MA Financial extends real estate fund redemption freeze

MA Financial has extended a temporary freeze on redemptions for its unlisted real estate credit fund by five months, moving from a monthly limit to a full suspension through at least March 31, 2027. The restriction applies to the MA Secured Loan Series (SLS), which specializes in loans backed by Australian property.

Frank Danieli, head of global credit solutions at MA Financial, addressed the Citi Investment Conference on October 20 to explain the strategy shift. “The wrong thing to do as a fiduciary in that environment would be to run the gauntlet rather than work through a few months of difficulty in the sector,” he noted.

This marks a departure from MA Financial’s earlier announcement in August 2026, when it introduced a 1% monthly redemption cap.

At the same conference, Stephen Martin, head of multi-sector credit at Challenger, highlighted broader industry risks. He stressed that private credit providers must improve across multiple areas, including transparency, valuations, and disclosures.

Martin’s remarks showed the industry’s reliance on investor confidence.

Danieli reinforced the importance of disclosure as a cornerstone of industry stability. He cited the U.S. 40 Act fund model, a retail-oriented pooled investment vehicle regulated by the SEC, as a benchmark for standardized disclosures. “If you think about what the SEC requires of its managers over there, there is a very, very prescribed form of disclosure, that’s really good as it enables you to compare products and understand what is actually in it,” he explained.

The push for consistency aligns with recent regulatory expectations in Australia, where the Financial Services Council has established new benchmarks for private credit managers.