News

BlueMark, an impact investment verification service provider, has launched a benchmark for tracking best practices in impact management. It is designed to root out impact washing. The global benchmark allows market participants to differentiate between impact ‘leaders’ and ‘learners’, the US-based BlueMark said last week (May 11). It is based on aggregated data and insights…

ANZ, ASB, AMP, Fisher and Mercer have all been dumped as the KiwiSaver default schemes following the latest government review. In a release last Friday (May 14), NZ Finance Minister, Grant Robertson, confirmed the default provider numbers would shrink to six with two new players – Smartshares and Simplicity – joining incumbents Westpac, BNZ, Booster…

Club Plus Super, the NSW-based industry fund representing primarily the employees of licensed clubs, has elected AustralianSuper as its preferred merger partner. In a joint announcement last week (May 13), Stefan Strano, the chief executive of Club Plus, said that exploring a merger was in the best interest of members. The funds have signed a…

With increasing pressure for diversity among boards of directors and scrutiny by regulators, shareholders and their agents, spare a thought for the question of director capabilities. The Actuaries Institute dissected whether there was “an issue around the skills required to be a director”, in a plenary session last week (May 12) at the actuaries’ summit…

Institutional investors are pushing companies for disclosures that clearly detail how climate-related risks impact the bottom line, according to a new global survey. The sixth annual Institutional Investor Survey carried out by specialist consultancy firm Morrow Sodali confirmed environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors are now firmly entrenched across industry practices. Almost 100 per cent…

BNP Paribas Securities Services has put on about $140 billion of new custody business in the area of sub custody and clearing in Australia in the past 12 months, pushing it up the market share charts. David Braga, the Head of Securities Services for Australia and New Zealand, confirmed last week (May 13) that BNP…

If their momentum holds for a few more weeks, some of Australia’s largest super funds are likely to provide a return of 15 per cent or more for the financial year, the best for at least eight years. According to discussions with the top 10 funds which made the finalists’ list for the upcoming Chant…

It was a budget that will be remembered for its headline deficit more than anything else. For big super funds there was a sigh of relief for the SG and that’s about it. The removal, at long last, of the $450-a-month floor for compulsory super payments has been roundly praised, in recognition that women will…

When Anthony Starkins was retrenched for the second time within a few months in 1998, after nearly 20 years in investment banking, he decided he should seek financial advice. His ensuing frustrations resulted in the business to which he has devoted the last 20-plus years, First Samuel Limited. “I spoke to financial planners, banks, brokers…

David Swensen, the Yale endowment fund’s famous chief executive and always a candidate for the “best investor in the world” title in any contest, died last Wednesday night US time (May 6 in Australia) at 67. In his 36 years at the fund’s helm, Swensen achieved many first’s for the institutional investment industry. He pioneered…

Willis Towers Watson has formed a working group to assess the potential for what it calls a ‘new breed’ of investment management firm that invests across the equity spectrum, from private to public markets. The working group, bringing together researchers from both sectors within WTW, was established in March. The global asset consulting firm believes…

As the national conversation dramatically shifted to include widespread sexist, harassment and bullying behaviours, a spotlight has been shone on the HR capabilities of organisations. Of course, the conversation has become much broader in recent months, with growing concerns being aired for women’s financial wellbeing, including the role of super, gaining headlines. But it is…