Border to Coast could see £45bn added to assets under management
Seven LGPS funds signal intention to join Border to Coast and create new collaborative partnership, potentially elevating Border to Coast’s AUM to £110bn
Rolls-Royce completes £4.3bn full buy-in with PIC
The transaction insures pension benefits of 15,000 pensioners and 21,000 deferred members
Danish pension funds doubled defence investments in 15 months, IPD shows
Surge in value of defence assets partly due to pension firms increasing holdings, partly due to rising prices for European-listed defence stocks, says lobby group
German second pillar reform ‘falls short’, say industry bodies
Actuaries say that ‘much more extensive and far-reaching reforms’ are needed, particularly to significantly expand DC provision
Railpen calls on investors to assess AI portfolio risks
The pension fund, in partnership with Chronos Sustainability, developed the AI Governance Framework that translates responsible AI principles into actionable practices
Byblos appoints Payden & Rygel for €190m balanced mandate
The €1bn pension fund for the media sector has awarded a globally balanced mandate to invest in bonds, equities and UCITS funds
Danish pension fund divests Booking on Israel links, as Norway SWF takes steps
Pension fund for early childhood and youth educators decries treatment of children in Gaza; Stoltenberg says NBIM will take measures on Israeli investments next week
NN Life & Pensions in €4bn longevity reinsurance deal with Prudential Financial
The reinsurance deal covers around 96,000 policyholders and was arranged through PFI’s primary US insurance subsidiary
PensionsEurope: Planned SFDR categorisation system is ‘ill-suited to pension funds’
Industry association argues that a one-size-fits-all regime will put pension funds at a disadvantage
FCA to ‘streamline’ sustainability reporting framework
Announcement comes as FRC, EFRAG and TNFD consult on disclosure rules
Guinness lands German segregated mandate in equity income expansion
CEO Edward Guinness says new mandate reflects growing interest in the firm’s capabilities and the global appeal of its equity income philosophy
People moves: SEI Master Trust adds director to board
Chris Hogg is former CEO of the National Grid UK Pension Scheme and of Royal Mail’s pensions trustees
Norway orders review of SWF’s Israel investments
At book launch event in Oslo, NBIM CEO confirms GFPG is still a shareholder in Bet Shemesh Engines, and increased its stake this year
Railpen picks Neuberger Berman for securitised credit mandate
The mandate primarily invests in securitised debt securities, including collateralised loan obligations, asset-backed securities and mortgage-backed securities
MMC UK fund in £1.9bn in bulk purchase annuity deal with Standard Life
The buy-in deal covers 6,500 members of the Sedgwick Section of the MMC UK Pension Fund
PGIM’s middle market direct lending fund reaches $4.2bn final close
The fund provides senior secured financing to middle market companies across North America, Europe, and Australia
ACCESS partner funds on the look out for new pooling arrangement
The pools are expected to select partners ahead of the final decision deadline of 30 September 2025
National Grid UK Pension Scheme secures £900m buy-in deal
Transaction takes the pension fund’s total liabilities de-risked with Rothesay to £4.5bn
Asset managers continue to raise the bar on sustainable investing – survey
But Isio sees plenty of work left to do at fund level
PRI launches private debt stewardship guide with Redington
PRI CEO David Atkin says lenders ‘face significant barriers to stewardship’ with private debt ‘that do not necessarily exist elsewhere’
ISS Stoxx to buy geospatial analytics firm
ISS says institutional investors showing greater need for geospatial data and enhanced risk analytics
Denmark’s pensions lobby teams up with banks to firm up defence financing
IPD and Finance Denmark launch new partnership as a coordinated effort to bolster cooperation with government, authorities on investment and financing for defence
Dow Chemical pension fund gears up for buyout
Several insurance firms active on the Dutch buyout market have shown interest in a buyout of the €2.1bn pension fund of US chemicals giant Dow
PensionsEurope plays down need for scale interventions in IORP II review
Industry association to go into more detail in response to the Commission’s targeted consultation on supplementary pensions
