The Investment Management Analyst Certificate (IMAC) advances investment management analyst knowledge, skill and expertise in a definitive set of competencies necessary for building and/or advising on quality multi-manager portfolios. It is both a structured post-graduate certificate course in its own right, and the Australian-based Registered Education Program for the global Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®) program.

Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) is the peak, international technical portfolio construction certification program designed for investment management analysts - that is, those involved in any aspect of constructing multi-asset, multi-manager portfolios.

Behavioural analysis enables a deeper insight into fund performance and the identification of highly skilled managers capable of generating consistent investment alpha.

AI has emerged as one of the most transformative technologies of the 21st century, offering remarkable capabilities in data processing, pattern recognition, and automation. This paper provides a useful discussion of the use of AI by investment funds.

Following US President Trump ordering a strategic Bitcoin reserve be established, private companies, investment banks, and scholars have begun urging major central banks to do the same. The idea is not quite as far-fetched as it may seem.

ASIC's report on regulatory developments and issues affecting financial advice covers all areas of financial advice regulation relevant to Australian financial services (AFS) licensees.

Markets Summit 2026 (Wed 25 Feb) helped delegates understand the key drivers of and outlook for the markets and help you build better quality investor portfolios. AI has kickstarted a fourth industrial revolution that will fundamentally change the way we work and live once more. Simultaneously, US President Trump is weaponising national economic policy and the US-China race for supremacy in AI and control of rare earths is adding further fuel to their titanic geopolitical struggle, reshaping the global geopolitical, economic and trade order. In short, immense societal and economic upheaval is upending the outlook for investment markets. It's a whole new world (again)!

2025 was likely the beginning of the end of US exceptionalism in markets. It's a whole new world (again)! – but many portfolios are positioned for the past based on an incomplete assessment of risk and reward.

For decades, investors relied on a stable, predictable world. Today, that world is being mugged by reality. Portfolios must focus on places where the rule of law still matters and identify the strategic bottlenecks that now pick the winners and losers.

This session explored two perspectives on the drivers of and outlook for Australian and global fixed income - The RBA's lower speed limit means lower interest rates, not higher; and, Unconscious and concentrated, it's no time to be passive.

As the RBA hikes rates to curb inflation due to a lower speed limit, should investors ultimately be expecting lower or higher bond yields?

The dominance of passive investing and mega-cap concentration has created a widening structural opportunity in small-cap equities. As index flows channel capital toward ever-fewer large companies, the 5,000 smaller companies that represent 90% of developed-market listed securities receive less institutional attention, less analyst coverage, and less capital - deepening mispricing’s that have historically driven long-term outperformance. These dynamics are accelerating - sell-side economics continue to deteriorate, coverage gaps are widening, and the proportion of small caps with no analyst coverage now exceeds 30%. The result is the widest inefficiency in public equity markets and a compelling return outlook for investors with the patience and depth of knowledge to exploit it. Small-cap alpha is structural, not cyclical, and the conditions that generate it are strengthening.

AI, geopolitical realignment, energy transition, and aging demographics are reshaping the world, creating opportunities for diversification and downside protection versus passive core portfolios overweight the 'old world'.

The valuation disconnect between REITs and broader equities is at levels only seen during the GFC, yet the underlying real estate fundamentals tell a very different story. It's time to ‘buy-the-dip’ in high quality global real estate.

A changing equity market structure is emerging, driven by changing investor behaviour and advances in AI - and global small-cap equities sit at the centre of this shift, as one of the last frontiers of inefficiency in public markets.

The first phase of the AI super cycle was driven by a narrow group of US companies, but the world’s reliance and dependence on US technology and defence has shifted. A new chapter of technological power has begun beyond US borders.

Liquid alternatives promise two things - diversification from equities and compelling standalone returns. Yet most fall short. Investors need liquid alternatives to be bold and flexible.

Powerful cyclical, secular and structural changes are reshaping the outlook for asset classes and opportunities abound for those able to reorientate investment portfolios accordingly. This session explores a mix of perspectives on the outlook for real assets, global absolute return debt, and Australian and international private credit.

After more than two decades of an ever-present central bank demand backstop, we're now entering a global fixed income market devoid of price insensitive demand, challenging the risk/return profile going forward.

A persistent supply–demand imbalance, combined with tighter bank capital requirements, is opening the door to more opportunities for private lenders.

As demand for private credit has grown over the past five years, so too has the availability of offerings such as the US Business Development Companies (BDCs). The current balance of risks tilts toward a favourable risk/return profile.

Headlines highlight the growing demand for power generation, largely driven by digitalisation, AI, robotics, and automation. The undersupply of infrastructure needed to support it provides a real market opportunity for investors.

Post-GFC, banks trimmed corporate credit risk from their balance sheets, creating a direct lending boom. We are now in the early innings of Asset Backed Finance filling a similar capital void.

Powerful cyclical, secular and structural changes are reshaping the outlook for asset classes and opportunities abound for those able to reorientate investment portfolios accordingly. This session explores a diverse mix of perspectives on the outlook for on the outlook for global equities and liquid alternatives.

Artificial Intelligence is disrupting industries and creating winners, losers, and perceived losers. Long-term value is created by owning resilient businesses rather than chasing momentum.

We are living in an age of exponential change and radical uncertainty. We must prepare ourselves (and our portfolios) for the seismic societal and economic shocks that are hurtling our way – we're witnessing the mother of all disruptions.

AI has kickstarted a fourth industrial revolution that will fundamentally change the way we work and live once more. Simultaneously, US President Trump is weaponising national economic policy and the US-China race for supremacy in AI and control of rare earths is adding further fuel to their titanic geopolitical struggle, reshaping the global geopolitical, economic and trade order. In short, immense societal and economic upheaval is upending the outlook for investment markets. It's a whole new world (again)! Markets Summit 2026 (Wed 25 Feb) will help you better understand the key drivers of and outlook for the markets and help you build better quality investor portfolios.