The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) has welcomed new legislation which it says will ultimately protect member balances during superannuation fund mergers.
ASFA chief executive Pauline Vamos said the capital gains tax (CGT) relief for super funds would allow super funds to merge without triggering an adverse tax event.
"Without the CGT relief, fund mergers could lead to members of merging funds suffering tax-related losses of up to 2 per cent of their super account," she said. "Or [to] mergers delayed or abandoned altogether."
The legislation would apply retrospectively from 1 October 2011.
The initial CGT rollover relief was first introduced as a result of the global financial crisis, but it ended on 30 September 2011.
"We are very pleased to see that relief will cover the period from 1 October 2011 to 1 July 2017, as this will provide certainty for many funds planning future strategy," Vamos said.
"The collaborative advocacy efforts involving many super funds contributing details of their situations to Treasury, and to the Treasurer's adviser, has clearly illustrated the issue in a compelling way," she added.
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.