APRA releases superannuation fund-level performance data to December 2009
10.07
The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) today issued performance data for individual APRA-regulated superannuation funds covering the six-year period from 2004 to 2009.
The performance data for APRA-regulated funds - with the exception of small APRA funds, single-member approved deposit funds, exempt public sector superannuation schemes and pooled superannuation trusts - are published in two publications: Superannuation Fund-level Rates of Return and Superannuation Fund-level Profiles and Financial Performance.
The Superannuation Fund-level Rates of Return publication contains performance data on the 200 largest funds by asset size as annualised three-year and five-year average returns, as well as returns for each of the six years.
These 200 largest funds cover 96 per cent of superannuation fund members and 99 per cent of the assets of APRA-regulated funds (excluding small APRA funds) as well as eligible rollover funds. The performance data is provided on a consistent basis irrespective of a fund’s year-end to improve comparability. The publication is available in both PDF and Excel formats.
The Superannuation Fund-level Profiles and Financial Performance publication, available in Excel format only, contains detailed data for each year from 2004 to 2009. The detailed data allow observers to analyse APRA-regulated funds across a range of measures (subject to privacy considerations).
Under the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act, trustees of superannuation funds must formulate an investment strategy for the benefit of all members of the fund. The performance data released today support APRA’s objective to promote transparency and accountability.
APRA does not currently collect investment option data from superannuation funds. However, APRA is separately reviewing its superannuation statistical collections and publications, and a discussion paper Enhanced APRA superannuation statistics collection was released in May 2009. In November 2009, APRA announced that the update of its superannuation statistical collections and publications had been deferred pending the outcome of the Review into the Governance, Efficiency, Structure and Operation of Australia’s Superannuation System (the Cooper Review). Further information can be found in the superannuation fund-level data publications.
The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) is the prudential regulator of the financial services industry. It oversees banks, mutuals, general insurance and reinsurance companies, life insurance, private health insurers, friendly societies, and most members of the superannuation industry. APRA currently supervises institutions holding around $9 trillion in assets for Australian depositors, policyholders and superannuation fund members.