The new industry super landscape will be one of large mega-funds and smaller specialist ones, according to respondents from a Buchan Consulting thought leadership series.
Super fund respondents saw the most likely outcome of current legislation as increasing consolidation in the industry.
There would be no room for medium-sized funds in the new industry super environment, with one respondent saying mid-tier funds would spend the next five years looking for merger partners.
The majority said corporate funds would continue to be pressured, particularly as modern awards under Fair Work Australia rolled out.
Respondents did not see the legislation as a threat to member retention. However, funds were bolstering retention programs in response to growth in the self-managed super sector and the rise of the big four banks in superannuation.
Some funds felt they had lessened the self-managed threat by offering similar investment options within the fund, and believed the sector's growth would start to plateau.
Most respondents, and particularly industry fund executives, highlighted the big four as principle threats.
They said as data became more streamlined, banks were seen as natural aggregators across most areas of consumer finance and had more funds to invest in marketing and cross-subsidisation.
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.