Icelandic pension majors eye merger, creating biggest pension fund with €15bn
Pension Fund of Commerce and Birta agree to explore feasibility of merging, increasing operating efficiency
Holcim Group picks Van Lanschot Kempen for £2.5bn fiduciary mandate
Trustees of Lafarge UK Pension Plan and Aggregate Industries Pension Plan pick Van Lanschot Kempen as new fiduciary manager
NEST partners with Rothesay to co-design insured longevity risk solution
‘Our solution will aim to provide a lifelong income solution to NEST’s members and provide certainty that they will not run out of money in retirement,’ says NEST CEO
LPPI looks to hire Brunel staff in next step of LGPS consolidation
The pool was previously rumoured to be a contender to take on Brunel Pension Partnership’s investment infrastructure
Swiss pension funds shift focus on equal-weighted, small-cap equities
Swiss pension funds turn to small caps and equal-weighting to rein in growing global equity concentration risks
Private markets allocations reach new high, says Aviva Investors
72% of DC funds globally agree that adding private markets assets to accumulation portfolios ‘will deliver better performance outcomes for members’
Aon partners with Irish Life to launch €260m emerging markets climate transition fund
The fund launches with an initial allocation of €260m and will be integrated into the Aon multi-asset fund range
New Norway SWF council questions tech weightings, sovereign debt criteria
‘Strengthened preparedness’ needed to manage GPFG’s geopolitical risk, advises three-strong permanent panel of experts
Pension Schemes Bill debate in House of Lords highlights scale mandate concerns
Members of the House of Lords question £25bn scale requirement, arguing that compulsion could stifle innovation
‘Purposeful reporting’ among UK trustee sustainability group’s 2026 priorities
TSWG wants sustainability reporting rules for pension schemes to be changed to free up resources for impactful activity rather than compliance
Swiss pension funds refuse to apply regulator’s rule on savings interest
OAK BV is tightening oversight on pension funds exposed to systemic risks
AMF splits equities management into domestic, foreign, to boost return chances
Swedish blue-collar pension fund says creating two equities departments will ‘clarify and streamline the work and improve our opportunities to create a competitive return’
Germany, France target European venture capital platform funded by pension capital
An expert panel led by former French central bank governor, Christian Noyer, and former German finance minister, Jörg Kukies, has delivered recommendations to scale up European venture capital market
Swiss schemes tread carefully on private equity continuation funds
Swiss pension funds weigh opportunities in private equity continuation funds while remaining cautious over governance and conflict risks
Impact investing a ‘depolarising’ sustainability topic among Detailhandel members
A ‘maxi vote’ tested the acceptability of a smaller group of members’ preferences
Investors and climate leaders oppose rival carbon accounting plan
David Blood and Nicholas Stern part of group rejecting efforts to establish new systrem that could do away with need to disclose Scope 3 emissions
Greenland’s pension fund to boost home-turf investment
SISA Pension has increased domestic investments over the last few years but cites due diligence as barrier
UK pension regulator urges trustees to respond to value for money consultation
Regulator says trustees will be the ones driving improvements in value and challenging advisers and service providers to deliver more for savers
Finnish member of parliament appointed TELA chief executive officer
Finnish pensions lobby group appoints MP Saara-Sofia Sirén to replace Suvi-Anne Siimes this summer
Corporate sole trustees sharpen governance and speed decisions, sponsors say
UK-based pension fund sponsors have reported that the professional corporate sole trustee (PCST) model improves governance, efficiency and speed of decision making for their schemes.
