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 (Pictured: Matt Christensen) AXA Investment Managers, which has been running a A$300 million global impact investing fund-of-funds operation for the AXA group’s fiduciary funds over the past 18 months, will next year launch a similar fund for external clients. Matt Christensen, AXA IM’s Paris-based head of responsible investing, was in Australia last week talking to super…

The sale for NAB’s custody and asset servicing business has come to an end – not with a prospective buyer, but with an announcement from the company that it is going to “leverage key partnerships and invest in technology to further cement its position as Australia’s leading custodial services provider.” Favourites Northern Trust and State…

(Pictured: James Gruver) The waters, in the search for alpha, have been muddied of late because of the – possibly – incompatible search for yield. Well, how about emerging markets credit? That seems to tick both boxes. James Gruver, well known to the market from his former role as head of BNY Mellon in Australia, has…

(Pictured: Tim Hodgson) Tim Hodgson of Towers Watson has spent about 12 years at the big consultant’s Thinking Ahead Group, campaigning for ideas to revolutionise investment management.  Now, the group is set for a new chapter. It has attracted about 20 asset owners and managers to become outside members in a forum, which starts formally in…

 (Pictured: John Schaffer) The results of broad bodies of research, of which all institutional investors are well aware, do not necessarily apply when we narrow the universe to practically available options. A research note by the Australian representative of an international growth manager, for instance, poses some interesting questions for investors. John Schaffer, whose Catallyst Advisors…

 (Pictured: Steve Hall) Brookvine, the fund manager and third-party marketer, has put together a dossier on the investment behaviour of family offices and high-net-worth investors, highlighting their differences compared with super funds. Managers and advisors should take note. The dossier followed a gathering, which Brookvine called ‘Whiteboarding 1.0’, which included family offices, managers and researchers. It…

 (Pictured: David Bryant) The party is over for SMSF investors, according to David Bryant. For the past 20 years the “three trick pony” of residential property, bank shares and term deposits has worked very well. But he believes it’s not going to work well for another three-four years, let alone 20, as those SMSF trustees move…

 (Pictured: Jim Ross) It’s taken a while, but the world’s largest ETF has finally listed in Australia. The bell was rung for the State Street Global Advisors SPYDR S&P 500 at the ASX in Sydney last week. It is the fifth US ETF to list in Australia. The ETF market, pioneered by SSgA in Australia…

 (Pictured: Charles Cock) BNP Paribas has won the securities servicing contract for the $7.6 billion Australian Unity portfolios as the custody industry continues to see the greatest activity in mandate changes that it has for years. It is understood that the pitch was hotly contested by State Street, which has had a string of wins itself…

(Pictured: Peter Costello) Peter Costello, former Treasurer and current chair of the Future Fund, warned last week’s annual SuperRatings and Lonsec conference – Day of Confrontation – that “all things will have to be justified” in future. “I wouldn’t even assume dividend imputation is a permanent feature,” he said. The conference was SuperRatings’ first in Sydney…

(Pictured: Andrew Harrison) White Outsourcing, the specialist funds manager administrator, has entered the custody market, concentrating on the small end – primarily boutique managers – which is a segment that has been increasingly eschewed by the big custodian banks. It has entered a new arrangement with JP Morgan to take on the global custody component on…

(Pictured: Iain Dunstan) Iain Dunstan has been appointed the managing director, wealth, at Rubik Financial, the listed banking and wealth management systems company, replacing Wayne Wilson, who resigned recently. Dunstan, most recently the regional director of global technology group Avalog, was previously the chief executive and a shareholder in Bravura Solutions. He takes up his new…