The boards of Kinetic Super and Sunsuper have signed heads of agreement, giving in principle support for a merger.
The final decision to merge had not been made as both funds needed to complete a comprehensive due diligence process. The funds would look to commence a full merger later in the year when the due diligence process had been completed.
The combined fund would have more than $45 billion in funds under management, 1.3 million members, and over 100,000 employers.
Kinetic Super board chair, Frank Gullone, said combining the funds would not only achieve further economies of scale in the form of lower fees, but would also accelerate the delivery of enhanced services and products to all members.
“The two funds are highly complementary and share similar values. We united by our profit-for-member model and unfaltering focus on maximising members’ retirement savings within a low-cost and transparent structure,” Gullone said.
Sunsuper chair, Ben Swan, said the proposed merger was an opportunity to leverage the strengths and capabilities of both organisations for the benefit of their members and employers.
“With the shared objective of always acting in our customers’ best interests, a successful merger will drive future efficiencies, promote a stronger competitive position in the market, and ultimately generate greater value for the combined member and employer base,” Swan said.
The Future Fund’s CIO Ben Samild has announced his resignation, with his deputy to assume the role of interim CIO.
The fund has unveiled reforms to streamline death benefit payments, cut processing times, and reduce complexity.
A ratings firm has placed more prominence on governance in its fund ratings, highlighting that it’s not just about how much money a fund makes today, but whether the people running it are trustworthy, disciplined, and able to deliver for members in the future.
AMP has reached an agreement in principle to settle a landmark class action over fees charged to members of its superannuation funds, with $120 million earmarked for affected members.