Latest media releases

The election surprise for many was just how influential issues such as climate change were. Jessie Pettigrew, Head of ESG and Sustainability at BT, said that Australians’ interest in environmental – as well as social and governance issues – has been building momentum for some time, judging by how much money has been flowing into sustainable investments.

In addition to the usual year-end to-do list for financial advisers, in the mix this year are changes regarding downsizer contributions, the superannuation guarantee and the Covid-related measure on minimum pension drawdowns.

The BT Super Board and Mercer today announced they had signed a Heads of Agreement to merge BT’s Personal and Corporate superannuation funds into the Mercer Super Trust to create a $65 billion superannuation fund helping more than 850,000 Australians to invest for and support their retirement.

Looking for ways to support your client engagement and referral pathways using social media? We surveyed financial advisers as part of our recent interactive social media webinars and here are some of the key findings.

The March quarter saw continued investment in BT Panorama, centred on improving advisers’ online experience, led by advisers’ feedback. In the March 2022 quarter, BT rolled out several new releases to fortify and enhance the platform.

The Federal Budget’s focus was on addressing cost of living pressures and, although it was extremely quiet on superannuation, there was nonetheless healthy adviser interest in some of the proposed measures, including: the tax offset for low to middle income taxpayers, social security measures such as the $250 one-off cost of living payment, and extension of minimum pension drawdowns.

Today BT announced the appointment of Kathryn Cosentino to the newly created role of Head of Product Management in its platforms business.

BT, one of Australia’s leading wealth management businesses, has launched its first brand campaign in over two years. The refresh showcases its technical and investing knowhow to boost brand consideration among its target audience segments.

For the fourth year running, BT Panorama has been awarded best mobile platform and best client portal by industry research house Investment Trends.

Advisers’ take up of managed accounts solutions on contemporary platforms with full digital features remains strong and comprised 66% of net flows to BT Panorama for the December quarter.

Advisers are preparing for a busy 2022, with an action list related to regulations that impact their business and professional development, as well as future opportunities for their clients.

BT Financial Group today announced a fee cut for MySuper and Choice members almost halving their dollar-based administration fee from $108 pa to $56 pa.

Adviser and investor interest in managed accounts continues to grow, with 64 new Managed Portfolios added to BT Panorama in the calendar year 2021, bringing the total on the platform to 231.

With the migration of BT Wrap customers to BT Panorama completed in the June quarter, FUA growth in the September quarter was largely due to adviser demand for managed account solutions on a contemporary platform.

Among the top five questions that advisers have asked BT’s technical team in the September quarter, two are related to Covid: the re-contributions of early release of super amounts and the extension of Covid relief for SMSFs.

Matthew Rady has today been announced Chief Executive Officer, BT Financial Group (BTFG). This newly created role leads a combined business that includes BT Platforms, including BT Panorama, BT’s Personal and Corporate Super, and Investments.

BT’s 500,000 MySuper members have seen record returns for most members in the twelve months to 30 June, with returns as high as 25.6%, the strongest 12 month returns since BT’s MySuper options were launched in 2014.

The migration of BT Wrap customers to BT Panorama was completed in June adding a total of $58.1bn FUA (as at 30 June) and 151,239 customer accounts since December 2020.

BT today announced it has completed the final tranche of its BT Wrap migration to BT Panorama – taking BT Panorama’s total funds under administration (FUA) to over $100bn.

BT has today announced that Gai McGrath has been appointed Non-Executive Director and Chair of the BT Super Trustee Boards following the decision of current Chair David Plumb to retire after more than 10 years of service.

With the end of the financial year just around the corner, top of mind for many financial advisers is the indexation of superannuation caps and thresholds, which includes an increase to the ‘preservation age’ relating to when Australians can access their super, as well as the qualifying age for the age pension.

The 2021 end of the financial (EOFY) will be nothing like previous financial years for many Australians with potential Government stimulus payments, early release of super withdrawals, change in working hours and working from a home office all impacting financial goals and tax time preparations.

Advisers are focusing on proactive strategies for clients, with superannuation and particularly contributions top of mind, as social security measures take a back seat.

BT Panorama to become largest contemporary platform in market, powered by organic growth and migration.

BT Panorama is now Australia’s largest contemporary investment platform with $49 billion of funds under administration (FUA). More than 38,000 BT Wrap client accounts have been transferred to BT Panorama in the last week, increasing FUA by 30%. Once all BT Wrap accounts have been transferred (completion is expected by the middle of this year), BT Panorama will have around $90 billion FUA.

For the third year running BT Panorama has been awarded ‘Best Mobile Platform”, ‘Best Client Portal’ and “Best Online Business Management’, in the latest Platform Competitive Analysis and Benchmarking Report from Investment Trends.

Invest Blue has partnered with BT, in conjunction with Ironbark and Russell Investment Management, to develop a managed account solution for the advice firm’s 4000-strong client base.

COVID-19 continued to be a dominant theme in Australians’ conversations with their financial advisers in the final quarter of 2020, as clients realise their plans to downsize for lifestyle or health reasons.