The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) and the Financial Services Council (FSC) has responded to SuperRatings' criticism of its Standard Risk Measure (SRM), advising it would incorporate the research into its review later in the year.
SuperRatings said its research of 500 investment options indicated a wide spread of asset allocations in relation to the different risk labels contained in the SRM.
In a statement, ASFA chief executive Pauline Vamos pointed out that the SRM was set to undergo a full review and analysis of the first phase later this year. The groups involved looked forward to working on the next development, a statement from ASFA said, and they would incorporate SuperRatings' and other organisations' suggestions.
"The Standard Risk Measure has been a significant step forward for the industry, enabling a standard calculation and presentation to be applied to investment risk in superannuation," it said.
The SRM had been launched less than one year ago, following consultation with the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), Vamos said.
It had been an important first step in providing greater transparency to consumers via the standardisation of risk labels, she said.
Super Ratings, despite its criticism, said the FSC/ASFA SRM was the first step in achieving something the industry had been unable to initiate for 10 years.
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.