Sweden’s Alecta thanks equities, forex hedging for 9.6% 2025 return
‘High degree’ of currency hedging protected value of pension giant’s foreign assets, says CIO Bernengo
Oxford pension fund completes £213m bulk annuity transaction
The transaction, which was conducted by Roayl London and finalised in December, covers more than 1,600 members
Market fragmentation exposes German pension funds to losses
German pension market fragmentation, weak oversight, and risky strategies leave funds exposed to huge investment losses
EU names new advisers to revamp green taxonomy
Helena Viñes Fiestas has been reappointed as chair of the Platform on Sustainable Finance
Analysis shows investors price future carbon costs into equity portfolios
Equity market investors are pricing in the risk of future carbon regulation, and this forward-looking signal is statistically significant and economically material, paper says
EQT to buy Coller Capital for up to $3.7bn to drive secondaries growth
The deal is expected to be mid-single-digit accretive to EQT’s fee-related earnings
Article 8 funds lead defence exposure increase in sustainable funds
Clarity AI research found that exposure to defence-related activities has risen across sustainable fund categories, including Article 9 funds
European companies beginning to rethink DEI metrics in executive pay
WTW study found early signs of a European DEI retreat, even as ESG metrics remain deeply embedded in incentives
PGIM launches private credit secondaries push with $1bn target
The platform will focus on sourcing opportunities in direct lending as well as opportunistic credit areas, including mezzanine and special situations
People moves: Denmark’s Velliv Foreningen picks new chief
Plus: People’s Partnership appoints first social purpose and sustainable business director; Sarasin & Partners names head of investment
Danish pension funds lose their appetite for US assets
Selling US Treasuries is not a ‘weapon’, says Copenhagen professor, but the bonds are viewed as having become too uncertain
Varma stubs out tobacco blacklist in responsible investment rethink
Finnish pension giant shifts from exclusion to engagement but says tobacco could still be uninvestable
Dutch government criticises IORP reform proposals
Some of the proposed reforms, such as the obligation to explain underperformance, are too prescriptive, according to the government
Swiss pension funds sail through index concentrations with positive returns
Swiss pension funds recorded an average performance of 5.9% last year, corresponding to investment returns of CHF70bn, says Complementa
Swiss pension fund to anchor AllianzGI $1bn EM blended finance fund
GastroSocial Pensionskasse is set to anchor the Allianz Credit Emerging Markets fund, which has reached its first close at $690m
PFA holds off after last year’s US bond exit over Trump
Sampension says poll shows nearly 70% of Danes fear global developments – with Trump in power – will hit their pension savings
Dutch social housing pension fund appoints Kempen as fiduciary manager
The €15bn pension scheme for the social housing sector was on the lookout for a new fiduciary since 2024
UK Pension Schemes Bill surplus rules favour employers over members, peers warn
During proceedings, peers questioned both language and content of Clause 9, arguing the Bill fails to define what constitutes a surplus
Chair of £150bn asset owner campaign bemoans UK audit reform bill discard
Scrapping the bill is the wrong decision, according to Caroline Escott, chair of the pension fund-backed Governance for Growth Investor Campaign
German companies curb support fund contributions
New occupational pensions in support funds fall sharply as employers conserve cash
SFDR failed to prevent greenwashing or incentivise sustainable investment, finds study
New academic research has found that the EU’s fund disclosure rules have failed to drive capital into sustainable investments as intended
Tax incentives push Italian pension funds deeper into venture capital
Regulation on tax-deductible investments has accelerated Italian pension funds’ entry into venture capital
Swiss pension funds edge towards total portfolio investing
Consultants say pension funds in Switzerland are showing growing interest in the approach, with some already aligning their investment strategies accordingly
ESMA warns asset managers to spell out ESG integration and exclusions
The regulator says firms making sustainability-related claims should adhere to four principles: claims must be accurate, accessible, substantiated and up to date
Sweden’s AP3, AP4 see savings from AP1 axing starting from 2027
Stockholm-based pensions buffer fund duo says reform-mandated transfer of assets from defunct peer complete, bar under 2% private assets to be managed separately for now
Border to Coast says greenwashing is falling out of climate transition plans
The latest proxy voting report for the £65bn investment pool shows it has rubber-stamped more transition plans in 2025 than in previous years
Germany misses auto-enrolment momentum, experts say
Lawyers and consultants say Germany’s pension reform curbs opt-out models and blocks wider take-up of occupational pensions
FRR seeks managers for Paris-aligned equity index mandates
Indices to be customised in advance by FRR’s providers and the asset owner will then allocate the indices among selected managers
People moves: UK pensions regulator adds to senior team
Plus: Sweden’s SH Pension picks news CEO; Apollo hires L&G’s DC head
BVK members line up lawsuit over failed US real estate investments
BVK has so far disclosed write-downs of €163m for 2024 and has warned of the risk of a further €690m in losses linked to development and renovation projects
