Over the next five years, the superannuation industry will consolidate into a smaller number of larger funds as a result of member ‘stapling’, the Your Future, Your Super performance test and new regulatory obligations.
Speaking at a FINSIA webinar, Cbus chief investment officer, Kristian Fok, said super funds would need to adjust their business models to focus on performance in order to adapt to increased competition in the market.
“The performance test will [mean] you need to stay above a certain level to stay in the game but actually to continue to succeed you’re going to [need to] attract members in what I think is a more Choice type of environment,” said Fok.
“Although we’re all meant to be pitching for the best risk-adjusted returns, from a business point of view you’re probably going to see slightly different paths that the funds will take over the next five years.”
Some of the directions super funds could take, according to Fok, was lower business costs to manage the performance test, providing funds for specific cohorts of members or providing a fund with an isolated focus on performance.
Georgie Dudley, JANA head of business strategy and innovation, added that default funds may not seek to differentiate their product to the extent that Choice products would.
“The fear of failure and the implications of that failure of the performance test is very significant,” said Dudley.
“The upside is more limited and that might move to a greater differentiation within the choice landscape.”
The super fund announced that Gregory has been appointed to its executive leadership team, taking on the fresh role of chief advice officer.
The deputy governor has warned that, as super funds’ overseas assets grow and liquidity risks rise, they will need to expand their FX hedge books to manage currency exposure effectively.
Super funds have built on early financial year momentum, as growth funds deliver strong results driven by equities and resilient bonds.
The super fund has announced that Mark Rider will step down from his position of chief investment officer (CIO) after deciding to “semi-retire” from full-time work.