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March 2025

How one of Japan’s largest insurers is pivoting to serve an aging population

Sompo Holdings, a leading global insurance provider, is undergoing a significant transformation under Group CEO Mikio Okumura. The company, with operations in 28 countries, has restructured into two main segments: Sompo Property and Casualty (P&C) and Sompo Wellbeing. “The integration between Sompo Japan, Sompo International, we hope they can improve resilience. They can utilize balance sheets wisely, so they can improve risk-taking capability,” Okumura told CNBC’s Christine Tan in the latest episode of Managing Asia. Okumura hopes the restructuring will help the company to compete...

The value of active strategies in old-age provision

The choice between active and passive strategies should not be reduced to a binary decision, eg, based solely on fees. Instead, it should reflect the investor’s unique goals, the product framework (eg, unitlinked or pension plans) and the market environment. In the context of old-age provision, we question the suitability of passive strategies. In a competitive market situation, with greater volatility and structural shifts, we think active approaches with selective decisions have greater potential to outperform and protect...

U.S. Pension Risk Transfer Market Size to Hit $102.38 Billion by 2030 – Arizton

The US pension risk transfer (PRT) market is experiencing rapid growth, fueled by regulatory changes, favorable economic conditions, and a heightened focus on reducing financial risks. Key trends include increased plan terminations, the growing adoption of de-risking strategies, rising interest in buy-ins, and the emergence of sidecar solutions. PRT transactions, which encompass lift-outs, plan terminations, and buy-ins, are available in various sizes, with small plan sizes seeing the most significant growth. The evolving regulatory landscape is prompting companies to adopt...

Policy certainty and structural reforms required to ‘boost’ pension investment in UK assets

Policy uncertainty and regulatory hurdles are preventing UK pension funds from investing more into UK productive assets, the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) pool Border to Coast Pensions Partnership has warned. Its report called on the government to provide policy certainty, remove structural blockers to investment, and incentivise growth-driving capital allocation to enable increased pensions investment into UK productive assets. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership said there is a “significant” appetite for institutional investment in the UK, demonstrated by the fact that...

Why China is betting on birth subsidies to solve its population crisis

When Tang Tang, a mother from Tianmen in central China, gave birth to her second child in December, it brought her family untold joy – and a thick wad of cash. Within months of leaving hospital, the local government paid Tang a 6,500-yuan (US$897) reward for having two children as part of a new birth subsidy scheme introduced last year. She will also receive an 800-yuan allowance every month until her new baby turns three. For a family in Tianmen, where...

Egypt Enhances Social Insurance And Pension Systems For 2025

The Ministry of Social Solidarity accelerates pension disbursements ahead of Eid and outlines new insurance requirements for employees. The Ministry of Social Solidarity in Egypt has issued critical updates for employees regarding their insurance and pension benefits as the country approaches the month of April 2025. Aimed at enhancing the social safety net, the updates emphasize the process and methods for enlisting new employees into social insurance and ensure timely pension disbursement for existing beneficiaries. Starting with the enrollment in social...

“The Cuban lives to eat”: This is what one could buy with the minimum pension of a retired Cuban

A young Cuban identified on TikTok as @brianna4258, residing in the province of Matanzas, posted a viral video documenting what can currently be purchased in Cuba with the minimum pension of a retiree: 1,500 Cuban pesos, equivalent to about 4 dollars at the informal exchange rate. “This is the basic salary of a retiree in Cuba,” he says at the beginning of the video while showing the cash. He then walks through the streets and kiosks of his area to highlight the scarcity and...

UK. Industry reliance on outdated technology could risk ‘stifling’ engagement

Many pension providers are still relying on outdated technology, with nearly half (41 per cent) still posting out letters, despite UK workplace pension savers wanting better digital tools to connect with their pensions, research from Bravura has revealed. The survey also found that 75 per cent of members don't have access to retirement income estimators, savings calculators or retirement goal trackers, despite savers naming all three of these technologies as their preferred tools for retirement planning. In addition to this, just...

India. New Unified Pension Scheme Set to Launch in 2025

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has announced the introduction of the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), set to take effect on April 1, 2025. This new scheme will provide an alternative for central government employees currently enrolled in the National Pension Scheme (NPS). The UPS aims to streamline pension benefits and enhance financial security for government employees, with specific eligibility criteria and contribution requirements outlined in the recent gazette notification. Who Can Participate in the UPS? The UPS is...

US. Closing the Retirement Gap: Challenges and Opportunities

There is progress in expanding retirement plan coverage, but there still is work to be done. An expert panel recently highlighted some of the challenges to be met in building on that progress. They offered their insights in a discussion that was part of the recent 16th annual National Institute on Retirement Security Retirement Policy Conference. Moderated by National Institute on Retirement Security Executive Director Dan Doonan, the panel included Lilach Frenkel, Director, Product Innovation, CAAT Pension Plan; Joelle Saad-Lessler,...