The number of financial advisers has risen, with 17 new entrants helping lift total numbers by 10 to 15,417, according to data from the ASIC Financial Adviser Register and shared by Padua Wealth Data.
The increase follows the release of results from the Financial Adviser Exam, which prompted a wave of new authorisations.
Year-to-date, adviser numbers remain down 57 for calendar 2025, but financial year-to-date (2025/26) they are up by 242.
Thirty licensee owners recorded net gains of 34 advisers, while 21 licensee owners posted a combined net loss of 25. No new licensees were added, while four ceased operations.
Licensee gains
- ASET Wealth Management recorded a net increase of three, although this was attributed to advisers moving within the same AFSL across reporting cut-off dates. In real terms, the group has seen no net growth in September
- Ord Minnett Group added two advisers, one switching from Morgan Stanley and another returning after a three-year break
- Morgans Group also gained two, both from GPS Wealth Ltd, part of Count Limited
- A further 27 licensee owners each added one adviser, including Lifespan, Oreana and Solomons Wealth Management, with much of the growth driven by new entrants.
Licensee losses
- Bank of Queensland lost its remaining three advisers, reducing its total to zero, with no appointments made elsewhere to date
- Count Limited shed two advisers, both moving to Morgans Financial
- Step Up Financial Group also lost two and now has no advisers, with both moving to Australian Financial Planning Group
- Another 18 licensee owners, including Infocus, River X Financial Services and Sequoia, each lost one adviser
