News In Brief

Welcome to our ‘News In Brief’ column in which we digest all the news releases for you in no more than five paragraphs.
Below are snippets of all the media releases we received from July 10 till the end of the week.
This article updates throughout the week.

Bell Financial Expands Services

Sydney, July 10: Bell Financial Group (BFG) has entered a strategic partnership with Praemium to boost its wealth management capabilities.
The deal will see Praemium provide BFG, including Bell Potter, with custodial and non-custodial administration services across a broad range of asset classes.
BFG Co-CEO Arnie Selvarajah described the move as a “significant milestone” in the company’s shift from traditional stockbroking to holistic wealth management.
“We’re bridging the gap between our stockbroking heritage and a holistic wealth management business,” Selvarajah said. “This is creating a stronger, more resilient business as well as repositioning us for our next decade of growth and in preparation for the $3.5 trillion intergenerational wealth transfer.”
The partnership gives Bell Potter a scalable platform to serve diverse client investment needs. Selvarajah added, “This will benefit our clients through enhanced products and services, our advisers through broader relationships with their clients, and ultimately our shareholders as potential growth in funds under advice translates to growth in new revenue streams and earnings.”
Praemium CEO Anthony Wamsteker said: “This is a major milestone for our administration solution and a clear validation of our market-leading proposition. We’re delighted to have secured this partnership with Bell Financial Group and proud to support advice businesses seeking greater efficiency and scale by partnering with a specialist administration provider, so they can devote more time to helping clients achieve their goals.”

Adobe Joins Premier League

Sydney, July 10: Adobe and the Premier League have launched a multi-year global partnership to revolutionise the digital fan experience through creativity and AI.
Announced at Adobe Summit London, the collaboration makes Adobe the Premier League’s Official Creativity and Digital Fan Experience Partner.
As part of the agreement, Adobe Express and Firefly’s generative AI will power new creative tools for fans, allowing them to personalise Fantasy Premier League kits and badges, and create standout content using exclusive templates. These tools will be integrated into the league’s website and app ahead of the 2025/26 season.
On the data front, Adobe Experience Platform and related products like Adobe Journey Optimizer and Real-Time Customer Data Platform will help deliver personalised content and real-time alerts based on fan preferences and behaviour.
The partnership also enhances the League’s ability to run on-brand marketing campaigns at scale and provides insights to boost fan loyalty and engagement through Adobe’s analytics suite.
“Adobe AI technology is empowering passionate fans to shape how they experience and share the unrivalled drama of matchday…,” said Rachel Thornton, CMO, Enterprise at Adobe.
“The Premier League is followed by millions of fans around the world…,” said Will Brass, Chief Commercial Officer at the Premier League.

UniSuper Delivers Strong Returns

Sydney, July 10: UniSuper has announced strong investment performance for the 2024–25 financial year, with its Balanced (default) option returning 10.3 per cent and the Growth option delivering 11 per cent. Returns were higher for zero-tax pension accounts, at 11.4 per cent and 11.8 per cent respectively.
Sustainable options also performed well, with Sustainable High Growth returning 12.3 per cent and Sustainable Balanced 11.2 per cent. The standout performer was the Australian Dividend Income option, which achieved an 18.4 per cent return.
The fund’s Defined Benefit Division remains in surplus, with members’ accrued benefits well funded. UniSuper emphasised its commitment to long-term investment strategies and portfolio diversification.
“We’re very pleased to deliver these returns to our members over a tough year…,” said Chief Investment Officer John Pearce.

Employment Hero Boosts Support

Sydney, July 10: Employment Hero is streamlining customer support for small businesses with real-time tools and self-service solutions, helping thousands reduce downtime and make faster decisions.
Over 50 per cent of queries are now resolved instantly through guided support, with live chat satisfaction exceeding 85 per cent and wait times for human assistance cut from hours to minutes.
General Manager of Customer Experience Cynthia Wong says the focus is on removing friction so businesses can stay productive.
The improved support system has already benefited clients like Grain and Bake, where HR Manager Trudy Mortaruolo says payroll processing is now faster and support is more accessible.
“Support isn’t just about answering questions – it’s about removing friction,” Wong says.
“Before, we’d spend three days every fortnight processing payroll,” Mortaruolo says.
“In HR, things pile up fast… Now, I can use the chat function to sort things immediately.”
“Even the how-to guides are great… It just saves so much time.”

Kyndryl, Microsoft Expand Partnership

Sydney, July 11: Kyndryl has launched the Kyndryl Microsoft Acceleration Hub to boost AI adoption and digital transformation across enterprises. Developed with Microsoft, the Hub combines Kyndryl Consult services with Microsoft Azure AI Foundry and Copilot technologies to build tailored AI-driven solutions.
The initiative leverages Kyndryl’s global innovation labs, including its AI Innovation Lab in Liverpool, to co-create industry-specific tools that enhance operational efficiency and business value.
Kyndryl has also trained over 16,000 employees with more than 26,000 Microsoft certifications, reinforcing its capability to deliver Microsoft-based services. The company is integrating agentic AI into its service delivery, enabling autonomous operations across the Microsoft stack.
Kyndryl holds Microsoft’s AI Platform specialisation and the Azure Expert MSP designation, a status held by fewer than 2 per cent of partners.