# Colonial First State

Colonial First State is a Bank / Wealth / Trust based in Sydney, Australia.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Bank / Wealth / Trust
- **Headquarters:** Sydney, Australia
- **Region:** Oceania
- **Address:** Sydney, NSW, Australia
- **Founded:** 1988
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** colonialfirststate.com.au
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/colonial-first-state
- **Wikidata:** Q5148318

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Colonial First State Investments is an Australia-based asset management organisation founded in 1988. It offers investment, superannuation, and retirement products to fund investors, with a sector focus on private equity in business services.

## Sectors

- Wealth Management
- Superannuation

## People

- Rob Coombe — Chief Executive Officer

## Questions

### What is Colonial First State's investment model — does it manage money directly?

CFS operates primarily as a multi-manager, selecting and monitoring external fund managers across Australian and international equities, fixed income, property, and infrastructure. For select institutional mandates, the firm is building a direct-alignment private equity program that co-invests alongside external managers, moving closer to an own-and-operate model.

### How does Colonial First State source its deal flow in private markets?

CFS sources private-market opportunities via its external multi-manager relationships and through direct co-investment arrangements with global institutional partners. The firm has publicly signaled intent to grow direct sourcing capabilities for large institutional clients, taking a governance-led approach similar to Canadian pension models.

### What is the FirstChoice platform and who uses it?

FirstChoice is Colonial First State's flagship investment administration platform, aggregating over 500 managed funds, term deposits, and superannuation products into a single administration wrapper. It is primarily used by financial advisers and self-directed retail investors, with an advised channel representing the majority of assets.

### How is Colonial First State's private equity capability different from Australian super funds like AustralianSuper or Aware Super?

Unlike large industry super funds that predominantly manage direct-investment teams in-house, CFS has historically relied on a multi-manager approach. The firm's current build-out of direct-alignment private equity represents a convergence with industry-fund models, but from a retail-platform heritage — targeting advised clients and smaller institutional mandates rather than the mega-fund internal teams.

### What is CFS Edge?

CFS Edge is a next-generation wealth-management platform launched for mid-to-high-net-worth advised clients. It supports managed accounts, direct equities, and structured products on modern technology architecture, representing the firm's post-separation product roadmap under KKR's ownership.

## Related profiles

- [Colonel (IL) James N. Pritzker Charitable Distribution Fund](https://altss.com/profile/colonel-il-james-n-pritzker-charitable-distribution-fund)
- [Colonial Trust Advisors](https://altss.com/profile/colonial-trust-advisors)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

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