Latest news and analysis of pensions, asset management, regulation and trends in the European Union from our award-winning journalists.
Danish occupational pension fund divests Italy’s Eni, excluding last large upstream oil and gas company in its portfolio
In work funded by Californian philanthropists, Swedish national pensions buffer fund says publicly-accessible workflow will be tested on AP2’s listed equities
The EU developed rules for climate benchmarks in 2019. After a surge in uptake, investor sentiment is already cooling
Continental Europe appears to have largely escaped the trend known in the US as the ‘Great Retirement Boom’, where an economically comfortable cohort of 50 to 64-year-olds has retreated from work in the post-COVID period.
Listed equities form backbone of investment gain while property returns hover around zero
Every annual general meeting (AGM) season has traditionally brought with it a few symbolic moments – events that serve as broader indicators of the market’s mood when it comes to environmental and social issues.
European pension funds, insurers holding up well despite higher stability risks, says latest risk report from EU pension and insurance watchdog
Finnish pensions major edges closer to having all its passive equities tracking MSCI’s Climate Action indices
Inflation may be losing momentum, thanks to vigorous central bank action, but with a recession on the horizon, it is hard to tell whether the next few months and years will see markets turn around and risk assets begin to perform again. For the time being, CIOs argue for selectivity in stock selection and generally agree that bonds have resumed their diversification role. The main article in our Outlook report features the views of influential CIOs and strategists on asset allocation for the next few years.
Incentives package for US-based clean energy investments is seen by some as a threat to Europe’s industrial competitiveness
The focus is on financial regulation rather than economic policy to drive decarbonisation
The continent is the oldest in the world, with fast shrinking populations and lower fertility rates
Isabelle Girolami undoubtedly has a strong background in financial services, having worked for a range of very different institutions in very different roles. She was COO at the fixed income division of BNP Paribas, before going on to a similar role at Bear Stearns, the bank that failed early in 2008 and which was subsumed into JP Morgan. Prior to her current role at LCH she was global head of markets at Crédit Agricole.
Elections for the European Parliament will be held in spring 2024, after which a new European Commission will be formed. Early preparation to collect new ideas is ongoing. The Commission’s high-level group on the future of social protection and of the welfare state published a report in February, taking a wide-angle look at social protection, including pensions.
The federation is rallying support for investors to engage with investee companies on human rights violations and environmental adverse impacts
In Frankfurt, EIOPA has responded to the European Commission’s call for technical advice in its stocktake on IORP II, the European framework for occupational pensions. EIOPA proposes widening the scope of IORP II in a pivot away from cross-border pensions and towards sustainability. A consultation process is open until 25 May.
Sustainability requirements in focus as EIOPA admits cross-border ‘failure’
The state of play for EU sustainable finance regulation
IPE’s guide to pensions regulation in six key European countries. Gail Moss reports
Crucial that business reporting provides value, says IPD
Private debt in Europe is still feeling the impact of the war in Ukraine and the surge in inflation, but there are reasons for optimism
Any CEO would recognise there is a problem when investors do not want to put their money to work with you. That is the situation that European banks find themselves in. The MSCI Europe bank index has considerably underperformed its MSCI Europe parent over the last 10 years.
The gender pension gap continues to be a significant issue in the European labour market, where women are at a disadvantage compared to men in terms of retirement income.