News
The Reserve Bank of Australia has announced it will keep the cash rate at the record low of 1.5 per cent. The decision at Tuesday’s March meeting marks Australia’s longest period without a rate change. The RBA’s last cut was in August 2016 and despite economic growth slowing in the second half of 2018, it […]
Earlier today, Australia and Indonesia signed a free trade agreement, which will strengthen economic ties between the two nations and provide opportunities for Australian farmers and the education sector. Australian Trade Minister Simon Birmingham tweeted today, “(I am) thrilled to sign the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement today with my counterpart (Enggartiasto Lukita). “This historic […]
An external governance committee has been formed in response to the Royal Commission to ensure transparency in the financial services sector. The industry-led initiative will oversee a new rating system on financial advice licensees to help consumers make informed decisions. According to Australia’s only independent rating service of financial advisers, Adviser Ratings, the establishment of […]
A strategic investment and partnership between Macquarie Group and data analytics firm, Quantexa, will boost its AI-enabled network analytics technology. Founded in 2016, Quantexa uses the latest advancements in big data and AI technology to enable an organisation to analyse the true risk or opportunity of a customer. It can be used to prevent money laundering, […]
Brambles have today announced the sale of its reusable plastic containers business for $3.5 billion. The reusable crate and container company said the sale to Triton and Luxinva, a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, was expected to be completed during the second quarter of 2019. Brambles’ chairman Stephen Johns said the sale of […]
Homewares and manchester retailer, Adairs, has recorded significant online growth with sales up 42 per cent to $24.3 million for the six months to December 30. Adairs’ Managing Director and CEO Mark Ronan said the solid growth of the first half, despite a weaker housing market, was a result of the company’s focus on delivering […]
The holding company for Equity Trustees, EQT Holdings Limited, has recorded a net profit after tax attributable to shareholders of $11.2 million, an increase of 17.3 per cent for the half-year to December 31. Chairman Jeff Kennett said it was a strong result that demonstrated the success of the EQT’s business model. “The longstanding focus […]
80 Per Cent of Australian business leaders and finance professionals claim their organisation has made a significant business decision based on inaccurate financial data. A survey of 102 Australian C-suite executives and finance professionals in companies with more than $20 million in revenue commissioned by BlackLine, Inc., a leading provider of financial controls and automation […]
New superannuation laws are expected to eliminate underperforming, fee gouging super funds with the introduction of automatic consolidation of inactive accounts and a fee cap for accounts with balances under $6000. Two superannuation bills were passed in the Senate last week and have sparked a reaction from Industry Super Australia and the Institute of Public […]
The Future is Now. As a forward-thinking leader in the global construction industry, I’m passionate about future-proofing, but I feel anxious about the future of our cities and transportation, as I’ve realised that the industry and governments are not asking the right questions about the future or investment. We need to adopt a futurist mindset that […]
There is an alarming number of Australians who are financially illiterate, which is why financial services experts Theresa Mills and Catherine Birchall have joined forces to launch a financial wellbeing program. Following two years of intensive research and digital development, Money 101’s Financial Wellbeing program will be introduced into Australian workplaces. Money 101 founding […]
The Reserve Bank of Australia’s February Statement on Monetary Policy has shown that the NSW labour market has continued to strengthen despite a volatile economy. The statement, which was released on Friday, noted that employment in NSW was continuing to increase with the jobless rate currently at 4.3 per cent, just above the record low […]
Research has found that poor performing super funds could cost the average Australian worker $600,000 in retirement funds. The findings exposed by Rainmaker Information’s superannuation comparison service, SelectingSuper, revealed that if an employee selected and stayed with a poor performing MySuper default super fund their entire career they could end up with $265,000 by the […]
Rapid growth of the space industry in Adelaide is generating national and global interest in an incubator program for space industry startups. Following on from the success of its first intake, South Australian based space incubator, Venture Catalyst Space, is on the hunt for up to 10 companies to be part of its second international […]
Australia has ranked second last on the Digital Maturity Index according to a report released this week by global leader in next-generation digital services, Infosys. The report found that Australia was behind its global counterparts with a Digital Maturity Index of 53.1 compared to the global average of 57.4. According to the report, the four […]
Recent figures released from the Australian Bureau of Statistics have confirmed that coal was Australia’s largest single export in 2018. A statement released this week from the Coal Council of Australia said that coal had now asserted its pivotal role in the Australian economy. “Historically coal has been Australia’s most significant export contributor, and the […]
The findings of the Royal Commission into the banking and financial services sector is expected to turn the finance industry on its head with fears of interest rate rises following a ban on broker commissions. Scottish Pacific CEO Peter Langham said that adding a broker fee for service would be detrimental to small business owners […]
Following on from the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Switzerland, 76 members of the World Trade Organisation have begun negotiations on new international rules in digital trade. The negotiations on trade-related aspects of e-commerce are a significant step towards updating international trade rules. Australian Minister for trade, tourism and investment, Simon Birmingham said: “Through […]
Small business owners could be most impacted once the final report of the Royal Commission is released later today. According to Scottish Pacific CEO Peter Langham, the impact of the Royal Commission will be far and wide and there are growing fears that small businesses will find it even harder to access funding. “From where […]
Ricoh, a leading provider of smart workplace technology, yesterday announced the findings of its Workplace Innovation Index, a new look into the challenges Australian organisations face with driving innovation and adapting to change. In a survey of business leaders conducted on behalf of Ricoh by StollzNow Research, only one-quarter (25%) believe innovation is core to […]
