The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has denied knowledge of any superannuation funds who wanted to merge but could not find a willing partner.
Answering questions on notice from Senate Estimates, the regulator said if it did come across such an instance it would be inclined to use its powers to enable the fund to make an orderly exit from the industry.
Answering questions on notice from Tasmanian Green Senator, Peter Whish-Wilson APRA said it would continue to have discussions with consistently underperforming funds that faced sustainability issues to ensure that they continued to act in their members’ best interests and were clear on the appropriate strategy moving forward, “noting the requirements of Superannuation Prudential Standard 515 ‘Strategic Planning and Member outcomes’ (SPS 515) in force from January 2020”.
In doing so, APRA referenced the use of its heat maps regime to identify and deal with underperforming funds.
“The underlying premise of SPS 515 and APRA’s heatmap publication is to identify underperformance across a range of metrics, so as to prompt trustees to take necessary and appropriate action to improve member outcomes,” it said.
“This action could include reducing fees to improve member returns, or more extreme action such as an exit or merger.
“APRA will continue to enhance its data collection and to ensure transparency of fund performance, and to use the full suite of its regulatory powers to ensure trustees are meeting their obligations under the prudential framework.”
Australia’s largest superannuation fund has confirmed all members who had funds stolen during the recent cyber fraud crime have been reimbursed.
As institutional investors grapple with shifting sentiment towards US equities and fresh uncertainty surrounding tariffs, Australia’s Aware Super is sticking to a disciplined, diversified playbook.
Market volatility continued to weigh on fund returns last month, with persistent uncertainty making it difficult to pinpoint how returns will fare in April.
The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) has called for the incoming government to prioritise “certainty and stability” when it comes to super policy.