Sweden’s Kåpan brings back retired CEO to hold fort after Giertz exit
Chair says Gunnar Balsvik ‘will contribute to stability, continuity and secure leadership’
NBIM chief Tangen reveals how he kept his job amid Elon Musk text furore
CEO of Norway’s SWF publishes book on leadership, compiling podcast interviews
EIOPA flags persistent market risk for IORPs amid stable overall outlook
EIOPA’s latest dashboard shows overall risk assessment for EU occupational pension funds at medium level, but warns of high market and asset return risks
M&G changes climate strategy to prioritise asset alignment and engagement
The 2025 target moves beyond reducing portfolio emissions to assess climate resilience of portfolio companies
Just Group to be acquired by Brookfield Wealth Solutions in £2.4bn deal
BWS intends for Blumont and Just to operate as a single, consolidated insurance group under Just Group brand
Governments told to spell out investors’ role in climate adaptation plans
Chamber of Commerce paper comes as Commission launches call for evidence on climate resilience
Dutch actuary MP Joseph switches to Farmers Party
Agnes Joseph, a vocal critic of the Dutch pension transition, said she felt ‘lack of support’ from within her party NSC
UK pensions regulator urges trustees to take long-term decisions
TPR climate lead says trustees should look to lead, not just comply
DAX pension schemes reach record funding levels despite volatility
German companies listed on the DAX index saw their average funding ratio rise to 87.1% in the first half of the year, up from 82% at the end of 2024
People moves: People’s Partnership hires new business development head
Max Gist joins the UK workplace pension scheme from Aegon
Sally Bridgeland steps down as Brunel’s chair for next phase of pooling
Patrick Newberry will replace Sally Bridgeland from 1 August
‘Hundreds’ of UK pension providers connected to Pensions Dashboard
The connection deadline for large pension funds is set between 30 April 2025 and 30 November 2025
IIGCC calls for EU stewardship code defining engagement
Body also says SFDR should be aligned with Shareholder Rights Directive on stewardship
ECB to apply climate risk factor to corporate bond collateral
Certain assets could see their value cut
BlackRock expands pass-through voting programme to Switzerland
Asset manager cites ‘growing interest from Swiss institutional clients in participating in the stewardship of their capital’
Italian pension fund defends position in ‘banking M&A risk’ game
Enpam and Fondazione Enasarco offices were raided by Italy’s Guardia di Finanza seeking documentation relating to securities transactions
Swedish government takes next step in basic pension security reform
Economics professor from Jönköping University appointed to lead working group tasked with analysing the problems in the system
Pension professionals call for standardisation of bulk purchase annuity processes
SPP suggests that a more standardised approach to streamlined processes would be a significant, but not impossible, step
Dutch pension funds should slash government bonds, says BlackRock
The risk-return profile is not attractive compared to other fixed income categories, according to the asset manager
Sustainability can boost revenues by 6%, say private markets investors
PRI launches new project on how to harness the financial value that sustainability can generate in private markets
German ministries draft law to revive occupational pensions
SMEs would be able to participate in existing defined contribution plans set up under the so-called social partner model, according to draft law
Investors urged to tackle modern slavery risks through performance-based incentives
IFM Investors calls for united action across the investment chain to address hidden modern slavery risks in portfolios
Fondo Fon.Te looks for managers to invest €1.61bn in sub-funds
The €6bn pension fund for Italy’s commerce, tourism and services sector is seeking to award 18 mandates in total
USS flags gap between emissions data and physical climate risk
The Universities Superannuation Scheme has seen an increase in AUM to £76.8bn, and has a funding level 116%
Dollar hedging helps PFA year-to-date return amid summer stocks rally
Danish pension and insurance firms boosted hedging against US currency unit declines to 73%, central bank reports
