This week on The Fin podcast, senior reporter James Eyers takes us inside the high-stakes negotiations over Armaguard's financial future, talks about the big personalities involved and gives his view on whether we are witnessing the death of cash. This podcast is sponsored by ANZ Listen to 5-in-5 with ANZ on Spotify here Listen to 5-in-5 with ANZ on Apple here Further reading: Inside the battle for Armaguard and the future of cash The high-stakes negotiations over the financial future for the cash transit monopoly reached a crescendo over Easter. Linfox lays out its terms for keeping Armaguard afloat Peter Fox, the company’s executive chairman, says his family are “not beggars here”. He says the cash-in-transit monopoly will keep operating if fees rise Coles hoards cash over Easter as Armaguard teeters on the brink The Lindsay Fox-controlled monopoly has engaged former ACTU secretary Bill Kelty to lead negotiations with major banks over a rescue package See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Fin podcast, Lauren Sams talks about the rise of Zoë Foster Blake, takes us inside the deal to regain control of her skincare business and tells us why there is so much takeover activity in the beauty industry. This podcast is sponsored by ANZ Listen to 5-in-5 with ANZ on Spotify here Listen to 5-in-5 with ANZ on Apple here Further reading: Zoë Foster Blake: ‘I still think it’s hilarious that I’m in business’ This beauty entrepreneur sold her business for a fortune. And then she bought it back for a song. Foster Blake sold Go-To stake for $89m. She’s bought it back for a fraction of that The former Young Rich Lister, along with her co-founder Paul Bates, have taken back control of the skincare brand from the failed BWX Group. One of the fastest growing categories for Young Rich Listers – vanity Australian beauty brands have pushed out the established labels, from toothpaste to tanning, with a little product innovation and a lot of savvy marketing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Fin podcast, property editor Nick Lenaghan and Chanticleer columnist James Thomson on the relentless rise of house prices and the dilemma it poses for the RBA. This podcast is sponsored by ANZ Listen to 5-in-5 with ANZ on Spotify here Listen to 5-in-5 with ANZ on Apple here Further reading: Record-breaking house prices make early rate cuts ‘less likely’ Home values nationwide hit new peaks in March, boosted by strong gains in the more affordable markets, but rising prices could also delay rate cuts. Why good intentions are no match for housing’s grim reality Big house price gains in 2025 and 2026 look likely as Australia’s housing supply crisis gets worse The housing data that should make the RBA wary of cutting rates Australia is a nation obsessed with house prices, and with 60 per cent of people planning to buy in the next five years, the central bank is unlikely to be immune from that. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Fin podcast, Jonathan Shapiro and Carrie LaFrenz take us inside their shopping experiment and talk about what happens in the luxury grey market and why investors are so polarised when it comes to the high-end retailer, Cettire. Further reading: Cettire’s Texas hold ’em reveals questions about the value of luxury The red-hot ASX-listed retailer appears to have one figure for customs and another for customers when it comes to its products. The market battle over secretive e-commerce play Cettire There’s smart money on either side of the Cettire trade. But there remain unanswered questions about its closely guarded business model. We spent $1300 shopping at Cettire. Here’s what happened It’s the buzziest stock on the ASX, thanks to “eye-watering” sales and wide margins. Customer reviews aren’t all so glowing. What’s behind the success? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we are bringing you the first episode of season 3 of Tech Zero, a podcast from resources reporter and regular on The Fin Peter Ker. Ker and producer Lap Phan talk to Formula 1’s Chief Technical Officer Pat Symonds about the championship’s existential threat, what they are doing about it and whether there is a future in zero-carbon fuel. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Fin podcast, Zoe Samios on the Matildas' Olympic campaign, the bankability of women’s sport and Captain Sam Kerr’s legal case. Further reading: Australia’s favourite sports team is no longer male. Will the dollars follow? Matildas merchandise already outsells the Socceroos’ by a factor of two to one. But in the big-money world of major sport, scoring goals doesn’t always move the dial. Australia in the box seat to host the 2026 women’s Asian Cup With money flowing into women’s soccer, registrations up and the Matildas on a roll, it would be the icing on the cake. Socceroos, Matildas success boosts cash for Football Australia Almost $20 million in prizemoney from the Socceroos, a boost in sponsorship and an uptick in merchandise sales nearly doubled Football Australia’s revenue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Fin