Australia Regulator Probes $20 Billion Private Credit Manager
The probe is part of a two-year review of private markets that the Australian Securities & Investments Commission is conducting across the industry. The regulator is giving more attention to Metrics and some of its transactions because of specific concerns about the firm's practices and in light of its substantial exposure to real estate, according to the people.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
The Future Queen of Norway Looks Like Your Everyday College Student in Start of School Year Pics
Princess Ingrid Alexandra is starting her studies at the University of Sydney Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway is swapping tiaras for textbooks. The 21-year-old royal is in Australia as she gets ready to start her studies at the University of Sydney. Although Princess Ingrid Alexandra is set to become queen of Norway one day, she looked like any other college student in new photos shared on the royal family's Instagram page on July 25. Dressed casually in jeans, sneakers and a blue sweater, she posed for photos around the University of Sydney. She said in a statement shared along with the images, "I'm looking forward to starting my studies at the University of Sydney. It will be exciting to become a student, and I'm looking forward to gaining new perspectives on both European and international politics. I'm sure that I will learn a lot." The palace announced in May that Princess Ingrid Alexandra will pursue a three-year Bachelor of Arts program with a focus on international relations and political economy. The palace added that she would be living in a student residence on campus. King Harald, 87, was recently asked about his granddaughter's decision to study abroad. He said, "You get this back with compound interest when she gets home, so I think that's just an advantage. She must be allowed to study and get an education before she starts representing," according to local newspaper VG. Both King Harald and his son and heir, Crown Prince Haakon, studied abroad as young adults as well. The King studied history, economics and politics at Balliol College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, while Haakon studied at the University of California, Berkeley and the London School of Economics. Her studies at the University of Sydney come after Princess Ingrid Alexandra completed 15 months of military service with the Engineer Battalion in Brigade North in the spring. Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! Just last month, Princess Ingrid Alexandra was sporting a very different look from her latest photos. The royal joined her parents, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and grandparents, King Harald and Queen Sonja, at a gala dinner during French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to Norway. For the event at the Royal Palace in Oslo, Princess Ingrid Alexandra wore a tiara paired with a red Vivienne Westwood gown and white opera gloves. She once again chose to wear Princess Ingeborg of Sweden and Denmark's Boucheron Pearl Circle Tiara. The Royal Watcher reports that Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland, bought the accessory in Paris and gave it to Princess Ingeborg, who wore it over the next 58 years and also loaned it out to other royal women. Princess Ragnhild of Norway inherited the tiara, and Princess Ingrid Alexandra was gifted the headpiece in 2022. She's worn it on several occasions since, including her 18th birthday banquet. Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
Forbes
5 hours ago
- Forbes
Can Aurora Expeditions Make Polar Cruises Sustainable?
A rendering of Aurora's newest ship, the Douglas Mawson, which is scheduled to set sail in December. Aurora Expeditions Aurora Expeditions, a small Sydney-based cruise line, is on a mission to rewrite the cruise industry's sustainability narrative in a big way. With a focus on expedition cruises to the Arctic and Antarctic, the company is making bold claims about its environmental efforts, including becoming the first cruise line to get B Corporation bragging rights. But can Aurora truly deliver on its promises? And, in an industry notorious for pollution and waste, does sustainability even matter? Reality check: The cruise industry has long been criticized for its reckless environmental practices. For example, cruise ships in Europe emit as much sulfur dioxide as one billion cars, according to a recent study. From carbon emissions to waste disposal, the cruise industry's overall environmental record is downright awful. Against this backdrop, Aurora's claims of sustainability seem almost too good to be true. Sasha Buch, Aurora's sustainability manager, with a model of the Greg Mortimer, one of its expedition vessels. Christopher Elliott "Sustainability is who we are" Sasha Buch, Aurora's sustainability manager, met me at the company's headquarters in the Surry Hills neighborhood of Sydney, a quiet district filled with apartments, office buildings and cafes. One of the first things she told me was that Aurora is a different kind of cruise line. 