Ireland Investment and Pensions

Ireland’s pension market is entering a period of significant change, with consolidation reshaping the ownership of retirement assets and auto-enrolment creating a new source of long-term capital. Master trusts are continuing to absorb standalone defined contribution (DC) schemes, concentrating assets among smaller number of large pools and creating opportunities and challenges for asset managers. The market is also considering the potential for greater consolidation of defined benefit (DB) schemes, with the Pensions Authority exploring whether a DB master trust model could support schemes seeking to consolidate. The launch of the state-backed My Future Fund at the beginning of the year marks a major shift in Ireland’s pension system, bringing more workers into retirement saving and creating a growing pool of assets to be invested. The Irish Association of Pension Funds (IAPF) is examining how this capital could be mobilised into a diversified portfolio of productive assets, adding to the focus on how Ireland’s growing pension pools will be invested.