regulation

ASIC made no secret of its assertion that Lanterne operated purely as a “licensee for hire”, which is an ominous reminder for licensees operating with thin risk and compliance standards that the regulator is watching.

On what was set up as a discussion around the proposals put forward by the Quality of Advice Review, the topic repeatedly shifted to the frustration providers felt at not being able to work with ASIC to bring compliant solutions to market.

Multi-strategy separately managed accounts (SMAs) are “taking off like you wouldn’t believe”, according to SQM Research CEO Louis Christopher, but the rapid increase in their use could also be creating a regulatory blind spot.

While the move to tax superannuation balances above $3 million at a higher rate would affect only a handful of people at first, if the threshold is not indexed to inflation, future generations may be turned off from investing in their super, industry leaders say.

Consumers will be bamboozled by the government’s plan to divide advisers into “experienced” and “relevant” camps, the association explained. That, and the need for a sunset clause, mean the current proposal needs work.

While FoFA was the right policy for its era, Ripoll says the industry has come a long way and has different needs. The Quality of Advice Review’s proposals are an “important step” for today’s industry, he believes.

The wealth management arm of Bell Direct believes the principles-based regulatory system proposed in the advice review will not only facilitate the dissemination of advice, but encourage development of digital models that will facilitate transactional advice.

“I don’t think anyone told me that things are going well,” said Michelle Levy of the advice review consultation process. Despite being given disparate views on how to fix things, the lawyer believes compromise was never an option.

In a letter released by the group Thursday it said “urgent action is needed”, and called the government’s impending response a “rare opportunity to deliver affordable and accessible advice to consumers”.

The percentage of paraplanners that have ambitions to become qualified financial advisers has decreased dramatically, with several key drivers behind the change.