Collaboration between UK government and investment industry is crucial to support growth
‘Our ambition is for the UK to become the world’s most innovative full-service financial centre—and we’re already making progress’, says investment minister
Pension funds become embroiled in Italy’s banking M&A battles
Cassa Forense, Enasarco, Enpam and Inarcassa face questions over their stakes in Monte dei Paschi di Siena, Mediobanca, and Banco Popolare Milano (BPM)
Staples pension fund concludes buyout with Aegon
The Dutch company pension scheme, with €660m in assets under management, has been closed since 2015
NBIM calls for investor-driven clarity in sustainability disclosure reforms
In a response to the ISSB’s Exposure Draft on amendments to IFRS S2, NBIM cautioned against changes that could undermine coherence or comparability
FCA probes risk trade-offs in push for UK growth
FCA’s Kate Collyer stresses the importance of understanding the potential trade-offs when introducing more risk
UK launches consultations on ISSB, transition plans and sustainability assurance
Announcement comes as GRI unveils two new climate standards
Baker Hughes completes three buy-ins worth £900m with PIC
The transactions secure pensions of over 3,000 pensioners and dependents, and nearly 4,000 deferred members
Laborfonds adds managers, launches satellite equity portfolio
Manager selection process enabled pension fund to cut management costs by more than 10%
UK VC ESG data harmonisation bid seeks to support Mansion House pledges
British Business Bank, BVCA and Venture ESG to convene institutional LPs to agree ESG reporting requirements
Investors call for corporate and government action on toxic chemicals
Investors have also put their name to a statement urging more action to combat air pollution
AXA IM debuts Equity Shield funds with DC scheme seeding £200m
The products – Equity Shield 75 and Equity Shield 80 – form part of a new Equity Shield strategy
People moves: UK’s NEST confirms Ian Cornelius as CEO
Plus: LGPS Central appoints Nigel Peaple as director of policy; EFAMA elects new president, vice president
Shifting global dynamics set stage for local currency emerging market debt revival
Institutional investors poised to maintain or increase EMD allocations despite macroeconomic uncertainty
Denmark’s PBU invests in global goals fund with guarantees against losses
Anchored last autumn by PFA, PKA, P+ and PenSam, SDG fund targets UN goals five, eight, 10 and 13
Italy’s pension regulator calls for EU support to reverse demographic decline
COVIP chair Mario Pepe says EU-issued debt should be used to support Italian families
Van Lanschot Kempen creates £100m private markets portfolio for DB scheme
The mandate is structured to provide the pension fund with access to Van Lanschot Kempen’s capabilities in private equity and infrastructure
Finance lobbied harder than any other sector to water down CS3D, finds research
Investors planning engagement on responsible lobbying may have to start with the finance sector
Industriens enters joint Danish pension fund bid to build army barracks
The €34bn labour-market pension fund cites good prior experience with PPP model as reason for seeking new investment opportunity
Investors stopped from voting on 23% of shareholder proposals at US firms
SEC approves 40% more ‘no action’ requests than last year
Legal opinion finds worry over liability risks from climate plans is ‘overstated’
The IFRS Foundation this week published guidance on transition plan disclosures to support ISSB reporting
German experts warn active pension alone will not solve labour shortages
Germany’s proposed ‘Aktivrente’, or active pension, is a step towards encouraging older workers to remain in employment
UK government sets out ‘modern Industrial Strategy’
British Business Bank commits £6.6bn of new capital to boost growth; Financial services sector plan coming in July
Lloyds Banking Group consults on moving pension fund provision in house
The bank’s pension fund would be administered by Scottish Widows
Dutch pension federation resists lower central clearing threshold proposal
European pension regulator ESMA has proposed mandatory central clearing of interest rate derivatives above €1.8bn
ÄVWL boosts bond exposure, US dollar overweight amid shifting market dynamics
The pension fund for German doctors in Germany’s Westphalia-Lippe region has increased its allocation to directly held bonds by nearly €400m year-on-year
Uniqa opens up asset management capabilities to third-party clients
