AFSLs

Financial planning

ASIC unveils strategic enforcement priorities for FY25

A wide range of strategic priorities are set to fall under the corporate regulator’s enforcement spotlight in the next 12 months, including the risk management and data s...

Financial planning

M&A activity sees higher number of ceasing AFSLs

The number of ceased advice licensees this financial year is nearly four times higher than the previous period, likely driven by M&A activity among new AFSLs, writes Weal...

Financial planning

Adviser-owned, adviser-run: Godfrey Pembroke CEO on Insignia exit

Three months since Godfrey Pembroke officially exited Insignia Financial’s institutional AFSL, Money Management speaks with CEO Mark Fisher on his path to becoming an adv...

Financial planning

Which AFSLs did ASIC target in FY24?

With the 2023–24 financial year behind us, Money Management takes a look back on the financial advice licensees that were hit with enforcement action by ASIC in the past ...

Financial planning

Onus falls on boutique AFSLs to recruit new entrants

The Financial Advice Association Australia’s Anne Palmer believes new entrants can no longer rely on large advice licensees for recruitment, leaving the obligation to sma...

Financial planning

ASIC flags fast-approaching AFSL experience pathway obligations

ASIC has reminded AFSLs they have just three business days until obligations come into force to notify ASIC of an adviser accessing the experience pathway within 30 days,...

Financial planning

ASIC IDR reporting kicks in for AFSLs

Hundreds of AFSLs with retail authorisation must now report internal dispute resolution to ASIC by 29 February as the final tranche of the regime’s implementation kicks i...

Financial planning

Will advisers ever match consumer demand?

While the Quality of Advice Review is expected to positively impact financial adviser numbers, Rainmaker’s new projections underline the continuous challenge they face to...

Financial planning

AMP loses over 150 advisers in a year

Whilst micro-AFSLs’ numbers continue to grow, larger licensees including AMP and Insignia Financial are struggling to hold down their advisers....

Policy & Regulation

Litigation funding reforms introduced in Parliament

The bill will allow courts to be empowered to approve or vary the method for distributing claim proceeds to non-members of the scheme....

Policy & Regulation

Bulk upload reports for breach reporting allowed

To reduce the reporting burden, the corporate regulator is allowing licensees to batch upload reports that derive from a single root cause as part of the new breach repor...

Financial planning

ASIC releases adviser reference checking protocol

The corporate regulator has released its protocol around how licensees should be reference checking prospective financial advisers they wish to employ. ...

Financial planning

WT Financial Group looks to more acquisitions

The group that just acquired Sentry is looking to continue its expansion to become one of the biggest mid-tier independent financial planning groups by organic growth and...

Financial planning

Call to use Single Disciplinary Body to reduce, not increase costs

The Government and Treasury should seek to avoid repeating the FASEA mistakes by using the establishment of a Single Disciplinary Body to reduce regulatory costs. ...

Financial planning

More licensees close as adviser numbers continue to drop

Another eight licensees chose to close this week, which translated into a loss of 15 adviser roles, while the number of actual advisers continued to drop to 22,201. ...