful pilot program with Rest, Wrkr and MUFG Retirement Solutions will now work on a Payday Super solution for AustralianSuper.

Microsoft flips AI switch on for MUFG

MATTHEW WAI   MUFG Pension and Market Services (MPMS) has collaborated with Microsoft to adopt AI-powered solutions across its MUFG Retirement Solutions and MUFG Corporate Markets business divisions.

Geopolitical risks force family offices into alternatives, cash: Survey

KARREN VERGARA   Geopolitical uncertainties are forcing family offices out of US equities, diversifying into cash and liquid alternatives, according to BlackRock's annual Global Family Office Survey.

Labor proposes changes to ancillary funds

KARREN VERGARA   Labor is proposing several reforms to giving or ancillary funds that include increasing the annual distribution rate and smoothing out minimal distributions over three years.