EU: Pensions and Investment News and Analysis
Latest news and analysis of pensions, asset management, regulation and trends in the European Union from our award-winning journalists.
AkademikerPension sees positive return impact after shedding last oil/gas major
Danish occupational pension fund divests Italy’s Eni, excluding last large upstream oil and gas company in its portfolio
AP2 helps German think tank develop portfolio tool to assess deforestation risk
In work funded by Californian philanthropists, Swedish national pensions buffer fund says publicly-accessible workflow will be tested on AP2’s listed equities
Rethinking net-zero equities benchmarks
The EU developed rules for climate benchmarks in 2019. After a surge in uptake, investor sentiment is already cooling
Europe escaped the Great Retirement Boom but watch out for the crunch
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.
Ilmarinen posts 3.7% H1 return; CEO urges solvency framework reshape
Listed equities form backbone of investment gain while property returns hover around zero
Discerning investor sentiment: this year’s proxy season
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.
EIOPA says national supervisors need more data on liquidity risks
European pension funds, insurers holding up well despite higher stability risks, says latest risk report from EU pension and insurance watchdog
Ilmarinen anchors new Amundi climate-focused Europe ETF with €580m
Finnish pensions major edges closer to having all its passive equities tracking MSCI’s Climate Action indices
Special Report – Outlook: Europe and the world
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.
Outlook – Europe and the world: US overtakes Europe in clean-energy production
Incentives package for US-based clean energy investments is seen by some as a threat to Europe’s industrial competitiveness
Outlook – Europe and the world: UK launches its own approach to green investment
The focus is on financial regulation rather than economic policy to drive decarbonisation
Outlook – Europe and the world: Ageing Europe puts strain on growth
The continent is the oldest in the world, with fast shrinking populations and lower fertility rates
LCH: The other side of the mirror
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.
Guest viewpoint: Pensions and the EU's plans on social protection
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.
Pensioenfederatie wants sustainability due diligence directive to include investors
The federation is rallying support for investors to engage with investee companies on human rights violations and environmental adverse impacts
Briefing – Regulation
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.
Regulation: EIOPA takes stock of IORP II
Sustainability requirements in focus as EIOPA admits cross-border ‘failure’
Regulation: EC continues sustainable investment regulation drive
The state of play for EU sustainable finance regulation
Regulation: IPE’s guide to pensions regulation in six key European countries
IPE’s guide to pensions regulation in six key European countries. Gail Moss reports
Danish pension funds laud EU red-tape cutting and urge EIOPA to follow suit
Crucial that business reporting provides value, says IPD
Private debt: European markets try to power ahead
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
Fear and loathing in European banks
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 cost of gender equality in pensions
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.
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