David Chaplin

Aaron Drew, head of the Auckland New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) business, has joined the Hastings financial advisory firm, Stewart Group, as chief investment officer. Drew, who will continue to act as an NZIER associate, takes up the newly-created position in January 2016 in a role that includes advising on Stewart Group’s $265… [Read More…]

Wellington-based accounting software firm, Xero, was the highest-ranked Australasian company in the 2015 KPMG/H2 Ventures ‘Fintech 100’ list published last week. Xero, the only NZ company on the list, came in at number 15 of the top 50 global fintech elite named in the second annual KPMG/H2 Ventures report on the sector. However, the result… [Read More…]

The New Zealand Superannuation Fund (NZS) has climbed to just under $30 billion after returning more than 1 per cent in November. According to the latest NZS figures, the fund sits just $35 million shy of its $31.15 billion peak hit this July. However, the NZS will have to eke out further gains under its… [Read More…]

The number of licensed discretionary investment management service (DIMS) providers will exceed 50, according to the Financial Markets Authority (FMA). While 50 entities were already licensed as DIMS operators a further two applications were “in the pipeline” post the November 30 deadline, an FMA spokesman said. In June the regulator said it had received only… [Read More…]

Specialist publishers, such as those of us in the funds industry ‘trades’, have thought that we may well be the last people standing as the digital revolution rolled over generalist magazines and newspapers first. That may still be true, but it doesn’t mean that it’s not a difficult market segment. Last week was the last… [Read More…]

After accumulating more than 400 stories under administration in its first year of operation, Investment News NZ (IN NZ) signs off 2015 this week with issue 46. Clearly, there has been plenty to fill the space in the intervening months since the IN NZ February launch issue – only some of it scandalous. Scandals aside,… [Read More…]

AMP Capital may close its $150 million Strategic NZ Shares Fund with investors to be likely offered the option of transferring to the similar NZ Shares Fund. The $19 billion manager included the revelation in its ‘Other material information’ fund document published, along with a swag of new-age Financial Markets Conduct Act (FMC) disclosures, on… [Read More…]

Almost three years since inception, the Ralph Stewart-led variable annuity business, Lifetime Income Ltd (LIL), opened for applications last week after earning its final regulatory badge from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ). The RBNZ handed LIL, which mixes a fund structure with an insurance component, the country’s first variable annuities licence following a… [Read More…]

Global defined contribution (DC) retirement savings regimes are failing to achieve their main goal, according to a new report. The UK-based Defined Contribution Investment Forum (DCIF) study found DC schemes have piled up huge amounts of capital but those savings have not been converted efficiently into lifetime retirement incomes. “This means that globally, governments have… [Read More…]