Franklin Templeton launches its first alternatives fund
Investment manager Franklin Templeton has launched the Franklin K2 Athena Fund, its first alternatives fund.
MFS appoints head of operations in Australia & New Zealand
MFS Investment Management has elevated Josh Barton to the role of managing director and head of operations in Australia and New Zealand, replacing Marian Poirier, who will retire next year.
North partners with researcher Sandstone Insights
AMP’s investment platform North, which has recently surpassed $11 billion in assets under management (AUM), has partnered with research house Sandstone Insights to provide advisers with the latest equity research and analysis.
FSI appoints institutional distribution head
Investment manager First Sentier Investors has appointed Kevin Kandasamy as head of institutional distribution in Australia and New Zealand.
Commercial property woes re-shaping super portfolios
Asset owners are under pressure over their commercial property holdings, as they write down valuations and face headwinds including poor income growth, liquidity squeeze for portfolio managers and growing ESG risk.
BT appoints platform strategy head
Former BT head of platform simplification Russell Brinckley has returned to the business as head of platform strategy and development.
Active Super sued over ESG, Russia divestment claims
ASIC deputy chair Sarah Court says “competition among super funds for new members” inspired allegedly misleading claims by Active Super about its exposure to tobacco, fossil fuel and Russia-domiciled investments. The regulator has commenced legal proceedings against the fund formerly known as Local Government Super as part of its crackdown on greenwashing.
Equity Trustees to combine trustee services
Equity Trustees will soon combine its superannuation and corporate trustee services, to further simplify its business structure.
Australia 6th most cyber-breached country in Q2
Australia is the sixth most cyber-breached country in the second quarter of 2023, according to the latest research study from VPN service Surfshark.
Super fund returns maintain momentum in July
The median balanced option delivered a return of 1.5 per cent in July, according to estimates from superannuation research house SuperRatings.
Super for housing ‘core’ to Coalition platform
The federal opposition has doubled down on its controversial policy to allow consumers to access their retirement savings to purchase residential real estate, while simultaneously arguing super should be protected and preserved.
Get serious on retirement or move members to rivals: APRA
Sharing the stage with ASIC at the Conexus Financial Retirement Conference, APRA has maintained its hardline stance after lashing superannuation trustees only weeks ago for not fulfilling their obligations under the Retirement Income Covenant. The message is clear: shape up or move members to somewhere else that can effectively service retirement needs.
