Karch to step down as chair of German pension fund association aba
Actuary Georg Thurnes is to replace Karch as head of the occupational pensions group
German regulator urges take-up of new DC model
Also: Union representative hints at “major project close to completion” involving insurer for new non-guaranteed pension
Trio of asset managers target Germany with new offices
Hermes, Unigestion and Nikko Asset Management are all targeting Germany’s €224bn pension market
German pension schemes tripled use of pooled funds since 2005
Increased securitisation and diversification could lead to “disruptions”, warns Kommalpha
German social ministry to set up ‘forum’ for new pension plans
Aon survey shows little interest among employees for swapping possible higher returns for guarantees
Lift-off for new Airbus DC scheme in Germany
Since January, 20,000 employees have signed up to the new ‘defined ambition’ arrangements
Willis Towers Watson: Germany needs new approach to longevity data
German conference hears about statistical divergences in European longevity assumptions
Little appetite for auto-enrolment in Germany
Experts have proposed a possible compromise to bring in auto-enrolment for pension funds, reports Barbara Ottawa
Germany’s Metallrente lowers interest on members’ assets
BRSG reforms have boosted pension fund membership, says metal industry pension provider’s managing director
IORP II: How the EU directive has reshaped the pensions industry
IPE explores how the IORP II directive has been implemented across EU member states
Aon sets up German pension fund, DAX companies top up funding
UnitedPensions Deutschland AG is the 33rd Pensionsfonds to get a license from German BaFin
Major German pension providers invest in rating agency Scope
European rating agency gets Swiss license and appoints new head of digital development
Accounting roundup: Discount rates on the rise
Also: DB, DC plan definitions under IAS 19; IASB staff still working on DC discount rate anomaly
German Pensionskassen, BaFin in ‘uncharted territory’ over solvency
Three Pensionskassen in talks with German regulator over 2017 losses, more might follow
Evangelische Bank expands business with ESG launch
Provider launches asset management subsidiary to grow customer base outside of German churches
Germany unlikely to see new DC plans before 2020
Talks between employees and employers in Germany’s metal industry are ongoing but without commitment
Mandate roundup: UK pension pool confirms £1bn smart beta allocation
Plus: Family office hunts securitised credit investor; Danish foundation wants EM manager; German state appoints Hermes EOS
State pension liabilities pose biggest threat to Germany’s credit rating
German economist proposes €1trn sovereign wealth fund to cope with future first-pillar funding
Chart of the Week: Angela Merkel begins a long ‘auf wiedersehen’
German equity investors have enjoyed the 13 years since the chancellor first took power
German investors under pressure to achieve returns, survey shows
Fewer investors now rank security as top concern, according to poll by Union Investment
Germany: A pensions transition
Insurance companies have to re-define their role in a world in which guarantees are too expensive. But in German pensions they have to keep promises given in the past
BRSG: Scramble for German DC
A new occupational pension framework without guarantees has stirred up an already complex industry and most of its stakeholders are still playing their cards close to their chest
Headwinds and tailwinds
Germany’s latest pension reform comes at a time when Brussels and EIOPA are presenting unwelcome challenges
ESG moves unsettle
The European Commission’s plan to increase sustainable investment is a mixed bag
Digital Edition
Subscribe to the digital edition of IPE magazine to view the latest issue directly in your browser.
- Previous
- Next
Firebrand targets supervision
One of the knottier issues in Brussels at the moment is the future of the European supervisory authorities
Banking on life after politics
At 49, Brian Hayes is young man by political standards. Having started in Irish politics early with his appointment to the Irish Senate in the mid 1990s, Hayes was elected to the Dáil, the lower house, before he was 30, taking a seat for the Fine Gail party.
Brussels People – Lieve Wierinck: Building on Europe’s scientific base
Lieve Wierinck’s main political passion is ensuring the EU takes full practical advantage of Europe’s excellent scientific base
Brussels People: Sven Giegold, MEP
While he derives some satisfaction from advances in green energy and the like, Sven Giegold is unhappy that most global investment can still be classed as environmentally unsustainable.
Letter from Brussels: Brussels seeks to bolster secondary market in non-performing loans
Are non-peforming loans an investor’s dream come true? Or do they represent immeasurable risks?
Letter from Brussels: Focus on pension products and supervision ahead of elections
Tensions are rising in Brussels as the EU institutional mandate approaches its end ahead of the Parliamentary elections in May 2019, and the Commission has already ceased issuing new proposals in the absence of legislative time.
Letter From Brussels: CMU urgency mounts
The race is on to complete the EU’s flagship Capital Markets Union project before the mandates of the Commission and Parliament elapse next year
Letter from Brussels: Campaign to boost pan-EU distribution of UCITS and AIFs
Another step by Brussels to ease financing to business across the EU comes with measures to facilitate the cross-border distribution of investment funds
Letter from Brussels: Who cares about our €3.5trn?
PensionsEurope is concerned about a Brexit ‘no deal’ and is calling for negotiators to pay heed to the €3.54trn sector’s interests
Letter From Brussels: Corporate tax reform in view
Radical upgrades to the EU’s corporate tax base norms have never been so close to fruition
Letter From Brussels: Default guarantee option dominates debate on PEPP
Europe’s asset management industry is lobbying against any mandatory guaranteed default option in the third-pillar PEPP proposal
Letter From Brussels: Brexit focus moves to pensions
As the risk of a no-deal Brexit comes into focus, attention is turning to ways to mitigate the damage across financial services, including asset management and pensions
Letter from Brussels: Easier securitisation on the horizon
The EU’s securitisation package has finally passed through the European Parliament and Council. However, the new rules will not be applied until January 2019
Letter from Brussels: Opposition to mission creep
The EU’s controversial mandate for a radical shake up of financial supervision has received a cool reception from the pensions sector as well as smaller EU members
Letter From Brussels: Court for international investor disputes on the horizon
International investors in the EU have for decades been suffering from woeful dispute settlement proceedings when involved in cases against public authorities
Letter From Brussels: Pension rights for posted workers
Discussions over the payment of social costs for workers from central and eastern European countries posted temporarily to wealthier EU countries are playing a major role in the attempt to update existing directives
Letter from Brussels: Tax threatens PEPP proposal
At first sight, the benefits of the European Commission’s Pan European Personal Pension (PEPP) regulation proposal seem clear. But it did not take long for commentators to point out the considerable hurdles
Letter from Brussels: Reboot for Capital Markets Union
The European Commission’s “further steps to drive forward the Capital Markets Union (CMU)” outline nine new priority legislative actions to solve the EU’s long-term cross-border investment challenge
Letter from Brussels: EU seeks to avert Brexit arbitrage
Strong words on Brexit are flying in political circles. But behind the theatre, concerns about the future of London’s fund management sector are emerging
Letter from Brussels: A warm reception for PEPP
In contrast to complaints that Brussels’s legislation burdens the financial sector, the European Commission may be gratified by the positive response to its flagship Capital Markets Union (CMU) programme.