Superannuation industry at the forefront of ‘fiduciary capitalism’

24 October 2013
| By Staff |
image
image
expand image

Large Australian asset owners are well positioned to lead the way as the world's financial systems move towards a new era of ‘fiduciary capitalism', CFA Institute president and chief executive John Rogers says.

Set to address the CFA Institute Australia Investment Conference in Melbourne, Rogers said Australian pension funds in particular were focusing more on the long-term objectives of their beneficiaries rather than potentially damaging short-term profit motives.

According to Rogers, the agenda of fiduciary asset owners now involves minimising costs, making sure their assets match their liabilities and taking into account all external forces that result from their investment activities.

"Australia has a well-developed fiduciary environment given the rise of the compulsory superannuation, which started with Paul Keating," he said.

"Australian super funds have been at the forefront of development and adoption of socially responsible investing (SRI), for instance."

A recent CFA and Edelman investor trust study found that 53 per cent of the 2100 retail and institutional investors in the US, Hong Kong, Australia and Canada surveyed had trust in investment firms. When the figure was split, the survey revealed that retail investors were less trusting of the industry (52 per cent) than institutional investors (61 per cent).

The Stronger Super and Future of Financial Advice regulatory reforms had been a step in the right direction in steering Australia's investment industry towards a more transparent system, Rogers said. The Coalition Government now had the opportunity to build on this legacy.

"However, it is up to all, including CFA charter-holders, fund managers, brokers, advisers and regulators, to build a more a robust and trustworthy financial system," he added.

Read more about:

AUTHOR

Recommended for you

sub-bgsidebar subscription

Never miss the latest developments in Super Review! Anytime, Anywhere!

Grant Banner

From my perspective, 40- 50% of people are likely going to be deeply unhappy about how long they actually live. ...

1 year 3 months ago
Kevin Gorman

Super director remuneration ...

1 year 3 months ago
Anthony Asher

No doubt true, but most of it is still because over 45’s have been upgrading their houses with 30 year mortgages. Money ...

1 year 3 months ago

In what is being called a coordinated cyber attack, a number of Australia’s largest superannuation funds have suffered a breach with thousands of user accounts compromise...

19 hours ago

Donald Trump’s tariff blitz has shaken global markets, fuelling uncertainty over trade retaliation, recession, and economic fallout, while Australia, though bruised, esca...

20 hours ago

Shadow treasurer Angus Taylor has vowed to slash red tape and introduce a suite of financial services reforms aimed at transforming Australia into a leading financial hub...

1 day 19 hours ago

TOP PERFORMING FUNDS