'Sustainability is who we are,' she says, pointing to the company's founding in 1991 by mountaineer Greg Mortimer and his wife, Margaret, both passionate environmentalists. The B Corporation certification, which Aurora achieved last year, is a designation that requires companies to meet rigorous standards for social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Becoming a B Corp is a journey, not a destination; standards are revised annually, keeping ever B Corp on its toes. Antarctica is one of the most environmentally fragile places on the planet. getty A closer look at Aurora's sustainability initiatives Aurora's actual sustainability efforts are wide-ranging. Here's a breakdown of their key initiatives: Innovative ships Aurora's fleet includes three state-of-the-art ships designed with sustainability in mind. Features like the X-BOW design, which reduces fuel consumption, and shore-based power systems promise to reduce the environmental impact of cruising. 'Our ships are a testament to what's possible when you prioritize sustainability,' Buch says. Climate action Aurora achieved a carbon-neutral certification in 2021, meaning it measures and offsets its carbon emissions. The company has also partnered with Trace, a green technology company, to map a path to net-zero emissions. 'We're not just offsetting,' Buch told me. "We're actively reducing our emissions." Education and enrichment Aurora's Citizen Science Program allows passengers to participate in data collection, from photographing whales to testing for microplastics. Buch says the educational initiatives deepen their passengers' understanding of the environment and, over time, will support a more sustainable cruising experience. Waste and water management The cruise line adheres to strict international standards for waste and water management, eliminating single-use plastics and using eco-certified cleaning products. Community engagement Aurora's Community Ambassador Program works with Inuit communities in the Arctic to promote cultural exchange and provide economic benefits to indigenous communities. Aurora's newest ship, the Douglas Mawson , also represents a leap forward. It will set the bar for conservation in the Antarctic when it launches in December. Programs such as waste minimization, carbon offset, and collaboration with leading conservation organizations will be built into the cruise experience. Aurora says the ship is designed to minimize environmental impact and will help travelers tread lightly on the fragile polar environment. The big picture: Does sustainability matter? The very nature of cruising — of transporting large numbers of people to remote and fragile ecosystems — is inherently destructive. And in this business, the most popular cruise lines are often the ones who can do it at the lowest price, not the most responsibly. Aurora seems to know that the deck is stacked against a company that puts sustainability rather than profitability in the captain's chair. And there's a sense you get in talking to someone like Buch that it actually likes that kind of challenge. "We're always trying to do more because there's always so much more that can be done,' she says. Buch emphasizes the importance of transparency and accountability in Aurora's sustainability efforts. The company is constantly making course corrections as it aims to become carbon-negative. She says the goal isn't just recycling, but regenerative tourism — going beyond minimizing harm to actively restoring and improving the environments they visit. 'It's about taking care of what we have now for future generations as well as repairing any damage that has been done,' she explains. The company has a checklist of accomplishments, outlined in its latest impact report. It includes becoming carbon-neutral, participating in the cleanups to remove marine debris from the coastlines of Iceland and Svalbard, and demonstrating a "dramatic" reduction of single-use plastics in its operations. The challenges ahead Despite Aurora's efforts, the fundamental question remains: Can an industry built on fossil fuels and mass tourism ever truly be sustainable? Buch is optimistic. 'We have a responsibility to inspire, educate, and advocate for the protection and preservation of the places we visit,' she says. Aurora is making giant strides in sustainability, and its B Corporation certification is a significant achievement. But the company's efforts represent only one step in the cruise industry's journey toward becoming green. And it won't happen unless passengers want it to, which means they're booking more cruises with a company like Aurora. 'We know there's a long way to go,' she says. Aurora's journey toward sustainability is a work in progress — one that will require ongoing accountability and scrutiny. In the meantime, the takeaway is clear for travelers: You have to carefully consider the effect of your next cruise on the environment. It may be worth spending a little extra to go with a company that is dedicated to long-term sustainability.
Wall Street Journal
5 hours ago
- Wall Street Journal
Trump Fast-Tracks Deregulatory Push at Consumer-Protection Bureau
WASHINGTON—In the final months of the Biden administration, the nation's largest credit union agreed to refund $80 million to U.S. service members and their families the government said it had illegally overcharged. Under President Trump, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which had reached the settlement agreement with Navy Federal Credit Union, dropped the case. Now the credit union is no longer required to refund cash to members of the military it had previously agreed to reimburse.
