Investment & Pensions Europe

Netherlands retains top spot in Marsh CFA global pensions ranking

2026-10-20T09:30:00+01:00By Rachel Fixsen

Under new Marsh branding, former Mercer international study of pension systems comes with warning about declining sustainability of pension systems

German parliament backs state-funded pension savings for children

2026-10-20T09:00:00+01:00By Luigi Serenelli

Children will receive monthly state contributions into retirement savings accounts, as Germany seeks to expand capital-funded pensions

PRI in Person: Investors shift focus from climate targets to delivery

2026-10-20T08:30:00+01:00By Krystle Higgins

Investors challenged climate targets, debated AI governance and warned that sustainability disclosure reforms could undermine consistency across markets

In focus this week

Special Report

Index providers adapt IPO inclusion rules for SpaceX: the governance trade-offs for institutional investors

If the first 25 years of the 21st century will be remembered for the launch of the iPhone, social media, political populism and the rise of retail AI, the IPO of Space Exploration Technologies Corp – aka SpaceX – is a strong contender to be an emblematic financial event of 2026.

Biffa pension fund in £275m buy-in deal with Standard Life

2026-10-20T08:00:00+01:00By IPE Staff

The transaction secures the benefits of 3,070 scheme members

Italy’s metalworking sector challenges portability of employer pension contributions

2026-10-19T10:00:00+01:00By Luigi Serenelli

Employers’ associations and unions challenge rules allowing workers to transfer contributions from Italy’s industry-wide pension funds elsewhere

Pensions UK conference: adequacy and LGPS reform dominate debate

2026-10-19T09:00:00+01:00By Pamela Kokoszka

Pensions Commission recommendations, dashboard readiness and LGPS accountability dominated debate, as pensions minister Torsten Bell warned against speculation

More news

In depth

Comment

From private assets to infrastructure: Pension superpowers reshaping the world economy

By M. Nicolas Firzli and Nick Sherry

M. Nicolas Firzli and Nick Sherry argue that new geo-economic forces unleashed by America and China will accelerate the rise of ‘pension superpowers’

Adaptation: Business as usual and business unusual

By Frédéric Ducoulombier, EDHEC Climate Institute

As resistance to emissions mitigation intensifies and climate damages become harder to ignore, political attention is increasingly turning towards adaptation

The AI leopard changes its spots

By Olivier d’Assier, SimCorp

Equity investors have spent the past 18 months watching the AI leopard change its spots – the latest spot is capex, currently spreading through equity and credit pricing

More comment

People Moves

IPE Nordic Briefing: Pensions debate heats up ahead of Finland’s general election

2026-10-16T07:00:00+01:00

Plus: Norges Bank Investment Management unveils changes to its organisation when chief governance and compliance officer Carine Smith Ihenacho leaves at year-end

People moves: ESMA appoints new chair

2026-10-15T08:00:00+01:00

The EU’s financial markets regulator and supervisor has appointed Carlo Comporti as its next chair

AP7 chief joins Germany’s Kenfo advisory board

2026-10-14T09:30:00+01:00

Swedish pension expertise joins Kenfo’s advisory board as Germany considers a capital-funded addition to its state pension system

More People News

Analysis

PRI in Person: Investors shift focus from climate targets to delivery

By Krystle Higgins

Investors challenged climate targets, debated AI governance and warned that sustainability disclosure reforms could undermine consistency across markets

German companies weigh pooling DB/DC assets to access private markets

By Luigi Serenelli

Pooling DB and DC assets could widen private market access, but differing objectives may limit cost savings

IPE Nordic Briefing: Pensions debate heats up ahead of Finland’s general election

By Rachel Fixsen

Plus: Norges Bank Investment Management unveils changes to its organisation when chief governance and compliance officer Carine Smith Ihenacho leaves at year-end

Investors step up nature efforts as global frameworks and metrics evolve

By Sophie Robinson-Tillett

Flurry of activity comes in run-up to first stocktake of Global Biodiversity Framework

IPE ESG Briefing: Brussels is back in session

By Krystle Higgins

Asset owners have again been coming up against the tension between regulatory changes and political scrutiny

More Analysis

Interviews

Industriens Pension’s belief in private equity as a key part of a robust portfolio

By Rachel Fixsen

Morten Rask Nymark, head of equities at Industriens Pension, explains why the Danish pension fund finds it important to maintain a diversified exposure to private equity alongside its listed equity investments

BONUS Pensionskasse puts renewable energy at heart of infrastructure strategy

By Luigi Serenelli

Claudio Gligo, the fund’s CIO, tells Luigi Serenelli how the Austrian pension fund prioritises renewable infrastructure, senior debt and diversification across private markets and traditional asset classes

Universities Superannuation Scheme: climate scenario analysis and long-term investment strategy

By Krystle Higgins

Head of investment strategy Mirko Cardinale translates environmental change forecasts into fund management decisions for investors

Varma CIO Markus Aho on diversification, geopolitical risk and investing in a resilient bull market

By Caroline Liinanki

Markus Aho, Varma’s deputy CEO and CIO, reflects on market resilience, investor complacency and favouring diversification over ‘idealistic’ exclusions

Barings CEO Michael Freno: "The private credit opportunity extends well beyond direct lending"

By Carlo Svaluto Moreolo

Barings CEO Michael Freno tells Carlo Svaluto Moreolo about the firm’s strategy to build out its capabilities in public and private credit, insurance solutions, real assets and emerging markets

More interviews

IPE Magazine September/October 2026

Read the latest issue of IPE Magazine

Browse the digital edition and find highlights from this month's issue below

Digital edition of IPE magazine

September/October Highlights

European pension funds increase venture capital allocations amid EU policy push
September/October 2026 (Magazine)By Carlo Svaluto Moreolo
Europe’s startups and scaleups are hungry for patient capital, and the continent’s pension funds are cautiously expanding their footprint in this strategic market, writes Carlo Svaluto Moreolo
Index providers adapt IPO inclusion rules for SpaceX: the governance trade-offs for institutional investors
September/October 2026 (Magazine)By Liam Kennedy
If the first 25 years of the 21st century will be remembered for the launch of the iPhone, social media, political populism and the rise of retail AI, the IPO of Space Exploration Technologies Corp – aka SpaceX – is a strong contender to be an emblematic financial event of 2026.
Asset management innovation scorecard: ETFs, AI and outsourcing reshape the industry
September/October 2026 (Magazine)By Chris Cox and Amin Rajan
Asset growth continues apace, yet profitability is heading south. Faced with this irony of riches, the asset management industry has sought to re-engineer itself in the wake of seismic forces over which it has had little control.

Top stories

In focus this week

In depth

European pension funds join the VC race

IPE Magazine September/October 2026

September/October Highlights