Australia's superannuation industry has undergone a quiet but profound transformation. According to KPMG's 2026 Super Insights report, the country now has nine superannuation mega funds each managing more than $100 billion in assets.
This is up from eight the prior year after Cbus crossed the $100 billion threshold.
The top 24 funds, those managing more than $20 billion each, now account for around 96% of all superannuation assets in the country.
That level of concentration has happened largely without most members noticing.
Image source: Getty Images
Why superannuation mega funds keep growing
The driver behind this consolidation is partly regulatory.
The "Your Future, Your Super" annual APRA performance test continues to apply to MySuper products and certain choice products. Funds that fail the test in consecutive years face restrictions on accepting new members.
That regime has pushed smaller, underperforming funds to merge into larger funds rather than risk being locked out of accepting new members entirely.
Market share held by mega funds increased from 63.1% in FY24 to 67.5% in FY25, with AustralianSuper remaining the nation's largest fund at $389 billion, subsequently followed by Australian Retirement Trust at $351 billion.
Total superannuation assets have grown beyond $4.5 trillion, equivalent to around 150% of Australia's GDP.
What bigger super funds mean for fees and performance
The most direct benefit of superannuation consolidation for everyday members is scale.
Larger funds can negotiate lower fees with investment managers, spread administrative costs across a larger member base, and invest in asset classes that smaller funds cannot access. This includes direct stakes in infrastructure, private equity, and unlisted property.
Average operating costs across the industry rose to $250 per member in FY25, driven mainly by technology uplifts and stronger cyber resilience.
These costs are far easier for a $100 billion fund to absorb without materially affecting member returns than for a fund one-tenth that size.
In FY25, the median growth fund returned 10.5%. This marks a third consecutive year of strong outcomes for members across the industry.
The flip side of superannuation mega funds
Consolidation is not entirely positive for members.
As smaller funds disappear into larger ones, product differentiation in the superannuation market narrows.
Members of merged funds are sometimes shifted into investment options that do not perfectly match their original risk profile or values, particularly around ethical or sustainable investment choices that smaller boutique funds had previously offered.
KPMG superannuation advisory lead Lisa Butler-Beatty said:
As the system grows and mega funds continue to emerge, the winners will be those that can convert scale into consistently better outcomes, which includes not only a strong performance, but also stronger member experiences and robust safeguards.
What it means for how you invest
For most Australians, the rise of superannuation mega funds reinforces a simple lesson that applies just as well to investing inside super through shares as it does to choosing a fund.
Scale, diversification, and low costs compound into materially better outcomes over a multi-decade investment horizon.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) and BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) are among the largest individual holdings across Australia's biggest superannuation funds.
They reflect exactly the kind of large, liquid, dividend-paying businesses that scale and that patience rewards over time.
Foolish Takeaway
Australia's superannuation system has consolidated dramatically. Nine mega funds now dominate an industry that not long ago was far more fragmented.
For most members, that consolidation has likely delivered lower fees and more consistent performance.
But it has also reduced genuine choice and personalisation in the market.
Understanding which type of fund you are in, and why, is worth a few minutes of your time this year.
