News Archives - Pension Policy International

12MarMarch 12, 2026

Is ESG investing in the best interests of pension scheme members?

Pension funds can do more to mitigate climate change and should feel empowered to do so, according to Caroline Lucas, former leader of the Green Party. Debating whether environmental, social and governance (ESG) investment strategies have a future, in a session at the Pensions UK Investment Conference in Edinburgh yesterday (11 March), Lucas said that investing in opportunities that build a resilient future is looking after member interests. “Environmental policy and pension policy are still seen too much as separate domains,...

March 12, 2026

NewsESG, Investment

12MarMarch 12, 2026

Inertia is the real danger for ageing populations: Alexandra Miles

I recently read the book Time Bomb: When Ageing Explodes by Giles Merritt, which lays out why demography is one of Europe’s most underestimated economic threats. The argument is unsettling: ageing is already reshaping economies, politics and social contracts, and its effects will intensify. At the core of the challenge is a shrinking workforce. Merritt highlights how Europe’s post-war prosperity rested on a favourable worker-retiree balance, with five workers to each pensioner. Today, it is below 3:1 in much of Europe...

March 12, 2026

NewsAging, Labor Market

12MarMarch 12, 2026

Nigeria. PenCom targets one million informal women for pension

The National Pension Commission has officially launched an ambitious drive to enrol one million women into the Personal Pension Plan, marking a significant shift in its strategy to extend financial security to Nigeria’s vast informal sector. The initiative was unveiled by the Director-General of PenCom, Ms Omolola Oloworaran, during an outreach campaign held to commemorate International Women’s Day on Tuesday in Lagos. Speaking to market women and entrepreneurs at Mile 12 Market in Lagos, she highlighted the urgent need to bridge...

March 12, 2026

NewsCoverage, Gender Gap, Nigeria

12MarMarch 12, 2026

Raising MPF contribution levels a tricky but necessary step for Hong Kong

People have long complained their mandatory pensions will never be enough to retire on. That is true, but the flip side is that by contributing less than many comparable pension schemes overseas, local workers have more spending power in the present. There is always a trade-off. Perhaps the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) scheme should be seen more as a financial cushion for a person at the end of their working life, rather than a nest egg. Still, the scheme needs...

March 12, 2026

NewsHong Kong, savings

11MarMarch 11, 2026

How the UK’s largest pension schemes have navigated recent volatility

Leading pension scheme investment bosses have highlighted the importance of appropriate governance processes to help navigate periods of volatility. On a panel discussion at the Pensions UK Investment Conference in Edinburgh this week, senior representatives from three of the UK’s largest pension managers explained that clear delegation and communication were key to successfully navigating volatility. Joe McDonnell, chief investment officer at Border to Coast Pensions Partnership, said his asset allocation committee had been meeting “more frequently” in recent weeks to assess...

March 11, 2026

NewsInvestment, Pension Management, UK

11MarMarch 11, 2026

92% of pension professionals say administration is as important as investment and strategy, XPS polling finds

More than nine in ten (92%) pension professionals believe administration is as important as investment and funding strategy in running a well-governed scheme, according to new polling by XPS Group. The findings are based on responses gathered during a recent XPS webinar examining the evolving role of pension administration amid growing regulatory focus. When asked whether administration is a core pillar of the pensions industry infrastructure (145 responses): 92% agreed it is as important as investment and strategy 8% somewhat agreed ...

March 11, 2026

NewsPension Management

11MarMarch 11, 2026

How to fix the UK’s 37% pension gap

The UK’s gender pension gap is one of the largest in the developed world. On average, British women retire with pensions around 37% lower than men’s, according to OECD data.1 That gives us the second-largest gender pension gap among the 38 developed economies the organisation looks at. This isn’t just a statistic. It translates into: Less financial independence in later life Greater reliance on partners or the state Higher risk of poverty in retirement More difficult choices about when (or whether)...

March 11, 2026

NewsGender Gap, UK

11MarMarch 11, 2026

Jamaica. Tourism Workers Pension Scheme Surpasses $5B in Savings

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has announced that the Tourism Workers Pension Scheme has now surpassed $5 billion in savings since its inception. “I would like to indicate, by way of out-turn, that the world-class, world-standard, historic Tourism Workers Pension Scheme, in its first two years… notwithstanding [Hurricanes] Melissa and Beryl… stands now at $5.1 billion,” he said. Mr. Bartlett made the announcement during the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives meeting on March 6 at Gordon House, where...

March 11, 2026

NewsJamaica, Occupational Pensions

10MarMarch 10, 2026

AI-driven investment strategies could help boost pension schemes’ risk-adjusted returns

Artificial intelligence (AI)-driven investment strategies could help pension schemes improve risk-adjusted returns without increasing portfolio risk, according to SmartWealth Asset Management AG CEO, Dr Miro Mitev. Speaking to Pensions Age, Mitev argued that systematic, AI-based portfolio construction could reduce human bias in investment decision-making while improving the efficiency of portfolio optimisation. “At the end, what success means is actually the performance for a client,” he stated. “If you implement these kinds of tools correctly and properly, and you are following the rules without...

March 10, 2026

NewsAI, Investment

10MarMarch 10, 2026

Gen X Americans Face New Retirement Savings Threat

Generation X Americans could face new pressure on their retirement savings as the economic fallout from the war in Iran ripples through global markets. Now in its second week, the U.S. helmed conflict has pushed oil prices up sharply as bombing impacts regions critical to the production and movement of energy from the Persian Gulf. The price of Brent crude, which is the international benchmark, has surged to $119.50 per barrel. This morning, the NASDAQ fell by more than 1...

March 10, 2026

NewsReturns, Risk, US

March 2026