Investment News

Australian firm Research IP has called out rising risks in index-based responsible investment strategies in a new report published this week. The Research IP study says the rush of money into passive products tracking environmental, social and governance (ESG) themes raises several red flags. “We are currently witnessing a phase of increased interest in responsible… [Read More…]

The peak body for global financial regulators has rolled out a series of five recommendations designed to stamp out ‘greenwashing’ and standardise sustainability disclosure across the asset management industry. In a 79-page report published this month, the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) calls for global regulators and governments to establish new cross-border ground rules… [Read More…]

Apex Group, the global administrator and fintech which last month took the reins at Australia’s Mainstream, has notched up another, more eclectic, milestone, mixing ESG with cricket. Apex, which has a strong West Indian connection through the domicile of its chief executive and founder, Peter Hughes, became the ‘Official Sustainability Partner’ for the West Indies… [Read More…]

US-based financial market infrastructure giant, the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), is building a new service to standardise trading across a range of private securities including digital assets. In a release last week, DTCC says its Digital Securities Management (DSM) platform would “streamline the issuance, transfer and servicing of private market securities”. Expected to… [Read More…]

Big Australian investors have never been very fond of taking geographical bets in their portfolios. Just ask a marketing person about selling Asia ex-Japan, for instance; even in the ‘Asian Century’. There are good reasons for why they shouldn’t, the main one being that geographies limit an investor’s universe. A good investment is a good… [Read More…]

Mortgage and lending house, Squirrel, has launched a range of portfolio investment entity (PIE) funds offering investors access to NZ’s biggest asset class. Dave Tyrer, Squirrel chief operating officer, said the new funds – three wholesale and one retail – tap directly into the huge NZ residential housing loan market that to date has been… [Read More…]

AMP Capital will continue in a A$29 billion investment management gig with Resolution Life after selling down its stake in the insurer last week. According to an AMP spokesperson, there has been “no change to the [Resolution] mandate for AMP Capital” post the agreement to offload its over 19 per cent holding in the life… [Read More…]

Stop-gap AMP Capital NZ head of investments, Michael Gray, has been upgraded to a permanent role as the group prepares to shift to new ownership. Gray was appointed this April for a short-term stint due to expire in October following the departure of former AMP Capital NZ head of investment strategy, Greg Fleming, and portfolio… [Read More…]

Wellington-based investment platform, Adminis, has hit almost $6 billion in funds under administration (FUA) after a COVID-era growth spurt. Adminis chief, Matan Gan-El, said the business had grown rapidly over the last couple of years with rising interest from advisory firms and high net worth investors, in particular. “We’ve been inundated with requests both from… [Read More…]

In the last quarterly report before the looming default scheme shake-up re-jigs the league tables, Morningstar data shows recent KiwiSaver trends persist with large institutions slowly losing market share to challenger brands. The September quarter Morningstar KiwiSaver report reveals Milford Asset Management, in particular, as the stand-out growth player. Milford added 1.2 per cent to… [Read More…]