October 2022

Swiss state pensions to rise 2.5% to help offset inflation

The Swiss state pension will rise by 2.5% next year, the government said on Wednesday, to help offset the highest inflation the country has seen in nearly 30 years. The minimum payout of the state scheme will rise to 1,225 francs ($1,230) per month from 1,195 francs, while the maximum payout will increase to 2,450 from 2,390 francs. Minimum contributions for self-employed people will rise to help pay for the increase. The government reviews pensions every two years, with the intention of...

September 2022

Swiss voters support increase in women’s retirement age

Swiss have voted in favor of the proposal by a narrow margin in a referendum. Another proposal, on imposing stricter regulations on livestock farming, failed to pass. Swiss voters accepted the government's pension reform plan by a narrow margin on Sunday. The plan would raise the retirement age for women from 64 to 65, brining it in line with the age for men. Read also Sustainable finance policy a ‘blind spot’ for European pension funds A concurrent vote on imposing stricter regulations in...

Women at the heart of Swiss pension reform vote

Switzerland votes Sunday on a divisive pension reform plan the government says is vital to safeguard benefits, including a controversial push to raise the retirement age for women. After two previous attempts in 2004 and 2017, Bern is hoping it can finally garner enough votes for its bid to "stabilise" Switzerland's old age security system, at risk of being submerged by the giant baby boomer generation reaching retirement age as life expectancy rises. One tool for raising more income for the...

Switzerland. Pensions vote: ‘the reform comes at the expense of women’

Vania Alleva, the boss of Switzerland’s largest trade union, says wage discrimination should be eliminated before women are made to work longer. She wants voters to say ‘no’ to a reform of the old-age pension system on September 25. The central plank of the reform is an increase in the retirement age for women from 64 to 65, putting them on an equal footing with men. Government, parliament, and parties from the right and centre all say this is a...

July 2022

Swiss corporates post over 20% drop in pension liabilities so far this year

Liabilities at Swiss companies’ pension schemes have continued to fall in the second quarter of 2022, leading to an overall decrease of over 20% since the beginning of the year, according to the latest quarterly Swiss Pension Finance Watch published by WTW. Pension liabilities on companies’ balance sheets have reached their lowest level in nine years in the second quarter of this year, WTW added. In Q1 liabilities dropped by over 12%. The decrease in the two quarters was caused by...

May 2022

Swiss regulator urges pension funds to check asset manager licenses

The Swiss occupational pension supervisory commission OAK BV is urging pension institutions including pension funds to check whether external asset managers still need the approval from the Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) to manage so-called collective assets. According to the Federal Act on Financial Institutions (FinIA), the two categories of managers of collective assets include asset managers of occupational pension schemes and of collective investment schemes. OAK BV is also recommending investment foundations, vested benefit foundations (Freizügigkeitseinrichtung) that receive the benefits...

December 2021

Switzerland. Pension reform passes in parliament but set to be challenged to vote

By SWI The overhaul also foresees financial compensation – staggered over nine years for women directly affected by the change – as well as an increase in value-added tax. Both chambers of parliament on Wednesday agreed on a series of compromises, but left-wing political parties and trade unionsExternal link have vowed to challenge the reform in a nationwide vote. They argue women have to bear the brunt of the reform as their official retirement age will be set at 65, in line...

June 2021

Switzerland raises retirement age for women to 65

At Switzerland Women should work up to age 65 in the future. This was decided by the National Assembly, the second chamber of Parliament, after intense discussion. Her retirement age was previously 64 years. Read also Kenya. Pension payments fast-tracked as Treasury proposes stiffer measures The move aims to bring financial stability to the State Pension Fund (AHV) through 2030. The Greens and Social Democrats spoke unanimously against it and demanded that the National Bank’s profits be used instead to provide...

May 2021

Almost half of Swiss workers choose early retirement

On Tuesday, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) reported External linkthat in 2019 between 40-50% of people started receiving their pension from their so-called second pillar before the legal retirement age - 65 for men and 64 for women. Men tend to make this choice more than women – 46% compared to 40%, respectively. The Swiss pension system is complex, and is based on three so-called pillars: old-age and survivors’ insurance (known as the AVS), occupational pension planning (often referred to as...

March 2021

Swiss pension fund posts $500m decarbonisation mandate on IPE Quest

An unnamed Swiss pension fund is looking for a global equity solution aligned with EU climate benchmark requirements for a $500m (€423m) mandate, according to a new search on IPE Quest. The fund said it is looking to decarbonise its global passive equity exposure with a rule-based carbon and ESG-optimised solution. According to search QN-2686, the solution should match the EU Climate Transition Benchmark (CTB) requirements. The investor specified that it wants minimal regional, sector and style deviation from the index,...