Distribution is the key to fund management deals

Australia’s leading banks are falling over themselves in their rush to expand their fund management businesses. ANZ is forming a joint venture with ING’s Australian fund management business and Westpac is buying Rothschild Australia Asset Management.

Australian banks have been under pressure to grow their investment businesses. “The reason is that in Australia we’ve got legislated growth in superannuation which means it grows very quickly,” says Brian Johnson, banking analyst at JPMorgan. Banks not making moves in wealth management face the risk that their retail deposit bases will be cannibalized as people increasingly invest their savings in mutual funds.