PME replaces BlackRock in €5bn ESG equities portfolio
UBS AM and MN take over the pension fund’s ESG equity portfolio from the American manager
Norway SWF aims to halve manual processes through AI use
NBIM expects headcount to remain broadly stable: ‘AI acts as a force multiplier for our employees rather than a replacement,’ spokeswoman says
Avon pension fund to stay in defence, share member views with new pool
Pension fund decided to review investment in aerospace and defence sector following petitions for divestment from companies supplying Israel
Italian pension funds fight employer contribution portability
Italian pension funds warn budget law portability plans could weaken collective schemes and erode workers’ retirement outcomes
PFA reveals DKK40bn equities revamp cashed in on tariff-jitters bargains
“Timing could hardly have been more challenging,” says Danish pensions CIO of lifecycle profiles restructuring
Pension funds take climate targets more seriously than other financial institutions
Analysis of 600 funds names those adopting good practice and areas where improvements are needed
EIOPA flags private credit as growing financial stability risk
The Authority warns that insurers and pension funds’ rising private credit exposure poses growing systemic risks
German doctors’ pension fund makes first foray into crypto
First-pillar fund for physicians commits to €17m through two ETPs following a two-year test
UK government consults on raising trustee standards
DWP’s consultation puts forward proposals to increase knowledge and understanding requirements for trustees, and to improve trust board diversity
WTW’s master trust commits £400m to carbon transition credit fund
The investment is expected to rise to £1bn by 2027
UK master trusts invest £350m in public-private corporate credit ELTAF
Plus: Schroders Capital invests €100m seed capital in own ELTIF
Aviva launches solution for DB surplus transfers to DC funds
Surplus transfers could become a realistic option for some pension funds earlier than expected, Aviva says
Investors call for more transparency on impact of climate on future dividend payments
IIGCC updates expectations for reporting on climate impacts in financial accounts
Generali scraps plans to create joint venture with Natixis Investment Managers
Generali and BPCE, Natixis IM’s owner, failed to reach a final agreement following a non-binding memorandum of understanding signed in January
Italian pension fund moves €2.16bn to Luxembourg platform in new strategy
The overhaul coincides with the rollout of BCC CRA’s 2025–27 strategic asset allocation for its three sub-funds
German pension fund shuts down after capital collapse
Financial supervisor BaFin has revoked Babcock Pensionskasse’s licence to conduct business
Pensions UK revises voting guidelines to strengthen expectations
Three themes emerged as having particular relevance for 2026: capital issuance, nature and biodiversity, and cyber risk governance
WTW to acquire Cushon master trust
The acquisition adds £4bn in assets under management to WTW’s portfolio
Rantala report urges major overhaul of self-employed pensions in Finland
Jukka Rantala, former head of Finnish Centre for Pensions, puts forward proposals for increasing transparency and improving pensions adequacy for the self-employed
Germany’s pension reform unlikely to lift DC take-up
Germany’s pension reform introduces targeted measures, but consultants warn it won’t significantly boost DC plan uptake
DAX pension funds ramp up private markets as DC overhaul reshapes demand
Mercer expects German corporate pension funds to boost private markets exposure, combining core infrastructure and senior private debt
People moves: Finland’s Veritas names new chief
Plus: Former Invesco EMEA head launches new business; AkademikerPension hires new real estate investment manager
Norway’s SWF unveils new strategy plan, as experts criticise top-down allocation
NBIM’s new three-year strategy plan outlines changes to real estate approach and sets out the fund’s priorities
APG to shed over 1,000 jobs in cost-cutting drive
The pension administrator majority-owned by the Netherlands’s largest pension fund ABP made an operational loss in 2023 and 2024 and has been under pressure to cut costs
New study calls for current DEI practices to shift towards performance-driven model
Professor Alex Edmans urges investors to abandon box-ticking DEI and adopt a performance-driven PSI framework instead
NGOs urge asset owners to stop managers backing fossil fuel expansion
Large asset managers seen maintaining support for fossil fuel expansion via their bond investments and shareholder voting
Comet Pension Scheme in £330m buy-in with Canada Life
The transaction secures the benefits of 4,500 members of the fund
EU lawmakers reach provisional agreement on Omnibus
Reporting coverage slashed and transition plan requirements scrapped
Church of England Pensions Board introduces stricter rules on defence investing
New policy responds to paper from its Ethical Investment Advisory Group and a survey of scheme members’ views
Lloyds Banking Group pension funds strike three more longevity swaps
The transactions protect a further £4.8bn of liabilities
IPE Conference 2025: Financial sector over-extended on climate transition, says KLP
Speakers discussed how to navigate green ambitions amid pushback, policy gaps – and progress
Smart Pension adds £650m to AUM with pension trust bulk transfer
Smart Pension targets £10bn in AUM in the first half of 2026
IPE Conference 2025: ‘Back Europe with investment capital to defend values’
Speakers from politics, policy, productive finance, and pensions industry experts discussed barriers to increasing European private-sector investment
Danish pension fund trio anchors defence buyout fund with €220m
PensionDanmark, AP Pension and AkademikerPension invest in ETNA, a new Copenhagen-based private equity fund targeting the defence sector
German pension funds cool on Asia as risks mount
SOKA-BAU winds down China exposure, while KZVK and NÄV grow cautious on Asia
SEC commissioner says investors following proxy advice could be collaborating
Mark Uyeda has suggested that following the same voting recommendation could put shareholders in 13D category for activists
EFAMA warns against new ESMA reviews for large asset managers
But says many measures in the EC’s financial markets integration package address barriers to the Savings and Investment Union
Railpen to challenge companies undermining shareholder rights in 2026 votes
The fund’s 2026 voting policy tightens scrutiny of corporate lobbying that undermines shareholder rights and long-term value
IPE Awards: Swedish Fund Selection Agency wins European pension fund gong
Diego Valero takes this year’s Outstanding Industry Contribution award
IPE Conference 2025: Europe, private markets and realism in ESG - key takeaways
The conference, held in Seville, highlighted sustainable investing pitfalls, private markets, and the case for European asset allocations
Alecta loses in arbitration over loss-making Heimstaden Bostad holding
Swedish pensions giant’s CEO Peder Hasslev: ‘Good we now have more clarity’
EU unveils financial markets integration package
Commission hopes reforms will break down cross-border silos and boost capital-market scale
CDC rollout risks faltering without clearer government roadmap
Collective Defined Contribution pension funds could be a ‘game-changer’, but only if people understand it, consultants say
Dow unifies German pension plans with new auto-enrolment set up
New employees joining any German Dow site from this year are automatically enrolled on the Dow Pension Plan
Stagecoach transfers £1.2bn pension fund to Aberdeen
Aberdeen will receive a minority share of any surplus generated
People moves: Former SAMCo deputy CIO joins AustralianSuper
Plus: Railpen has appointed a new director of member experience
German companies pressed to fast-track Pensionsfonds transfers before tax cuts
Mercer urges German companies to fast-track any planned expansion of direct pension promises or benefit upgrades
Austrian VBV surpasses €10bn with IBM pensions deal
VBV has absorbed more than €1bn in assets and around 30,000 members from Austrian company pension funds over the past two decades
People’s Pension adds to equity manager roster with £3.6bn EM mandate
Appointing Robeco represents a shift from a passive approach to an active quantitative strategy for UK pension fund’s emerging markets portfolio
UK’s Church Commissioners ‘sharpens’ criteria for defence investments
The new approach will make it ‘harder to invest in companies linked to oppressive regimes’, says Church Commissioners for England
