As 2011 draws to a close, 4 minutes takes a look back at some of the major events that have shaped the financial services industry over the past 12 months.
It has been a year of political debate and fierce lobbying around the upcoming Future of Financial Advice and Stronger Super reforms. The financial planning industry was outraged by some of the lobbying tactics employed by the Industry Super Network, whose "Compare the Pair" advertising campaign is currently being reviewed by the corporate regulator.
It has also been a year of mergers and acquisitions, with the independent dealer group market losing a couple of big players to the institutions.
As a result, executives have also decided to flee – with some scoring big new gigs, while others are still in-between gigs.
Meanwhile, markets have remained volatile, mostly due to the sovereign debt saga unfolding in Europe and the US.
