Mergers and acquisitions have come to a grinding halt this year. But activity in the renewable energy sector is heating up with a number of deals. According to Bloomberg data, in the wider market, Australia’s deal activity dropped to $13.8 billion in the first quarter of 2020, a 32 per cent drop from the 12…
Matthew Scholten is the executive chair of Scholten Collins McKissock in Melbourne. He is a Certified Financial Planner and has qualifications from the Australian Insurance Institute (AIA), the SMSF Association and the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA). Scholten became a member of the Inside Network in May 2020, seeking to create better outcomes…
The pandemic lockdown has forced businesses to rethink modes of distribution and introduce automation in response to an increase in online shopping for essential items. Qube and Goodman Group have welcomed the opportunity to expand operations with some of Australia’s biggest retailers. Integrated port and logistics provider Qube is at the forefront of driving automation…
The recent flow of banking industry data suggests that things will get worse before they get better, and investors may want to hit pause on any plans they have to increase their bank shareholdings. The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows that demand for consumer and business loans is falling, and in remarks this…
Clients who have put off establishing a self-managed super fund due to the assumed high costs may be put at ease after the Australian Taxation Office released the median cost of an SMSF which is significantly lower than earlier reported figures. The ATO’s 2017-18 Statistical Overview of SMSFs shows the median operating expense of SMSFs…
The $85 billion industry fund for the higher education and research sector has finally filled the position of chief risk officer with the appointment of Andrew Raftis after Ruby Yadav resigned in December 2019. Raftis has over 20 years in compliance roles internationally including chief risk officer at AXA Asia Pacific, chief internal auditor of…
Former Commonwealth Bank executive Adam Bennett has been appointed as Suncorp’s chief information officer. He was previously at Commonwealth Bank for over 15 years and was most recently group executive business and private banking, executive general manager of local business banking and chief information officer for the bank’s retail and business banking divisions. He will…
A new take on environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing has emerged with the launch of a fund tackling sustainable opportunities in the water and waste management sectors. Fidelity International recently launched the Fidelity Sustainable Water and Waste Fund in Australia. In what is an under-researched sector, the fund seeks to deliver strong risk-adjusted returns…
As working from home has become the new normal for most people, there are still many opportunities for advisers and investors to cut through the noise and hear insights from some of the best investment managers and research teams from a range of webinars and virtual roundtables being hosted online every day. Mirae Asset –…
Magellan Financial Group has done some back office re-engineering to develop what it claims is the next generation of active exchange traded funds – a “one unit” product that allows investors to transact through off-market applications and through the Australian Securities Exchange. Magellan subsidiary Airlie Funds Management has listed the Airlie Australian Share Fund on…
