hesta

Markets now move a lot faster than they did during the GFC, while expected and unexpected threats to them are emerging more often and in combination. How should super funds respond?

Local biotech VC firm Brandon Capital has scored investments from a number of super funds and semi-sovereign investors as it looks to expand its international presence and its support for domestic startups.

The $74 billion industry fund is now managing roughly 10 per cent of its assets in-house, with plans to get more bang for its buck in its sustainable strategies too. But it won’t be abandoning its hybrid model anytime soon.

Some of the country’s biggest super funds have navigated volatile markets and write-downs in one of their favourite asset classes to deliver solid returns in a tough year.

The $72 billion fund has dumped Link Group and partnered with upstart administration services provider Grow Inc. as it navigates a “rapidly changing technology landscape”.

Australia’s largest super funds are casting a close eye over their property and infrastructure allocations amidst challenging market conditions, according to new research from J.P Morgan. And while investment internalisation continues to gather pace, not all funds are sold on its worth.

If you’re not gaining market share in a rapidly consolidating industry, you’re losing it. One of ART’s smallest proposed mergers offers big opportunities for national growth.

While funds have backed affordable housing as an asset class, nation-building initiatives like the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) still need tweaks to create certainty for institutional investors.

ART has recruited HESTA’s investment committee chair as his term ends and the former deputy governor of the RBA.

Big super funds are getting even bigger. But as consolidation continues – and stapling kicks in – they’ve got a new problem that can’t easily be overcome: they’re more alike than different.