podcast, Boss editor Sally Patten and reporter Hannah Wootton on why the gender pay gap exists, who are the worst offenders and what can be done to fix it. Further reading: Bonuses, overtime drive 19pc gender pay gap The median pay gap at businesses with 100-plus employees has been revealed for the first time and professional services and banks recorded some of the worst disparities. These companies nailed the gender pay challenge. It wasn’t easy Companies such as Super Retail Group, Wesfarmers, PwC and Cotton On have the most balanced pay rates between men and women employees. Family choices explain part of gender pay gap, say bosses Corporate leaders say women taking more family responsibilities makes the dominance of men in the highest-paid roles difficult to shift. But some female directors said women “deciding” to take on lower-paid work was a “false choice”. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Fin podcast, United States correspondent Matthew Cranston and senior writer Jacob Greber, who covered the last Biden-Trump race, give their predictions for the US election. They discuss why Nikki Haley is staying in the Republican contest, whether the legal cases will help or hurt Trump and how Canberra is preparing for the result. This podcast is sponsored by Governance Institute of Australia. Further reading: Biden suffers strong protest vote in primary win The US president easily won the Democratic primary in Michigan, despite significant defections by voters in his party angry at his support for Israel’s war in Gaza. Your dinner party guide to the US election Will the November vote be a rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump? With primaries and caucuses in full swing, and candidates dropping like flies, here’s the lowdown. Trump, backed by Rinehart, dispatches Haley in South Carolina Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart backed Donald Trump to be the next US president as Nikki Haley vowed she would stay in the race despite losing her home state to the former president. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Fin podcast, workplace correspondent David Marin-Guzman and Boss deputy editor Patrick Durkin discuss the blurred lines between work and home, the push by some companies to get staff back in the office and whether the new right-to-disconnect laws will ever be used. This podcast is sponsored by Governance Institute of Australia. Further reading: Why we still can’t agree on how to work from home Four years on from the onset of COVID-19, companies and individuals are as far apart on a consensus on this issue as ever. But this year could bring change. ‘Horse has bolted’: Burke consults over right-to-disconnect fix Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke has initiated a last-minute consultation with business over a technical fix to the right to disconnect. Four-day week v office mandate: One size does not fit all Medibank’s Kylie Bishop says its workers on a four-day-a-week trial are less stressed, but JPMorgan says it needs its merchant bankers in the office every day. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Fin podcast, Financial Review reporters Jenny Wiggins and Liam Walsh on how IAG became entangled in the Greensill Capital collapse, what’s next in the legal stoush, and why billions of dollars and corporate reputations are at stake. This podcast is sponsored by Governance Institute of Australia. Further reading: The $7b hangover: How IAG was sucked into Lex Greensill’s vortex One of Australia’s most expensive corporate fights is in court. But how did the insurer targeted in the cases become entangled? The battle of Saughall fields: What Lex Greensill did next The fallen Australian billionaire tried to buy 200 hectares of farmland near a village in north-west England so the view from his home isn’t spoiled. Now the town is tearing itself apart over the plan. How the Greensill empire was brought down Skittish insurers, wary fund managers, a suspicious regulator and a sceptical press created a pile of tinder that only needed a few sparks to start a fire. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Fin podcast, senior writer Emma Connors joins us from Jakarta to talk about who is in the race to be the next president of Indonesia and what that will mean for the region and Australia’s nickel miners. This podcast is sponsored by Governance Institute of Australia. Further reading: Indonesia’s poll frontrunner has bad news for Australian nickel miners Prabowo Subianto has vowed to continue the turbocharged industry development backed by Chinese investment that has flooded the world with cheap nickel. This billionaire used Indonesia’s nickel to squeeze out Australia Xiang Guangda, founder of Chinese giant Tsingshan Holdings, has invested billions of dollars to elbow competitors aside. Why this man is the most disappointed politician in Indonesia The sudden entry of President Joko Widodo’s son into the election race has upset many plans – particularly those of the minister who thought he had a good shot at the vice presidency. