Financial Institutions and Services

Articles

Treasury consults on significant reforms to the regulation of Australia’s audit sector

By: Suzanne Craig, Thomas Cavanagh and Jacqueline Mendoza Treasury has consulted on a suite of potential reforms aimed at strengthening accountability, governance and oversight across Australia’s accounting, auditing and consulting sectors. Released on 1 July 2026, the options paper proposes a range of reforms directed principally at the audit sector, including an ASIC licensing regime for audit […]

By : Joshua Weiler Sep 24, 2026 Comments Off

Thought Leadership

Climate statements and personal exposure: a D&O guide to the liability landscape

By: Raisa Conchin, Jacques Jacobs, Amanda Beattie and Zoe Jones At a glance In 2026, climate‑related statements entered the mainstream of directors’ and officers’ liability. This fourth article in our climate series focusses upon the personal liability landscape for D&O arising from climate-related statements and disclosures, including the new statutory sustainability reporting obligations under Chapter […]

By : Joshua Weiler Sep 17, 2026 Comments Off

WK News

2026 Wotton Kearney APIG Scholarship: Winner announced

Congratulations to Roger Wong at SURA Technology Risks on being awarded the 2026 Wotton Kearney APIG Scholarship. This year’s applicants were asked to identify a major issue in their area of insurance and propose how it could be resolved. Roger impressed the judging panel with his submission on ‘Information Asymmetry in the World of Cyber […]

By : Joshua Weiler Sep 15, 2026 Comments Off

Thought Leadership

Private credit’s reckoning: why governance failures are becoming the real risk for AFSL holders and directors

By: Suzanne Craig and Thomas Cavanagh The collapse of Shield, First Guardian and property developer Bathla has transformed private credit from an investment story into a governance story. Suzanne Craig and Thomas Cavanagh examine ASIC’s emerging enforcement strategy, the growing exposure of AFSL holders and directors, and the implications for D&O and professional indemnity insurers. […]

By : Joshua Weiler Sep 3, 2026 Comments Off

Case Alerts

New Zealand Court of Appeal clarifies trustee discretion and duty of care

By: Mathew Francis, Rebecca Scott, James Dymock and Alison Cupples Perpetual Trust Ltd v Cooke [2026] NZCA 349 Background Mrs Cooke died in March 2017. Her two adult children (Mr Cooke and Mrs Panhuis) were the original executors of the estate and trustees of the testamentary trusts established by her will. The estate’s main assets […]

By : Tracey Govind Aug 13, 2026 Comments Off

Case Alerts

NSW class actions: the push to introduce GCO-equivalent arrangements

By: Amanda Beattie and Zoe Jones At a glance At present, Victoria remains the only Australian jurisdiction where contingency arrangements are available to plaintiff law firms through the Group Costs Order (GCO) regime, but that may change in light of NSW considering reforms. We take a look at the current position in NSW, the reforms […]

By : Joshua Weiler Jun 18, 2026 Comments Off

Thought Leadership

D&O, Financial Institutions and Regulatory Update (to May 2026)

By: Antony Holden, Caroline Laband, Michael Cavanaugh and Sophia Lynch We’re excited to share our first update for 2026 in the D&O, Financial Institutions and Regulatory environment. The aim of these regular updates is to help you stay ahead of fast-moving changes. This snapshot distils the decisions, enforcement action and reform momentum that we think […]

By : Charlene Bungara May 28, 2026 Comments Off

Thought Leadership

From global trends to regulatory reality: regulatory and risk implications of climate change

By: Amanda Beattie, Charu Stevenson and Zoe Jones Overview In the first two articles in this series (here and here), we examined the rapid expansion of climate-related litigation globally and traced how those international developments are reshaping the Australian litigation landscape. Climate litigation is no longer confined to environmental approvals or public law challenges, but […]

By : Joshua Weiler Apr 8, 2026 Comments Off

Thought Leadership

Class Actions in Focus: Defining Decisions in 2025 and Trends to Watch

Over 1,000 class actions filed, $1.5 billion in settlements, and a landmark Robodebt settlement that made history. 2025 was a milestone year for class actions in Australia, and 2026 is shaping up to be just as consequential. Our class actions experts unpack some key developments and trend themes in their latest article – Class Actions […]

By : Joshua Weiler Mar 31, 2026 Comments Off

Case Alerts

ASIC’s case against the directors of Star Entertainment: directors’ duties through a modern lens

By: Yen Seah and Bella Marazita ASIC v Bekier (Liability Judgment) [2026] FCA 196 If you read nothing else, read this: The Federal Court’s 500-page liability judgment in ASIC v Bekier delivers a clear message for directors and officers: passive oversight is not enough. Executives must escalate serious risks – failing to act on red flags can breach […]

By : Joshua Weiler Mar 17, 2026 Comments Off

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