David Chaplin

The NZX has signaled a two-year spending program lies ahead as the group integrates its in-house investment administration platform with the Smart funds operation. NZX chief, Mark Peterson, told shareholders at the group’s annual meeting earlier this month that while the stock exchange didn’t “expect any major cost surprises” in 2025, the internal funds and… [Read More…]

The newly formed Raise Investments has taken over and rebranded the first regulated bitcoin fund to be offered in Australasia. Raise, an entity owned by the family interests of Implemented Investment Solutions (IIS) and InvestNow founder, Anthony Edmonds, bought the Vault International Bitcoin Fund in a deal finalised last week. Following the ownership change, the… [Read More…]

Veteran FNZ executive and director, Charlie Trotter, has stepped down from a key board role for the mega global investment technology firm. Trotter officially left the board of FNZ Group on April 1 in a move notified early in May. FNZ Group houses the main global reporting entity that re-domiciled in NZ in 2022. The… [Read More…]

Craigs Investment Partners booked an almost 18 per cent jump in operating revenue and profit last year even as costs rose by a similar proportion. According to the just-released Craigs 2024 accounts, the NZ wealth management network rang up almost $267 million in operating income for the 12-month period against more than $227 million over… [Read More…]

The launch of a new fund taking on the $250 billion NZ bank deposit market moved closer last week after Wedge lodged formal disclosure documents. As reported in April, the manager founded by former Fisher Funds fixed income head, David McLeish, plans to attract lazy bank account and term deposit money into a novel investment… [Read More…]

Almost two-thirds of financial planners expect artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the quality of advice, according to a just-released global survey. The Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB) poll of more than 6,200 advisers in 24 jurisdictions (including NZ) found 60 per cent believed AI would “enhance the quality of advice” while almost 80 per cent… [Read More…]

Artificial intelligence (AI) KiwiSaver compliance start-up, Sevaka, has landed its first “enterprise client”, according to founder, Clive Fernandes. Fernandes said the technology firm had started worked on building an AI-based KiwiSaver client-servicing tool for an unnamed provider with a pilot version expected to be ready for take-off in two months. “We’re solving for a specific… [Read More…]

The NZ Superannuation Fund (NZS) is set to exit the hotel business as a joint venture local real estate portfolio valued at more than $600 million goes up for sale. NZS partnered with the Russell Property Group and Lockwood Property Group in 2019 to form NZ Hotel Holdings, which owns seven marquee sites around the… [Read More…]

Institutional investor appetite for private markets continues to rise with debt and infrastructure proving the most popular menu items in 2025, according to a new global Mercer survey. The second annual Mercer ‘Large asset owner barometer’ found “a significant divergence between public and private markets, with large asset owners planning to increase allocations to several… [Read More…]

Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) head of dynamic asset allocation, David Iverson, will succeed Paul Dyer as chief investment officer for the almost $50 billion government-owned fund. Iverson joined the ACC fund in 2020 after an 11-year stint at the NZ Superannuation Fund (NZS), finishing as head of asset allocation at the now $80 billion sovereign… [Read More…]