All articles by Martin Hurst – Page 9
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News
Norwegian pension reform facing delay
NORWAY - The proposed reform of Norway’s state pension system is now unlikely to become law until after 2005’s general election, a political advisor says.
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Features
Spanish trustees need to go back to school
The issue of education in financial and investment matters as a fundamental need of pension fund trustees in Spain was confirmed in a recent survey carried out by Mercer. The survey into corporate governance among second pillar pension schemes was the first of its kind in Spain. One of its ...
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Features
Conservative approach
Management of pension funds in Spain is dominated by a few major financial institutions and insurance companies. The top three providers, BBVA, La Caixa and Santander manage 45% of total assets under management, while the top 10 represent three quarters of the market. Santander’s asset management unit is one of ...
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Features
Feathering their own nests?
Germany’s 603 Abgeordneten (members of parliament or MdBs) preside over a nation dejected at the prospect of the gradual erosion of their statutory pension system. Some observers suggest that the generosity of the MdBs’ pension scheme simply adds insult to injury. Currently the monthly salary for an MdB is E7,009. ...
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Features
Doubts dispersing
While considerable slack remains in the Japanese economy, there are also strong signs of sustainable recovery as years of corporate restructuring start to pay dividends. So first the bad news: in its most recent monthly Report of Recent Economic Developments published in February, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) commented that ...
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Features
Church fund guided by divine prudence
One of the main Pensionskassen in Germany is Berlin-based VERKA which was founded in 1924 by the Evangelical Church and today provides pensions for all of the country’s church employees. According to figures published by the German regulator BAFin, VERKA’s asset total of just over E1.5bn at the end of ...
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Features
Bewag believes in 'safety first'
The Berlin-based Bewag Pensionskasse feels that its policy of extreme prudence over the past three years has paid off. Risk is almost a dirty word, as management – and doubtless the members too – content themselves with the chosen ‘safety first policy. The fund, Bewag Pensionskasse, which was Germany’s twelfth-largest ...