News

The Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST) has argued that funds should be permitted to use their operational risk financial reserve (ORFR) to upgrade their systems and prevent future risks earlier. The “blunt” 0.25 per cent of fund capital that funds must hold in their ORFR is now becoming a “very significant sum” for some…

Apostle’s People and Planet fund was tailor-made for Statewide Super’s members – and has interesting implications for an industry trying to meet a new wave of demand for sustainable options.   Two years ago, many institutions were still outsourcing their socially responsible investing (SRI) to AMP Capital or Pendal. But the Boe Pahari controversy saw…

Perennial’s new private growth fund is swinging for the institutional market as more and more companies steer clear of public markets amidst conditions. “The number of companies looking to stay private for longer has exploded,” says Ryan Sohn,portfolio manager for Perennial’s new Private Growth Ventures fund. “There’s a need for patient, private capital, and that’s…

The cult of the benchmark is alive and well in global financial markets – and it’s probably doing more harm than good when it comes to ESG investing. ESG has leapt from the fringes of the financial services to widespread acceptance in just a handful of years. But markets tend to act as myopic, short-term…

As funds get bigger and bigger – and the Your Future Your Super (YFYS) performance test bites – they’re rethinking everything from alpha generation to their intrinsic investment philosophies. While the increasing size of super funds will benefit them in unlisted markets – where big funds can increasingly play on the same field as global…

According to Pzena Investment Management, the value cycle is now truly under way – and shows no signs of slowing.   New York-based Pzena Investment Management began to track the value rotation in late 2020, with its analysis research showing that deep value stocks have outperformed by around 37.4 per cent since. But the question…

Factor-specialist Northern Trust Asset Management (NTAM) has established a quantitative investment team targeting the Asia-Pacific region. Australia-based, Scott Bennett, will head the new NTAM APAC quant unit across the dual locations of Melbourne and Hong Kong. Bennett joined NTAM in 2018 as head of quant research for Australia and NZ. Before moving to NTAM, Bennett…

As merger activity continues apace, State Street – armed with its “unique” front-to-back solution – intends to take a dominant position as custodian of choice for the biggest end of town. The super industry and its custodians are now exiting a period of relative stability. The number of funds has more than halved in the…

Schroders has launched likely the first dedicated fund managed directly to the Your Future, Your Super (YFYS) benchmark for alternative investments. The Global Active Allocation Fund, which has secured a foundation investment mandate from a large super fund, is a multi-asset portfolio with the objective of outperforming the YFYS benchmark applying to alternative investments and…

Rumoured talks between NAB Asset Servicing (NAS) and HSBC have re-opened the possibility that Australia’s last homegrown custody business will finally close its doors. The latest rumour circulating through Australia’s tight-knit asset servicing industry is that HSBC is pitching to negotiate the potential transfer of NAS’ 30 largest clients to its business, while NAS would…

Before Jack Diamond, a super industry and funds management stalwart, was diagnosed with cancer his friend Josh Funder had come up with the idea of sponsoring an award for innovation in finance. It is called the ‘Diamond Award’. For Funder, the founder and chief executive of Household Capital, an innovative firm itself which lends to…

HSBC has recruited a State Street custody veteran as part of a long-planned expansion of its own business. Sinclair Scholfield has been appointed head of sales and client management for HSBC’s Securities Services business in Australia and New Zealand. Scholfield spent the last 18 years at State Street, where he was most recently head of…