Australasia

AUSTRALASIA - Russell Investment Group has made two senior appointments to its Asia Pacific investment team.

AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND - Russell Investment Group has merged its institutional and retail businesses, as investors increasingly demand services that cross the retail/institutional divide.

AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND - Australia's superannuation system has helped raise workers' expectations for retirement above those of their Kiwi counterparts, a study from Mercer has found.

AUSTRALASIA - Mercer has brought its Australian, New Zealand and Asian businesses under one umbrella, combining its capabilities in the areas of retirement and benefits outsourcing.

AUSTRALIA - The Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC) has appointed Bill Prendergast to the new position of Global Fixed Interest (GFI) beta manager, bringing the company's investment team to 21.

AUSTRALIA - The Labor party must rule out re-introducing a 15% tax on superannuation payouts in order to maintain Australia's economic growth, assistant treasurer Peter Dutton has claimed.

FIJI - The Fiji National Provident Fund registered a 42.86% increase in its return on investments over 2006 and saw its income increase from F$168m (US$100m) to a record F$240m.

AUSTRALIA - The Australian superannuation industry has expressed outrage over an upcoming parliamentary inquiry that will examine the structure and operations of the industry.

FIJI - Members of the Fiji National Provident Fund (FNPF) will benefit from a 0.25% increase in the interest rate credited to their accounts.

AUSTRALASIA - Financial services firm Cogent has hired Gail Burke as head of Cogent, Australasia.