Brunel Pension Partnership to move away from ‘pure cost-savings focus’
The pool is making cost savings of £41m per year
VER chief welcomes private markets pause, but warns on costs
Finnish pension fund CEO says weaker performers will be pushed out of the race with halt of private markets growth
PensionsEurope ‘deplores’ undifferentiated EIOPA greenwashing approach
Industry body also said it fears EIOPA’s proposed stance could lead to greenhushing
UK debt crisis could see DB scheme funding levels fall by 7%
Deficits for well-funded schemes could increase by £4m per £100m of liabilities
Previndai’s sub-fund returns 11% with mix of equity and alternative funds
Assets under management increased year-on-year to €14.5bn at the end of 2023 from €13.71bn in 2022
Partners Group adds private markets royalties to investment platform
The firm is launching the industry’s first dedicated, scalable multi-sector royalty strategy
AP7 CIO absorbs strategy chief role after von Essen departure
Swedish premium pension default operator busy hiring in ‘exciting phase’ of planning future strategy
Council approves EU due diligence rules
Agreement would lessen pressure on finance sector and change scope of law
Swisscanto applies Swiss Climate Scores, ASIP ESG reporting standards
The Swiss Climate Scores apply to funds, while ASIP ESG reproting standards to mandates
Folksam invests €222m in Stockholm climate adaptation bond
Municipal pension fund subsidiary KPA Pension takes up €89m of group’s investment in bond
Fondo Pensione Intesa Sanpaolo ditches engagement policy
The scheme looks to strengthen its internal structure for engagement activities, which will come with additional costs to members
Swiss MP proposes scheme contributions to fund 13th month of pension
According to the MP, 1% less contributions will flow to pension funds, and 0.8% more to the first pillar AHV
Clara-Pensions completes second transaction with Debenhams
This is the first transaction from PPF assessment for Clara-Pensions
Schleswig-Holstein to divert state pension fund assets to finance budget deficit
German Civil Service Federation claims the government is planning to ‘dissolve’ the pension fund
Enasarco returns bump AUM to €8.7bn
It has started managing assets for the retirement bonus fund separately from 1 January 2024, forecasting an AUM of €2.5bn in 2024, reaching €2.7bn in 2026
TPR takes tougher action over value as it issues first fine
UK regulator expects trustees of pension funds with less than £100m in assets to undertake a more detailed assessment of value for members than larger schemes
Forecasting body alerts investors to nature, land use policy momentum
‘Material and credible’ policy announcements on nature and land use doubled over the last 12 months, says Inevitable Policy Response
Asga’s global equity investments prompt 5.25% return
The scheme’s AUM grew year-on-year as a result of its positive performance to CHF26.48bn from CHF24.19bn in 2022
Luxembourg’s FDC receives OECD responsible business complaint
Fonds de Compensation (FDC) says it is not in scope of the OECD guidelines
People moves: Danish PFA elects new chair
Plus: Mercer appoints duo; Spence & Partners names head of risk transfer
Scottish Widows and Rothesay complete £6bn in-force bulk annuity deal
The transaction is expected to lead to a Part VII transfer of underlying assets and policy liability next year
ATP agrees with critics that illiquids weighting is too high
Danish pensions heavyweight defends guaranteed model, saying it remains what lawmakers want
Brunel, USS to sit on UK wealth fund advisory body for Labour Party
£7.3bn of public capital has been proposed for the opposition party’s envisaged National Wealth Fund
UK regulators to remove barriers on productive finance investing
FCA, PRA and TPR will work together to manage potential risk and support the development of a more positive ecosystem for UK investment
Pension funds look to sell real estate investments
Investment-grade bonds and private credit are the most popular asset classes, according to a GSAM pension fund survey
Switzerland sees uptick of pension funds decarbonising portfolios
However, only 1% of Swiss pension assets are invested to have a positive impact on society, the environment and the climate, research finds
Ockham Pension Scheme completes £110m buy-in deal with Just Group
This is a third buy-in completed by a pension scheme sponsored within Liverpool Victoria
German church pension scheme sets up alternative investments division
Allocations to real estate, private equity and infrastructure make up 40.6% of EZVK’s €13bn assets
£100bn could be returned to UK plan sponsors over next 10 years, says Isio
In response to regulatory changes, Isio launched purposeful run-on framework to help schemes invest beyond full funding on a buyout basis
AP7’s head of strategy quits for Nordic family offices role at Deutsche
Pontus von Essen leaves Swedish national pensions giant after more than six years
Industriens Pension backs new Nordea AM Nordic unlisted credit fund
Danish pension fund is first investor in growth-company financing fund targeting DKK3.5bn initially
Ethos joins ADEME and others to assess companies’ transition plans before AGMs
SIF and FinanceClimAct will publish detailed analysis on their websites before Say on Climate votes
Swiss pension fund seeks FX hedging currency provider for CHF1.7bn
Interested managers have until 13 March to participate and the pension fund is looking to start implementation from September
Royal London kicks off entry into UK bulk annuity market
The move follows transaction with Royal Liver UK pension scheme and the Royal London Group pension scheme
German Green Party to keep Lindner’s pension reform in check
‘We don’t want that in the future contributions are paid for the Generationenkapital. We would ask to explicitly include this in the law,’ Markus Kurth says
ISSB OKs staff approach to materiality guidance, agenda planning criteria
The Board expects to conclude its agenda consultation process by mid-year
Blue Sky Group to sell asset management arm
The €25bn Dutch pension provider wants to focus exclusively on pension administration as it deems itself too small to remain a frontrunner in asset management
EU’s revised due diligence law still struggles to gain traction
A vote on CS3D has been postponed again, despite major compromises
DWP’s social factors taskforce launches guide for pension trustees
UK pensions minister Paul Maynard emphasised the importance of trustees understanding social and environmental issues in investment decisions
APK, Bonus Pensionskasse top Mercer’s investment strategy analysis
Bonus Pensionskasse ranked first among pension funds for its defensive (5.37%), active (8.09%) and dynamic (8.82%) strategies
Financial literacy is key for women’s financial decision-making
Fintech could play a role in promoting digital and financial literacy
Private equity-backed exits remain challenging amid public equity volatility
Private equity and venture capital deal activity was either flat or down in 2023, according to PitchBook
LD Pensions signs up to investor coalition promoting worker rights
Danish pensions manager says forum has given it a useful insight into how to get firms to change
UK moves on binding rules for ESG ratings
The UK has moved forward with its plans to regulate ESG ratings
Spring Budget was lost opportunity to focus on auto-enrolment, say schemes
There are still no details over a timeline for the introduction of changes
LPFA reports 75% reduction in listed equity carbon emission intensity
The plan now is to widen its work to add corporate fixed income and more than half of its real estate holdings, responsible investment manager
Pension funds’ net inflows in Spezialfonds collapse
Spezialfonds collected only €1.3bn net in 2023 from pension schemes, down €35bn year-on-year, Kommalpha says
SEC approves long-awaited climate disclosure rule
The SEC is expected to face legal challenges as it tries to finalise the rules
Dutch wholesalers fund to give members individual choice on DC switch
The fund’s decision aligns with MP Agnes Joseph, a former actuary, who is advocating freedom of choice for pension fund members
Fondo Pensione Intesa Sanpaolo plans private market investments
The overall commitment, to be made via Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), is €100m