France: Pensions and Investment News and Analysis
Latest news and analysis of pensions, asset management, regulation and trends in France from our award-winning journalists.
Viewpoint: Macron’s reform paves way for development of French second- and third-pillar pension
The rationale of the reform is simple: the rising life expectancies combined with decreasing birth-rate have accelerated the aging of the French population
Pensions in France - IPE Country Report
Fierce opposition from trade unions and a large part of the political spectrum did not manage to stop Emmanuel Macron’s plan to reform the French pension system. The new framework kicks in this month, and the long-term sustainability of public pensions is secure. However, French workers will have to work longer into their lives, and their standard of living will decline.
New pension rules set to transform France
After much opposition, profound changes to the retirement system take effect this month
Pensions in France - IPE Country Report
Fierce opposition from trade unions and a large part of the political spectrum did not manage to stop Emmanuel Macron’s plan to reform the French pension system. The new framework kicks in this month, and the long-term sustainability of public pensions is secure. However, French workers will have to work longer into their lives, and their standard of living will decline.
Country Report – Pensions in France (October) 2022
The French pension system is in good health with a first-pillar pay-as-you-go system in surplus. But long-term forecasts are cause for concern, showing that the French state will have to raise expenditure on pensions from the current 13% to nearly 15% of GDP to maintain the system.
France moves ahead with innovative climate reporting rules
A new French law could compel companies to disclose their climate plans
France’s new pension product smashes through target
Assets managed by PER supplementary pension products could reach €200bn by 2026
France: Macron’s major pension reforms take effect
September sees the enactment of controversial retirement reforms passed by presidential decree earlier this year, bringing 42 occupational regimes together
Pension funds on the record: The investors developing their own index methodologies
FRR and PUBLICA are among the growing number of European pension funds developing proprietary benchmarks to achieve their sustainability objectives
France’s lower house votes for mandatory Say on Climate
FIR, a French sustainable investment lobby group, says that only nine companies published climate resolutions so far out of 795 on the Euronext Paris stock exchange
French regulator questions managers’ approach to ESG data providers
Plus: New biodiversity credits initiative between UK and France
Pension investors repeat demand to TotalEnergies: align emissions with Paris
The French energy firm refused to table a similar resolution at last year’s AGM, but investors have found a way to prevent this from happening again
Macron faces backlash as he bypasses parliamentary vote on pensions bill
The controversial pension reform proposed by Macron’s government seeks to merge France’s 42 separate pension schemes into a single, universal points-based system
Spanish insurer MAPFRE adds SRI approach to all asset managers’ strategies
“The idea is to grow distribution capacity in France and to increase our SRI capabilities,” says MAPFRE’s chief economist for investments
France's Af2i releases proposals and recommendations for long-term investment
The association is looking to promote a European standard for ESG data
Macron presses ahead with controversial pension reforms
The government will require companies to incentivise workers to stay at work beyond age 60 by improving the quality of their working lives
Low Countries’ COVID recovery funds contingent on pension reform
The Netherlands and Belgium must push through reforms to their pension systems to receive COVID recovery grants from Brussels
ERAFP awards €1.2bn in SRI credit bond mandates
The scheme has awarded the active mandates to AXA Investment Managers and FundLogic
Mirova’s Philippe Zaouati: realistically optimistic
Asset management CEOs tend to be a clever bunch, but there cannot be many who are familiar with the work of Antonio Gramsci, the 20th century Italian socialist philosopher.
Contributions lowest in Sweden, Finland, but highest in Italy, Denmark, study finds
Finnish Centre for Pensions compares totality of contributions in eight European countries
Ircantec: Aiming for core sustainability
Myriam Métais andCécilia Lyet (pictured) of France’s Caisse des Dépôts talk to Carlo Svaluto Moreolo about managing the reserves of Ircantec, the supplementary scheme for public sector employees
Country Report – Pensions in France (October) 2022
The French pension system is in good health with a first-pillar pay-as-you-go system in surplus. But long-term forecasts are cause for concern, showing that the French state will have to raise expenditure on pensions from the current 13% to nearly 15% of GDP to maintain the system.
France: First-pillar pension reform faces impasse
The French state faces growing expenditure on pension but attempts to reform the system have stalled
France: Third-pillar pensions and sustainability take centre stage
Clémence Droin, senior engagement manager at Indefi, talks to IPE about the two main areas of focus for the French institutional investment community lack of a regulatory push from pension reforms
France: The biodiversity reporting enigma
France’s financial institutions must report on biodiversity impacts but face a lack of corporate data push from pension reforms
France: New government revives pension reform
Under Emmanuel Macron’s second presidential term, the French government hopes to achieve an overhaul of the first-pillar pension system
French groups agree sponsored research charter in post-MIFID II move
Move follows recommendation of financial regulator and drop in number of companies covered by independent research
France’s UMR to incorporate as new pension fund vehicle
A dedicated pensions mutual, UMR considers the FRPS regime to be better suited to it as a long-term actor
Ircantec exits dozen companies as new climate policy kicks in
Divested companies include Anglo American, BP, Mitsubishi, and Repsol
France’s FRR announces 6.95% return, highlights domestic financing
Result keeps asset shrinkage to €315m
Amundi sets out post-Lyxor acquisition AUM aims
Lyxor is now a subsidiary of Amundi and in a second phase will be merged into Amundi
IPE Conference: AP4, AXA IM lament carbon pricing absence
AXA economist regrets US political inability to bring in “bonus/malus system” for power generation firms
Ircantec sets 2030 deadline for non-1.5°C-aligned oil and gas holdings
French public sector scheme also tightening coal exclusion criteria, upping allocation to energy transition investments
French provider in partnership talks with Sienna IM amid PER growth
Discussions ‘symptomatic’ of wider trends in pensions and investments, says consultant
Country Report – Pensions in France (October 2021)
President Macron’s pension reforms were pretty much shredded by the pandemic. Asset managers and policymakers had been hoping that a successful reform programme would channel savings into supplementary pension vehicles like the FRPS. Instead, progress has been very slow indeed. We also profile the public sector scheme Ircantec and highlight Indefi’s latest research on the French institutional market.
Copyright © 1997–2023 IPE International Publishers Limited, Registered in England, Reg No. 3233596, VAT No. 685 1784 92. Registered Office: 1 Kentish Buildings, 125 Borough High Street, London SE1 1NP