All Opinion Pieces articles – Page 7
-
Opinion PiecesThe buyout pendulum starts to swing back to the DB norm
Vogue fashion magazine reports that flared trousers and mullets are back after a 50-year absence. They were not a good look even then, but fashion has its own drivers which do not necessarily involve good taste or even practicalities.
-
Opinion PiecesAustralia's regulator cracks down on greenwashing
The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) has won its first greenwashing case in a civil action against Vanguard Investments.
-
Opinion PiecesSwitzerland’s refreshing bottom-up approach to regulation contrasts favourably with the EU
Switzerland’s bottom-up approach to sustainable investing and ESG reporting rules seems to be travelling in the opposite direction to the path chosen by the EU.
-
Opinion PiecesItaly needs a serious debate about pensions
Italian policymakers are bent on indulging the relatively small but influential minority of Italians that is nearing retirement, but lament that the statutory retirement age of 67 is too high. The reform efforts of past years have been towards reducing the retirement age or increasing flexibility in retirement. The resources employed towards supporting second-pillar pensions have been next to none.
-
Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Investors urged to join call for global action on AMR
Currently responsible for more than one million deaths a year, antimicrobial resistance has been declared as one of the top 10 threats to human health
-
Opinion PiecesViewpoint: The cost of caution
In the world of sustainable finance policy, ‘billions to trillions’ has become the rallying cry of efforts to finance the UN’s SDGs and tackle climate change
-
Opinion PiecesEuropean elections: the necessary policy leaps to secure citizens' pensions
This month sees European parliamentary elections and by autumn a new Commission will be in place. The political outcome and the composition of the new EC will influence the future shape of what still looks like quite an aspirational capital markets union (CMU) project.
-
Opinion PiecesDisagreements between Germany's coalition partners cloud occupational pensions reform
Pension reforms have taken centre stage in the latest row among the coalition partners in the German government.
-
Opinion PiecesAustralian super funds push back on lacklustre energy transition proposals by corporates
Australian and global pension funds orchestrated an unusually vocal tactical campaign against the climate-transition action plan of Woodside Energy, a global oil and gas producer, in the lead-up to its 70th annual general meeting in late April.
-
Opinion PiecesThe art and science of investor collaboration in the quest for effective stewardship
In the evolving landscape of sustainable investment strategies, the significance of engagement has become more pronounced in recent years. Traditionally seen as supplementary to investment processes, stewardship has transformed into an indispensable tool for achieving meaningful environmental and social change.
-
Opinion PiecesWhat happens if we burn all the carbon?
As someone who started his career working for Shell International (albeit four decades ago when fossil-fuel-induced global warming was not an issue that we were aware of), I do not believe that oil companies are inherently evil.
-
Opinion PiecesHow AI is making inroads in America's retirement industry
Artificial intelligence (AI) is starting to gain traction in the retirement industry, even if it is still early days.
-
Opinion PiecesDespite their differences, pension funds should continue to act as bold corporate stewards
This year’s voting season leaves questions about the benefits of engaging with companies in the sectors that are slowest to embrace the climate transition.
-
Opinion PiecesWhy Norway's rebuff to oil fund over private equity is all about pay and equality
It would be hard to argue that Norway’s sovereign wealth fund is not diversified, but its range of permitted asset classes is narrower than that of peers.
-
Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Solving Europe’s capital markets puzzle
The crucial role of capital markets has recently figured on top of several high-level reports on Europe’s economic priorities
-
Opinion PiecesSmall island states turn to institutional investors to protect oceans
Small island developing states may have a total population of only around 65 million, but through their exclusive economic zones they control about 30% of oceans and seas, according to the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).
-
Opinion PiecesTime is running out for Germany's planned pension reforms
The German government is in the final stretches of an ambitious but tortuous journey to reform the three pillars of the pension system.
-
Opinion PiecesUS public pension funds focus on labour practices in private equity
Private equity has become dependent on public pension funds, which represent almost one-third of all investors in the asset class. These schemes invested 13% of their assets – over $620bn (€580bn) in 2022 – up from 3.5% in 2001 and 8.3% in 2011, according to data from public pension research non-profit Equable Institute.
-
Opinion PiecesDefence is the new ESG question
Earlier this year, the European Commission launched its ambitious European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS). The main goals of the strategy are reducing fragmentation within the €70bn European defence industry and lowering weapons imports, thus increasing the EU’s military readiness. The success of the strategy would also contribute to economic growth.
-
Opinion PiecesStriking the right balance on pension funds and fiduciary duty
Pension fund investment principles, strategies and decision-making have all become more complex in the wake of the growth of sustainability factors in general and climate change in particular. This has made the interpretation and practice of trustee ‘fiduciary duties’ more vexed and challenging than ever. A recent review of fiduciary duties in the UK by the Financial Markets Law Committee (FMLC) put it this way: “It is sometimes easier to state the duties than it is to apply them.”
