Big superannuation administrator, Link has moved further down the road of floating off its property settlement business, PEXA, after posting a decline in net profit after tax of $65 million.
Link, which is the major shareholder in PEXA, said today that the other shareholders – the Commonwealth Bank and Morgan Stanley – had agreed to explore the possibility of an initial public offering (IPO) for the business.
It represents a significant move by Link and the other shareholders in circumstances where PEXA recorded a strong half with a 27% increase in revenue to $99.2 million and a 90% lift in EBITDA to $51.5 million.
Commenting on the broader Link half-year result, the company’s chief executive, Vivek Bhatia said it had successfully navigated some challenging external conditions, demonstrating financial resilience.
He said the group reported EBITDA of $137 million and net operating cash flow of $192 million, having navigated the impacts of Brexit, COVID-19 and superannuation regulatory reforms including Protecting Your Super (PYS), Putting Members Interests First (PMIF) and the Early Release Scheme.
The company said it had handled 2.4 million early release superannuation payments valued at around $18 billion, and had managed contract renewals with Cbus and Hesta.
The Link board declared an interim dividend of 4.5 cents per share 60% franked.
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.