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Fin podcast, Political editor Phillip Coorey on the government’s gamble on stage-3 tax cuts, why it will dominate this year’s political agenda and whether there could be an early election. This podcast is sponsored by Governance Institute of Australia. Further reading: Albanese’s version of integrity comes with a means test Aspiration is not part of this government’s vernacular – not right now at least. Tax cut for top earners halved under stage three changes The federal government will slash the stage three tax cuts for those earning $200,000 from $9075 to $4529. An ‘almighty wedge’: The PM’s big tax gamble There are eight winners for every loser in Labor’s reworking of the stage three tax cuts. By focusing on middle-income earners, the PM hopes to create big problems for the Opposition. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The podcast is on holiday right now so we are replaying some of our favourite episodes as part of a summer series. In March, The Fin spoke with the Australian Financial Review’s Fashion editor Lauren Sams, who was in Paris for fashion week at the time, about the rising fortunes of Bernard Arnault. The founder of luxury fashion powerhouse LVMH, had recently become the first European to rise to the top of the world’s rich lists, knocking tech titan Elon Musk off his perch. Alas, his time at the top was not to last. A recovery in Tesla’s shareprice reinstalled Musk in the number one spot a few months after Lauren was on the podcast. But Arnault’s fortune has continued to rise. LVMH is a giant with more than 70 brands, including Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Tiffany and Sephora. And there is speculation in recent weeks of more deals to come. So please enjoy this discussion with Lauren and AFR Magazine editor Matthew Drummond on the big business of luxury fashion. Background reading: https://www.afr.com/life-and-luxury/fashion-and-style/here-s-what-you-ll-be-wearing-in-2023-20230306-p5cplq http://afr.com/women-of-influence/grit-and-gut-instinct-take-women-to-top-of-fashion-world-20230226-p5cnqm https://www.afr.com/life-and-luxury/fashion-and-style/bernard-arnault-promotes-daughter-delphine-in-lvmh-reshuffle-20230112-p5cc7s https://www.afr.com/life-and-luxury/fashion-and-style/the-secret-to-zimmermann-s-31-year-success-staying-in-its-lane-20220606-p5arex See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The podcast is on holiday right now so we are replaying some of our favourite episodes as part of a summer series. Former Rear Window editor Joe Aston was one of the Australian Financial Review’s most loved and most feared columnists. He had people turning to the back page every morning before they had poured out their coffee. In October, after a twelve-year reign, he decided to call it a day. The Fin spoke with Joe about his evolution from gossip columnist to campaigning journalist, his struggles along the way and how he held companies like Qantas and PwC to account. We hope you enjoy this replay of our discussion. Further reading: Joe's farewell column Rear Window’s style evolved (and its rigour improved), but my primary motivation never really changed, and that was to entertain. Richard Goyder's pantomime swan song The Qantas chairman has elected to take an excruciating route to the inevitable. Sobering thoughts from Rehab Riviera Resisting alcohol is almost the easiest part of early sobriety. Vastly more daunting is the reconstruction of one’s interpersonal skills. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The podcast is on holiday right now so we are replaying some of our favourite episodes as part of a summer series. In June, The Fin spoke with AFR Magazine culinary editor Jill Dupleix about a trend in Australian dining that was bugging her. All the restaurant menus looked the same. She wrote a story for the magazine about this and on the cover was a photograph of a cracked plate with Kingfish crudo prepared in four different ways. So please enjoy this discussion with Jill about the broken business model for Australian restaurants and why some food trends have lingered for more than a decade. Background reading: Why the world’s best restaurant is taking up residency down under Chef Mauro Colagreco is bringing a team of 20 to create a uniquely Sydney version of his three-Michelin star French diner Mirazur. Why top restaurateurs are opening spin-offs right next door You can do degustation at Ides in Melbourne, and now you can go next door to March and settle for a bar snack also prepared by chef Peter Gunn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Fin podcast, senior reporter Carrie LaFrenz and Chanticleer columnist James Thomson on the story behind the rise of Chemist Warehouse, how the deal with Sigma will work and whether the business’ low-profile founders will cope with being out in the open. This podcast is sponsored by First Sentier Investors Further reading: Inside the Chemist franchisee world There are over 200 managing partners who are shareholders in the discount chain. They are all ambitious pharmacy owners, many with multiple sites. Chemist Warehouse's 100-year plan to be the next Walgreens Chemist Warehouse chief executive Mario Verrocchi, flagging a 100-year growth strategy, said it was a “life dream” to list the company, which has more than 600 stores in its network. Why Chemist Warehouse creates a quandary for fund managers After the initial burst of justifiable excitement generated by a chance to look at a business long hidden from public view, fund managers have started to ponder where, when and how Chemist Warehouse might fit into their portfolios. