Making a difference in 2025 

As you know, Verve isn’t just a super fund. We’re proud warriors in the fight for equality, climate solutions and systemic change. Together, our mission is to close the gender super gap, so that women retire with as much money as men – and we do this while investing ethically to create the future we and our daughters deserve. We’re here to challenge systems that don’t serve us and invest in a fairer future for people and planet. We couldn’t do any of this without your support as a member.  

So, here’s a quick snapshot of some bold progress you’ve helped achieve this year.  

With the government due to announce its interim climate emissions targets in September 2025, we joined forces with other businesses, led by our parent company Future Group, to align its target with Australia’s commitment to the Paris Agreement, which was signed by more than 190 countries in a bid to protect the world from the worst impacts of climate change. Women and girls around the world are disproportionately impacted by climate disasters, and as an ethical super fund this was an important cause for Verve.  

The campaign, called BusinessFor75, asked the government to provide businesses with a tangible, ambitious emissions target to protect against climate risk and allow planning – matching the level of ambition shown by many individual states.  

With a critical mass of more than 500 companies signing up, pitched against the interests of fossil fuel industries, the government upped its predicted targets and in September announced an emissions reduction target of up to 70%. Together, we’ve showed that by raising our voice around one clear, simple message, we can create a better world for future generations.  

 Financial abuse is one of the most common causes of domestic violence but is also one of the least understood. The impacts of financial abuse can also have lifelong impacts and contribute to the gender super gap, this is an issue that Verve has been speaking about for years, but this year we had the opportunity to do something about it.   

Verve Super’s founder went to Parliament and sat before the Committee to present a set of recommendations to the Government inquiry into financial abuse. We galvanised support, shared stories and spoke up on behalf of the 1.6 million women in Australia who have experienced financial abuse, often as part of a pattern of coercive control or domestic violence. With your backing, we helped push these issues into the national spotlight – and the government responded.  

In March 2025, the federal government built on this financial abuse inquiry to conduct an audit into system improvement to better support victim-survivors. The Treasury also allocated $3.9bn to enhance women’s access to legal services and $21.4m to improve victim-survivor’s engagement with the justice system.  

Together, we’ve pushed for real change in how the system supports victim-survivors of financial abuse. 

This year we expanded Verve Super’s menu of investment options from one to six, giving members more control and more choice.  

Our flagship option is the new, exclusive Gender Equity Australian Shares option, a gender lens investment strategy that focuses on ASX listed companies leading in gender equality. This is a chance to invest in other women and gender-diverse people, supporting their advancement in leadership and directly targeting greater equality. Data shows that companies with better gender diversity in leadership teams tend to be more profitable. Equality is good business.  

The option increases investment exposure to companies that hold a current Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) Employer of Choice Citation, where they assess companies’ gender balance and pay gaps in workplaces to see how they really perform. 

While there’s still a way to go towards pay parity, this unique option is your chance to invest in women by including a gender-equality lens in your super investment mix, and puts you in the driving seat to make confident choices about your super.  

Log in to check your investment mix aligns with your values 

Verve Super partnered with Melbourne’s RISING festival to bring together women’s art, minigolf and bold feminism in a creative celebration of female creativity, resilience and rule-breaking.  

A feminist minigolf installation? We were all in. We shared the feminist fun at our minigolf experience, ran a series of podcasts covering pop-culture and feminist politics, invited people to relax in our feminist library, and celebrated some fierce female rulebreakers who rewrote history. 

Because old-school money rules were often built around what works for men, we felt it was time to break the rules that broke the system. We asked you, our members, what financial rules you broke and why, and you were totally awesome in rewriting your own rules and sharing your valuable experiences. Thank you for being such inspiring role models!  

An investment inside Verve Super, called Birdwood Business Energy, supports the installation of rooftop solar on buildings such as schools, hospitals, shopping centres and farms. These are often big buildings, with big rooftops, accelerating the shift to cheaper, cleaner power for everyone.  

Solar is now the fastest-growing and lowest-cost energy source in Australia, with UN analysts saying renewable energy overall has now reached a global tipping point, where its lower cost and widespread uptake makes the demise of fossil fuels inevitable. And your super is part of this evolution.   

Through Power Purchase Agreements, the businesses and organisations under these rooftops stand to benefit from stable energy pricing below market rate. The climate and planet benefit, and your super benefits from fixed rate returns as loans are repaid. 

Alongside this, your super has continued to support ethical businesses here in Australia and overseas (depending on your investment option mix) – all while safeguarding your future lifestyle. Your super’s not just sitting there – it’s powering change, and that’s thanks to you.  

By choosing sustainable, ethical super with Verve, you’re leaving 2025 in a better place than the year began, simply by investing in your post-work life goals.  Here’s to the next chapter of building the future we all want to see.  

• See vervesuper.com.au/ethical-investing for information about screening and investment processes.