The firm has completed two acquisitions and acquired three financial advice books, alongside expanding its Brisbane presence through the purchase of Capital Focused.
It has also integrated True Journey Financial Planning, increasing its digital advice capability.
Coastal Advisory Australia, which is a corporate authorised representative of RI Advice Group, framed its growth approach around cultural alignment and operational integration rather than rapid consolidation.
Coastal CEO Daniel Brown said the B Corp Certification formalises practices already in place across the business.
“B Corp isn’t about changing who we are – it’s about validating what we’ve been building over time,” Brown said.
“It reflects a commitment to doing business the right way – for our team, our clients and the communities we’re part of.”
B Corp Certification is awarded to organisations that meet standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.
In Brisbane, Coastal’s acquisition of Capital Focused has added to its Queensland operations.
Michael Kennedy, managing partner of Capital Focused, said the decision to join Coastal was based on operational and strategic considerations.
“We didn’t want to simply replicate what had already been built – we wanted to improve outcomes for our clients by putting their portfolios to work using professionally managed accounts,” Kennedy said.
“Joining Coastal gives us the ability to scale our client offer, automate our operations, and be part of something genuinely national. It also gives me the opportunity to focus on what I do best – advising clients and growing the business – rather than running the day-to-day of a small practice. The partnership with Merchant only strengthens that proposition further.”
All staff from Capital Focused have transitioned into roles within Coastal.
The firm has also integrated True Journey Financial Planning to support its digital advice offering.
Tamara Gillman, director of True Journey, said the move was focused on access and delivery capability.
“We joined Coastal because we saw the opportunity to do more for our clients,” Gillman said.
“The ability to scale our digital offering, access a broader national network, and continue delivering truly personalised advice was what made this the right move. Coastal’s values aligned with ours from day one, and that made all the difference.”
Coastal also acquired three additional advice books during the period, which it said were selected based on cultural alignment and client continuity.
“This is just the beginning of what is shaping up to be a milestone year for Coastal,” Brown said.
“We have a clear strategy, a growing national footprint, and most importantly, the right people driving it forward.”