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Fin podcast, senior correspondent Jacob Greber talks about whether the government’s new plan will work, how much it will cost and what are the political stakes for the country’s ambitious climate change minister. And Europe correspondent Hans van Leeuwen reports from Dubai on Australia’s role at this year’s COP28 summit. This podcast is sponsored by First Sentier Investors Further reading: Bowen's energy plan might cost 'tens of billions' The cost of Labor’s freshly minted Capacity Investment Scheme is being hotly debated by energy experts, with most agreeing the Commonwealth faces a material financial exposure, as well as concerns about the government’s refusal to reveal costings. Bowen dramatically expands green energy support The Albanese government will supercharge its struggling 82 per cent clean energy goal by dramatically expanding its underwriting of green generation and storage, effectively replacing the Renewable Energy Target favoured by some wind and solar proponents. 'A lot of zeroes': Why global CEOs flock to COP In recent years, a ‘climate Davos’ has emerged on the fringes of COP summits, with companies striking deals, swapping notes and talking to politicians. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Fin podcast, Chanticleer columnist Anthony Macdonald and senior resources writer Angela Macdonald-Smith on the twists and turns of the Origin takeover saga, why the bid failed and where those billions of dollars might be headed next. This podcast is sponsored by First Sentier Investors Further reading: Origin shareholders demand demerger, higher dividends in deal fallout Origin Energy’s board is facing demands to consider a demerger, a beefed-up transition plan and higher dividend payouts after the collapse of a $20 billion takeover plan. The one question for every director in Origin's $20 billion belly flop Stability is the new buzzword at Origin Energy. Having tried to upend the joint for the past year, everyone now seems to want stability: the board, management, investors (institutional and retail), even Brookfield. Brookfield taking ‘suckers for a ride’ in Origin play: Keating Assets of Origin’s premium quality should not be sold to private equity investors and, worse, sold cheaply, only to be bought back five years later – with the sole aim of delivering unconscionable profits to equity fund investors. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Fin podcast, education editor Julie Hare on why young Australians are losing faith in the value of uni and whether the government can turn it around. This podcast is sponsored by First Sentier Investors Further reading: Have young Australians lost faith in uni? The number of Australian students studying for a bachelor’s degree has fallen more than 13 per cent since 2016, new data reveals, as rising student debt and the booming jobs market turn young people off higher education. The income boost from a uni degree is slumping The income boost graduates gain from earning a university degree is declining and greater for those with higher qualifications, such as master’s and PhDs, a study has found. The secret plan to control what uni students can study In what would be a radical overhaul of higher education, a major review is considering an external body to oversee all aspects of universities, potentially stripping them of their autonomy and independence. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Fin, economics editor John Kehoe on why young Australians are at risk of a poorer future and what can be done to lighten their load. This podcast is sponsored by First Sentier Investors Further reading: Why younger Australians are at risk of a poorer future The nation will become older, more indebted, and tax working-age people more over coming decades unless something dramatic changes. The penny has finally dropped on income tax burden There are at least three achievable ways to alleviate the intergenerational inequities in the tax system to take pressure off workers and not harm economic growth. Tax system fails every test, says Ken Henry The federal-state tax system “fails” every test, including for economic growth and fairness to younger people, underlining the need for political leadership to deliver more than “mere tinkering”, former Treasury boss Ken Henry says. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.