Its regulatory resilience gives it a competitive edge in offering outsourced solutions to other institutional clients, says managing director Andreas Bertl
Pensions admin firm Festina ready to take on UK pension fund clients
The Danish fintech firm says the UK market is ‘at an inflection point’
Border to Coast notes improved engagement among managers that left CA100+
Tim Manuel, the investment pool’s head of responsible investment, said underlying engagement among managers who exited CA100+ has improved in some cases
EIOPA proposes central data hub role in SIU response
The authority also called for new pensions data requirements to be centralised from the outset, beginning with IORP II data
Brunel and Railpen double up at IPE Transition Awards
Winners left Brussels with trophies made of recycled acrylic
UK actuaries’ Section 13 Review to focus on DB surplus
It will be “key” to understand the decisions that are made along the way and the rationale for those decisions
Keva adopts ethical principles guiding own use of artificial intelligence
Finnish pensions giant says code drawn up for use of the emerging technology is mainly about risk management and good governance
Booking.com settles with Dutch pension fund PGB
The settlement the online travel agency has reached with Dutch multi-sector scheme PGB frees it from a requirement to join the pension fund
PensionsEurope raises ‘serious concerns’ over One Big Beautiful Bill
US senate is expected to vote on the reform legislation on Monday
Icelandic pension funds warn pensions bill offends against constitution
Gildi warns pension fund money needed for a big rise in disability pensions ‘will not be plucked out of thin air’
New net-zero transition planning standard to focus on process and governance
Standard is designed to provide a clear path for managing climate risks, unlocking transition-related opportunities, and scaling credible net-zero strategies
Fondoposte picks asset managers to oversee €1.4bn
The pension fund’s assets will be split between four investment compartments, aligning portfolio strategies more closely with members’ risk profiles and time horizons
People moves: HSBC Global Asset Management names CEO
In addition to his CEO role, Dan Rudd has also been appointed head of UK wholesale for HSBC GAM
IPE Top 500 Asset Managers: leading managers outpace the rest in a year of record AUM growth
Global AUM tops €129trn and the ‘trillion club’ widens as 25 managers alone report assets over €1trn
LGPS: ‘strong, cohesive’ oversight to be more important going forward
‘Fund officers must hold pools accountable, particularly during periods of underperformance’, says head of pensions at Lincolnshire County Council
Should investors worry about plans to cull corporate sustainability disclosures?
EU lawmakers meet today to discuss plans to further reduce the scope of CS3D and CSRD
Berenberg launches advisory platform for German pension funds
The platform will support institutional investors across entire investment process, from strategic planning through to implementation, administration and monitoring
DWS greenwashing probe examined €20bn fund as ex-CEO Wöhrmann cleared
Prosecutors were unable to confirm suspicions of investment fraud or misleading marketing on the part of former DWS CEO Asoka Wöhrmann
Finnish pensions lobby spurns importing Swedish-style private investment system
‘Occupational pension system far too valuable to be sacrificed to efforts to promote mass capitalism,’ says Sokka
VER chief Timo Löyttyniemi to retire early next year
High-profile Finnish pensions CEO says has enjoyed his “vantage point in investment markets”
London Pensions Fund Authority sets 5% goal for climate solutions investment
LPFA will continue to revise its targets as more guidance is issued and as climate solutions market evolves
Finding new pooling arrangement will be costly, challenging for ‘orphaned’ LGPS funds
21 LGPS pension funds are now looking for a new home after UK government delivered pooling verdict
Clara Pensions completes superfund deal with landmark not-for-profit transaction
UK’s first connected covenant structure deployed in £55m CMS pension transfer, widening access to consolidation for charities
Sustainability industry calls for further clarity from UK’s Spending Review
UK Spending Review risks being ‘empty promise’ without funding mechanisms and further policy detail.
IFRS Sustainability Reporting Framework makes global progress, says Lloyd
ISSB chair Sue Lloyd says there is ‘very strong investor interest in sustainability information’
