All Country Report articles – Page 57
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Country Report
Belgium: GDF Suez/Belgian gas and electricity pension funds re-assess euro government bond exposure
These five pension funds – comprising a total of 20,000 members – cover GDF Suez Belgium, the Belgian entity of GDF Suez, a global independent power generating company, and other companies from the Belgian gas and electricity sector.
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Country Report
Belgium: Pension B looks to real estate and tactical asset allocation
Before the Vandenbroucke law came into force in 2004, the Belgian construction sector distributed some of its reserves to its retiring ex-workers. However, this practice did not conform to the new OFP (organisation for financing pensions) system, leading to the creation of the new sector pension fund, Pensio B, in ...
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Country Report
Belgium: KBC Pensioenfonds prepares for accounting rule changes
The pension fund of Belgian bank and insurance group KBC has returned to pre-crisis levels following 2010 returns of 9.42% for the DB and 6.52% for the DC scheme, leaving the scheme with a short-term, liquidation scenario funding level of 147% and a long-term funding level of 113%, up 8% ...
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Country Report
Belgium: On the road to insurance
As the cracks become more visible across the Belgian political landscape, Nina Roehrbein reports on how pension funds are dealing with their own volatility issues
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Country Report
Ireland: Salvation stalling
In common with defined benefit schemes across Europe, Ireland’s are facing an existential crisis, with underfunding and closures widespread. New legislation to aid the industry was promised, but a year later has failed to materialise, finds Jonathan Williams
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Country Report
Ireland: Out of the gloom
Ireland’s future once lay in financial services. What now? Christine Senior reports
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Country Report
Ireland: Ireland’s political football
There is no doubt Ireland is facing an unprecedented sovereign debt crisis, says Jonathan Williams. But is liquidating the National Pensions Reserve Fund the best way to solve the problem?
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Country Report
Ireland: Ireland’s pension challenges
The Irish Association of Pension Funds’ Jerry Moriarty reviews a year in Irish occupational pensions and charts the way forward in 2011
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Country Report
Ireland: Fixing a broken model
The era of the traditonal managed fund is over, writes David O’Connor
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Country Report
Ireland: Auto-enrolment with a punch
With reforms for ailing DB schemes viewed as more urgent and in parts easier to implement than the sweeping reforms suggested for the DC sector, Ireland seems set to forget its pledge that auto-enrolment was the way forward, writes Jonathan Williams
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Country Report
Ireland: A €1bn question
The leading Irish companies contributed €1bn to pensions in the financial year 2009 but there were few substantive changes to pension arrangements, writes Conor Daly
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Country Report
Switzerland: Sitting pretty
Emma Cusworth charts Swiss pension funds’ allocations to domestic equities
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Country Report
Switzerland: Of prudence and pretence
The asset allocation of Swiss pension funds is subject to detailed government regulations. As the granularity of these regulations has been relaxed over the years, some say that Switzerland is well on her way to adopt the globally established prudent investor standard. Christian Dreyer begs to differ
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Country ReportSwitzerland: A never-ending road
With impeccable timing, yet another scandal has hit Swiss pensions just as the country is finalising a reform of second pillar supervision. Barbara Ottawa assesses the state of Swiss pension regulation and governance
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Country ReportSwitzerland: A never-ending road
With impeccable timing, yet another scandal has hit Swiss pensions just as the country is finalising a reform of second pillar supervision. Barbara Ottawa assesses the state of Swiss pension regulation and governance
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Country Report
Switzerland: Not enough of a good thing
Nina Röhrbein charts demand for Swiss domestic property and a market that cannot satisfy institutional demand
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Country Report
Switzerland: Efficient, secure and transparent pension funds
The relative benefits of a pension fund are impossible to judge as each stakeholder has a different level of expectation. Gérard Fischer looks at ways of defining a ‘good’ scheme
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Country ReportSwitzerland: BVK rises from the ashes
The head of asset management is new, the CEO remains in place for stability and a package of recovery measures should take care of the deficit. Barbara Ottawa asks whether all is really well at the Zurich canton pension fund
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Country Report
Switzerland: Alternative route to diversification
Are Swiss pension funds overcoming their traditional aversion to hedge funds and alternatives? Nina Röhrbein reports
