Industry funds stand to be amongst those most affected by auto-consolidation, according to Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees expert David Haynes.
Addressing the Conference of Major Superannuation Funds in Brisbane, Haynes acknowledged that given the growth in group life premiums in the industry funds segment, it was likely they would be most affected.
This was in circumstances where industry funds were the fastest growing segment with respect to life premiums.
Haynes said consolidation in the number of super accounts was imperative in circumstances where there were 28 million super accounts in Australia for just 11 million workers.
He said the challenge had been to find ways of reducing the number of accounts to a reasonable level while at the same time addressing account proliferation.
The two funds have announced the signing of a non-binding MOU to explore a potential merger.
The board must shift its focus from managing inflation to stimulating the economy with the trimmed mean inflation figure edging closer to the 2.5 per cent target, economists have said.
ASIC chair Joe Longo says superannuation trustees must do more to protect members from misconduct and high-risk schemes.
Super fund mergers are rising, but poor planning during successor fund transfers has left members and employers exposed to serious risks.