ASIC issued Regulatory Guide 256 Client review and remediation conducted by advice licensees late last week In short RG 256 says an Australian financial services licensees duty to provide financial services efficiently honestly and fairly means they have to take responsibility for the consequences ...

Exposure draft legislation to implement the long-awaited changes to the tax regime for managed investment trusts has been released The amendments are lengthy and complicated and will require systems changes and careful review of trust deeds and constitutions Although the new regime will apply ...

In preparing its Final Report the FSI has clearly paid close attention to the report of the Senate Economics References Committees Report into ASICs performance and its recommendations designed to strengthen ASIC through a combination of better funding an enhanced regulatory toolkit and higher ...

In his report earlier this year on retail life insurance advice John Trowbridge recommended that every advice licensee include at least half of the 13 relevant life insurers on its approved product list The Assistant Treasurer has since indicated the Government may consider measures to widen APLs by ...

Commissioner Hayne's recommendations may initially seem somewhat modest – they do not undo vertical integration, impose limits on executive remuneration or ban bonuses and they do not recommend that directors prefer the interests of their customers. But, while it is true that the recommendations are not radical, there is much in the report that will mean some real changes for financial services companies, their Boards and their executives, as well as for their regulators and advisers. ...

Throughout the Royal Commission, Commissioner Hayne grappled with the difficulties of striking an appropriate balance between ensuring that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have access to credit, and imposing standards on the provision of that credit to protect SME borrowers and third-party guara ...

Allens has advised on one of the largest trade sales of the 2013/14 financial year. The firm advised long-standing client Wesfarmers on the sale of its insurance broking and premium funding busines ...

Allens has advised the GPT Wholesale Office Fund ( GWOF ) and the GPT Wholesale Shopping Centre Fund ( GWSCF ), on agreements that relate to the acquisition of $1.2 billion worth of office and reta ...

Allens has continued to advise on major private equity deals in 2014 by acting for Lazard Australia Private Equity on its buyout of Australian infrastructure solutions business Skybridge. Skybridge ...

Global integrated alliance partners Allens and Linklaters have advised the arrangers on a €500 million Euro Medium Term Note issuance for Australia's largest rail freight operator, Aurizon Network. ...