Financial Standard

Platform reveals advice firms' top issues

KARREN VERGARA   Practice management, advice technology, and superannuation are top of mind for financial advisers who want to improve their aptitude and knowledge, according to professional networking platform Ensombl.

Former Life Plan FP adviser cops ban

KARREN VERGARA   ASIC slapped a three-year ban on a former Life Plan FP financial adviser for failing to act in the best interests of clients and not being able to maintain "high standards".

HMC Capital scoops up Payton Capital

ANDREW MCKEAN   HMC Capital has acquired commercial real estate fund manager Payton Capital, kickstarting the first step in its plan to create a $5 billion private credit platform.

SEC approves eight Ethereum ETFs

ELIZA BAVIN   The SEC has given it's stamp of approval for Ethereum ETFs, including for BlackRock, Fidelity and VanEck among others.

ClearView closes ClearChoice Super Rollover, launches trauma options

KARREN VERGARA   ClearView has made changes to its ClearChoice product series, including the launch of trauma options, and is closing its ClearChoice Super Rollover product.

Aussies underestimate life insurance's importance: Investment Trends

ANDREW MCKEAN   There is a gap in perception among Australians of life insurance as a crucial component of financial stability, according to an Investment Trends Consumer Insurance Needs report.

SMSFs' use of advisers plummets: Research

ANDREW MCKEAN   The number of self-managed super funds (SMSFs) using advisers has reached a new low, with the proportion of SMSFs using advisers falling to 23% from 27% in the past 12 months, according to a Vanguard/Investment Trends report.

Proposed super tax obfuscates legacy pensions rules: SMSFA

KARREN VERGARA   The proposed 30% tax on large superannuation balances must clarify the confusion surrounding legacy pensions and reserves, and how they should be calculated, according to the SMSF Association (SMSFA).

Financial services workers eye earlier retirement

KARREN VERGARA   Men and women who work in financial services intend to retire earlier compared to the average worker, new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reveals.

RBA hints another rate rise could be on the cards

ELIZA BAVIN   The Reserve Bank board confirmed it considered hiking interest rates in May.

ASIC places stop orders on Trademax Australia

JAMIE WILLIAMSON   ASIC issued two interim stop orders to Trademax Australia after it found the broker was relying on a poorly designed questionnaire which retail investors were able to attempt multiple times to determine they were in the target market.

UK forewarns Australia on wholesale test changes

KARREN VERGARA   After recently backflipping on changing its high-net-worth investor (HNWI) tests, the UK serves as a cautionary tale for Australia as it mulls overhauling its own wholesale investor thresholds.

Insignia research, retirement income head to depart

JAMIE WILLIAMSON   Insignia Financial has confirmed its head of research and retirement income is set to leave the business as part of an ongoing wider change.

Plenary Group chair steps down

JAMIE WILLIAMSON   Following its recent partnership with sovereign wealth fund ADQ, Plenary Group is switching out its chair.

Equip Super awards custody mandate

KARREN VERGARA   Equip Super has selected a new custodian and back-office administrator to replace NAB Asset Servicing.

Super funds to solve the housing crisis?

ANDREW MCKEAN   Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) chief executive Mary Delahunty said at the Australian Shareholders' Association Conference yesterday that addressing the supply side of the housing crisis requires an infusion of private capital.

The rising role and risks of generative AI

ANDREW MCKEAN   Generative AI, a rapidly advancing form of deep learning that mimics human output, also raises concerns about the verifiability of its results, UTS industry professor - emerging technology Nicholas Davis says.

Iress breach extends to OneVue business

JAMIE WILLIAMSON   Iress has confirmed the breach it was victim to over the weekend was worse than first thought, having spread to the recently offloaded OneVue business.

Geopolitical risks push APAC family office allocations locally

KARREN VERGARA   Geopolitical risks are dictating how family offices in the Asia Pacific invest as more intend to shift asset allocations to their home regions, according to UBS.

Family offices up active management, eye generative AI: UBS

ANDREW MCKEAN   Family offices are increasingly turning to active management or manager selection to diversify portfolios, according to the latest UBS Global Family Office Report.