Financial Standard

Clime to offload Madison Financial Group

JAMIE WILLIAMSON   Clime Investment Management will sell Madison Financial Group and managed accounts platform WealthPortal to Infocus for $2 million.

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.

EQT Mid-Market Growth Fund exceeds target

ANDREW MCKEAN   The Baring Private Equity Asia EQT Mid-Market Growth Partnership (MMG fund) has held its final close at $2.4 billion in total fund commitments, of which $2.1 billion is fee-generating.

Brookfield Oaktree to further democratise alternatives in Australia

ANDREW MCKEAN   Local investors will get access to Brookfield Oaktree Wealth Solutions' global private credit strategy later this year, with plans to launch it as a unit trust.

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.

Former director sentenced to seven years in prison

ELIZA BAVIN   The former director of an unlicensed foreign exchange business will serve seven years and three months in prison for fraud.

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.

DWS names APAC chief investment officer, real estate

JAMIE WILLIAMSON   DWS appointed Matthias Naumann as chief investment officer, real estate in Asia Pacific as a sign of its ambitions in the region.

abrdn global chief executive steps down

KARREN VERGARA   The global chief executive of abrdn will step down at the end of June after four years in the top job.

Retail funds drive down admin fees: KPMG

KARREN VERGARA   Expensive retail superannuation funds have finally become competitive with industry funds after bringing down their administration fees, a new analysis by KPMG shows.

APRA hits Mercer with additional licence conditions

ELIZA BAVIN   Mercer has responded to the regulator saying it is committed to taking action on the issues raised.

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.