All Opinion Pieces articles
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Opinion PiecesTime for some straight talking on ESG matters
Catherine Howarth, chief executive of campaign group ShareAction, expects more of asset owners.
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Opinion PiecesEurope’s nasty pension tax dilemma
The Nobel Prize-winning economist Bill Sharpe famously once said that retirement drawdown is the “hardest, nastiest problem in finance”. In EU politics, the same thing could pretty much be said about taxation.
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Opinion PiecesRethinking diversity: the overlooked value of cognitive differences
Over recent years, the term ‘diversity’ has been stretched in so many directions that its meaning risks becoming lost. The original common-sense goals – improving decision making, widening access to talent and ensuring equal opportunity – have become lost amidst a politicised battle.
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Opinion PiecesGermany’s pension buyout market evolves
The pension buyout market in Germany is gradually evolving. Transactions to transfer companies’ liabilities to pension corporations (Rentnergesellschaften), the vehicle used for buyout deals, have occurred regularly in the first half of this year.
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Opinion PiecesUS budget bill battle fazes Australian super funds
With around A$750bn (€420bn) allocated to the US, Australian super funds are bracing themselves for the impact from a raft of policies being rolled out by the Trump administration.
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Opinion PiecesItalians must raise awareness about second-pillar pensions
Giorgia Meloni’s government has failed to revitalise the Italian second-pillar pension system. But credit to the pragmatic right-winger who in 2022 became Italy’s first female head of government – at least she tried.
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: UK pension reform promises hang on data innovation
But it will fall to industry to address the grim state of pensions portability, says Max Lack of Heka Global
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Is a government like a business?
Peter Kraneveld argues that governments need to learn and accept the differences between government and private business
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Five trends to watch in the European pension risk transfer market
Rohit Mathur of Prudential Financial says UK de-risking trends are being seen globally, driving demand for PRT and longevity hedging solutions
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Opinion PiecesProposed tax on retirement savings threatens Australian Super system
Australia’s new government wants to tax unrealised gains on superannuation savings
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: How should institutional investors insulate from poor private equity performance?
2024 was by many measures another poor year for private equity. Against the backdrop of flat industry assets under management and falling capital raised, annual exits have now fallen to 50% of the levels seen in 2022. Cash distributions, aided by a range of financial engineering techniques rather than true ...
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Beyond the ESG backlash – what next for European asset owners?
European asset owners should seize the US retreat from ESG as a moment to evaluate and recalibrate their manager mandates, argues Colin Melvin
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Why Europe must adapt to the new geography of capital
In its attempt to attract investments from within and from beyond its borders, the EU cannot retreat to ‘defensive regionalism’
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Policymakers should think beyond auto-enrolment
aba’s Cornelia Schmid reflects on the European Commission’s Savings and Investments Union (SIU) strategy
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Opinion PiecesUK defined contribution pension schemes sign up to Mansion House II
Labour’s ‘Mansion House Accord’ has secured commitments from 17 of the largest workplace DC providers to invest 10% of their default funds into private markets by 2030, with 5% of the total allocated to the UK.
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Opinion PiecesDomestic investment bias is back: sow’s ear or silk purse?
Pension funds now have a very large dollop of geopolitical risk to contend with at a time when many are under some degree of pressure, overt or otherwise, to invest more domestically.
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Opinion PiecesAustralian super funds split on US exposure post Trump tariffs
Just weeks after Australian super funds visited the United States to pitch investments worth hundreds of billions of dollars, US president Donald Trump delivered a body blow with his ‘Liberation Day’ tariff plan.
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Opinion PiecesBeyond the ESG backlash – what next for European asset owners?
The US asset management landscape is rapidly transforming, with a re-evaluation of investment priorities shaped by political pressure and regulatory change. For European asset owners this brings both uncertainty and a rare opportunity to achieve strategic clarity, provided they are willing to look beyond the short-term chaos.
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Opinion PiecesThe ‘active versus passive’ investment debate should be over
Perhaps there should never have been a debate about whether stock picking is appropriate for institutional portfolios.
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Opinion PiecesHopes high blended finance can help achieve Sustainable Development Goals
According to the UN, the shortfalls in the financing needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are large and growing, particularly for developing countries, ranging from $2.5trn to $4trn annually.
