2026 Fiduciary Investors Symposium NSW
Top allocators revisit China as AI race heats up
A panel of top allocators have conceded that it might be time to rethink underweights to China as the Asian superpower’s intensifying AI race with the US creates attractive opportunities and the line between government and the private sector blurs in the US.
CIO Series
Why Mercer Super’s CIO won’t sweat US tech dominance
While other asset owners grow increasingly cautious on the United States – even as regulation, peer comparison and plain old FOMO keep them from moving away from it – Mercer Super chief investment officer Graeme Miller told Investment Magazine’s CIO Series podcast that those worried about concentration risk are missing a bigger picture.
Investments
Future Fund outruns Iran crisis, stagflation fears to return 11.7 per cent
Australia’s sovereign wealth fund has returned 11.7 per cent over the last 12 months, growing to a record $269.1 billion and shrugging off a turbulent March quarter shaped by the Iran conflict and stagflation fears.
Financial Advice
AustralianSuper in digital advice tie-up for 3.6 million members
The nation’s largest profit-to-member super fund has selected Ignition Advice as its partner to roll out digital financial advice to 3.6 million members starting later this year. The move comes as a growing number of funds turn to digital services to improve the access and affordability of advice to members, especially as they transition into retirement.
21 July, 2026
Insurance in Super Summit
19 August, 2026
Retirement Leaders Summit
13 – 15 October, 2026
Fiduciary Investors Symposium
Leadership & profiles
JANA gets new CIO as Frontier plots OCIO land grab
Former Morningstar Investment Management APAC chief investment officer Matt Wacher will join JANA as its new CIO as rival asset consultant Frontier Advisors prepares to bring its own outsourced CIO solution, powered by the former State Super investment team, to market.
Leadership & profiles
GESB CEO calls time: ‘Past regime of default super’ no longer sustainable
GESB chief executive Ben Palmer is set to leave the Western Australian government super fund, ending a 13-year tenure after steering the fund through the most significant change in its history. In a rare interview, Palmer examines the past, present and future of super and explains why GESB is treating platforms, not profit-to-member funds, as its benchmark.
Profiles
Why HESTA’s ‘joined-up thinking’ is one of its CIO’s favourite things
Sonya Sawtell-Rickson joined HESTA as the health industry workers’ super fund was taking steps towards investment internalisation and a total portfolio approach. She says the moves have been vindicated not only by member returns but in the “joined-up” conversations the now-$96 billion fund has with the companies it invests in.
Retirement
Retirement income products off the performance test hook – for now
Treasury has deferred extending the superannuation performance test to retirement-phase products until the Retirement Reporting Framework begins publishing data in 2028, leaving about $500 billion in assets and 1.4 million member accounts outside the test’s scope.
Industry & regulation
Super complaints expected to reach 8000 in 2026: AFCA
Superannuation complaints to AFCA are on track to exceed 8000 this year, a second consecutive year of around 30 per cent increases. Heather Gray, who is retiring in May after six years as lead ombudsman for superannuation, told the authority’s Member Forum that the answer to reducing complaints lies in empowering funds’ IDR teams and communicating with complainants and AFCA early. The forum heard that handling unreasonable people is a critical skill.
Governance
Super switching paranoia drives misinformation campaign
The Super Members Council representing profit-to-member funds claims younger and lower-balance Australians are being transitioned by advisers to “risky” platforms and SMSFs, while the Financial Services Council has fired back with data suggesting it is mostly older, wealthier consumers being advised to switch their super. Aleks Vickovich writes the truth, as usual, is probably somewhere in between.
Industry & regulation
Diversa applies for $239m First Guardian government bailout
Diversa Trustees has applied to the government for a bailout of First Guardian investors worth approximately $239 million, arguing the losses were a result of fraud and it will be in the best financial interest to members.
Investments
Canada establishes new SWF amidst global push for nation-building investment
Canada has established its first national-level sovereign wealth fund with a seed of C$25 billion to underwrite “nation-building” projects like ports, mines and energy infrastructure. In an unusual funding mechanism, the fund will issue a retail product that will allow individual investors to invest with the SWF and “participate in Canada’s growth”.
Portfolio & risk management
‘Stick to your guns’: HESTA says disciplined DAA still delivers
Dynamic asset allocation has become increasingly popular among pension and sovereign wealth funds as a top-down tool to generate alpha and mitigate risk in the face of changing market conditions, though not every asset owner believes in the approach’s value-add. But HESTA’s general manager of dynamic assets Michael Blayney argues active asset allocation is just natural extension of the underlying logic in security selection.
