Hostplus and Statewide has signed an exclusive Heads of Agreement as part of the merger process being undertaken by both industry superannuation funds.
Both funds said they would commence reciprocal due diligence to confirm that a merger was in the best interests of their members.
The trustee boards would then move to execute a successor fund transfer deed with the aim of completing the merger during the second quarter of 2022.
Hostplus and Statewide Super previously announced they had initiated merger discussions following a detailed competitive assessment conducted by Statewide Super’s trustee, followed by a period of consultation with Hostplus.
This assessment determined that the funds’ respective members, contributing employers and associated communities would realise scale and several other anticipated benefits from a combined fund.
The merger of the funds would create a significantly broader national fund which was anticipated to have over 1.4 million members, 258,000 contributing employers and more than $90 billion in funds under management.
Hostplus was also in the process of merging with Intrust Super and had signed a successor fund transfer deed, and had also previously announced a strategic partnership with Maritime Super.
Vanguard Super has reported strong returns across most of its investment options, attributed to a “low-cost, index-based approach”.
The fund has achieved double-digit returns amid market volatility, reinforcing the value of long-term investment strategies for its members.
Australian super funds notched a third consecutive year of strong returns, with the median balanced option delivering an estimated 10.1 per cent over the 2024-25 financial year, but an economist has warned that the rally may be harder to sustain as key risks gather pace.
AustralianSuper has reported a 9.52 per cent return for its Balanced super option for the 2024–25 financial year, as markets delivered another year of strong performance despite the complex investing environment.