Financial Services

High commodity prices and a wave of cross-border capital have fuelled another busy half for WA’s dealmakers.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has kept the cash rate unchanged at 3.85 per cent, shocking markets which predicted a 90 per cent chance of a 25 basis point cut.

Idiosyncratic Cottesloe fund manager Packer & Co has reduced its exposure to the US stock market and pivoted funds to Asia to offset the impacts of global trade tensions.

Despite cost-of-living being a key issue on most Australian’s minds, new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics indicates confidence in the economy.

The corporate watchdog has cancelled the licence for Perth financial services provider Ballast, a firm which has been involved in regulatory disputes for years.

Westpac has forecast an interest rate cut by the Reserve Bank of Australia in July rather than August, but added this may not be the “shoo-in” everyone’s expecting.

The ACCC will seek a court order for private health insurer Bupa to pay $35 million in fines after misleading members over coverage entitlements over a period of five years.

A Perth-based audit veteran of more than 20 years, who was tasked with auditing Brite Advisors, has surrendered his license after ASIC found he failed to adequately perform his role.

The chief executive of the state's biggest business representative group, Peter Cock, has resigned, after less than six months in the role.

Professional services giant PwC Australia has released its first-ever annual report, revealing a 16 per cent drop in profit, and detailing efforts to address the fallout of its 2023 tax scandal.

Former Fortescue boss Fiona Hick has joined the board of investment banker Barrenjoey.

The Motor Trades Association has called on the competition regulator to block the takeover of RAC Insurance and its counterparts in QLD and SA by two industry giants.

The RAC has become the latest state-based motoring group to sell its insurance business, with Sydney-based IAG paying $1.35 billion for the WA business.

ASIC is suing Macquarie Securities for misreporting millions of short sales over 14 years, marking the regulator’s first case on short sale reporting.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia boss Matt Comyn says despite certain risks to the global economy, Australia remains an ideal place to be.

Australia’s corporate regulator has taken aim at Macquarie over longstanding compliance failures in the bank’s futures and derivatives trading arm.

National Australia Bank boss Andrew Irvine says he is heartened by the company’s performance in the first six months of FY25.

Professional services firms are going all in on a new kind of AI in an effort to revolutionise the way we work.

A Perth financial services firm has become the latest in a string of companies to have its licence cancelled for not paying compensation to clients.

WA tightened its grip as the nation’s top-performing economy, leading CommSec's State of the States report for the third time in a row.

The state’s Business News BN30 Index raised its head above 200 points after dipping below that level yesterday for the first time in two and half years, weighed down by global volatility.

A dispute between Pioneer Credit and PwC has progressed, with lawyers for both parties appearing in the Supreme Court of Western Australia.

A third of this year’s winners were WA companies, making it the state’s best showing since the program began in 2019.

Bankwest's new 'just enough bank' slogan seems to have taken a literal turn as it lays off 130 roles just two days after unveiling the new digital-only branding.

The Perth Mint has been appointed as a refinery referee by an international authority on gold, making a comeback from the controversy that surrounded the organisation.

A new boutique financial advisory highlights the pattern of consolidation and renewal in the sector.

The corporate watchdog has sued the trustee Australia’s largest superannuation fund over the delay in processing thousands of death benefit claims.

IAG boss Nick Hawkins says the company is ready to support customers potentially impacted by Cyclone Alfred.

The possibility of RAC’s lucrative insurance business being sold has moved closer after industry heavyweights IAG and Allianz brought in advisers to help them pitch a deal.

Less than half of share market floats in 2024 turned a profit, with expectations of another tough year.

Westpac’s 2025 first quarter unaudited profit dipped by 9 per cent to $1.7 billion, compared with its 2024 second half quarterly average.

OPINION: The stock exchange is struggling with relevancy and technology against a backdrop of surging global private capital.