May 2020
07May

S. Korea’s NPS joins int’l buyout of Portuguese toll roads operator Brisa

South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS) joined Dutch pension manager APG Asset Management and Swiss Life Asset Managers for multi-billion dollar acquisition of a combined 81.1 percent stake in Portugal’s leading toll roads operator Brisa – Auto-Estradas de Portugal (Brisa). The consortium in the biggest-ever Portuguese buyout amidst an ongoing virus pandemic will assume 40.55 percent from London-based Arcus European Infrastructure Fund 1 (Arcus) and another 40.55 percent from Portuguese conglomerate Jose de Mello Group (JdM), according to industry...

May 7, 2020
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01May

Costs and Potential Funding of Expanded Public Pension Coverage in Asia

By Peter Morgan, Long Q. Trinh Public pension burdens in most emerging Asian economies are still relatively small. However, there are a number of reasons to believe that they will increase markedly in the coming years. First, many Asian economies will face rapidly ageing populations, which will raise pension and other old‐age‐related spending dramatically. Second, as economies develop, political pressures to expand the coverage of public pensions and raise pension benefits will likely increase. The first objective of this...

May 1, 2020
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April 2020
30Apr

Japan’s GPIF Seeking Active and Passive Managers for Foreign Bonds

The Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) in Japan is aggressively seeking active and passive managers of foreign bonds to diversify its portfolio beyond low-paying Japanese bonds. The world’s largest pension fund is seeking broad asset managers with access to various benchmarks, such as corporate high yield indexes, emerging market indices, and aggregate indexes, the GPIF said. On Monday, the pension fund also said it is considering appointing a new fund of fund (FoF) manager for infrastructure assets in emerging...

April 30, 2020
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30Apr

Japan’s GPIF Seeking Active and Passive Managers for Foreign Bonds

The Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) in Japan is aggressively seeking active and passive managers of foreign bonds to diversify its portfolio beyond low-paying Japanese bonds. The world’s largest pension fund is seeking broad asset managers with access to various benchmarks, such as corporate high yield indexes, emerging market indices, and aggregate indexes, the GPIF said. On Monday, the pension fund also said it is considering appointing a new fund of fund (FoF) manager for infrastructure assets...

April 30, 2020
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27Apr

Asian Pensions Under Pressure on Early Withdrawals

The trade-off between the needs of today and the desires of tomorrow is challenging the retirement savings systems in Asia as Covid-19 forces early withdrawals. Retirement schemes in Asia could face funding shortfalls after pension systems in Australia, South Korea and Malaysia have allowed early withdrawals, while others in the region are under pressure to follow suit. Read also South Africa: The Rules Around Pensions in a Time of Mass Job Losses The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is causing as yet untold damage...

April 27, 2020
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20Apr

US. We Need a New Social Contract for the Coronavirus

Our collective behavior will be the primary determinant of whether we can keep this virus in check. A team of infectious disease epidemiologists has calculated that we must reduce our social contacts by 65 percent from what they were before the virus started spreading. Everyone wants to get the country back to work, school, and together again as soon as possible. On Friday, the Trump administration announced it wants to do that in phases and allow each governor...

April 20, 2020
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20Apr

5 benefits this Singaporean system has over other pension systems

If you’ve wondered how CPF measures up with other countries’ pension systems. The CPF, or Central Provident Fund, is a social security scheme funded by contributions from both employers and employees. Read also India. No deduction in pension amid COVID-19 outbreak: Union Government It helps Singaporeans set aside savings for retirement, as well as for other important things like housing and healthcare. Read also IMF warns of global social unrest amid coronavirus pandemic What sets the CPF apart from other pension systems? Here...

April 20, 2020
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15Apr

India: Pension schemes draw more members

Total assets under management of National Pension Scheme (NPS) and the government-backed Atal Pension Yojana (APY) amounted to INR4,170bn ($55bn) with a subscriber base of over 30m at 31 March 2020, according to data released by Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). Nearly 2.12m central government employees and around 4.75m state government employees were subscribers of the NPS at 31 March, reported Press Trust of India citing the official data. In addition, 2.23m citizens from the private sector...

April 15, 2020
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02Apr

How the coronavirus threatens Asia-Pacific’s $7tn pensions market

The coronavirus outbreak has piled pressure on Asia-Pacific’s multitrillion-dollar pensions industry, with the pandemic raising fears that retirees could make a panicked dash to withdraw their investments. Read also Dutch pension funds invest in coronavirus bond The sector manages about $7tn in assets, according to research group the Thinking Ahead Institute. But investment funds and policymakers across the region have been forced to reassess how they provide for ageing populations. Read also Kenya’s retirement benefits eroded by coronavirus The challenges come...

April 2, 2020
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01Apr

United Arab Emirates. Coronavirus: Private companies can postpone pension payments over next three months

The Abu Dhabi Pension Fund on Tuesday announced that private sector companies in the emirate can apply to postpone paying pensions over the next three months. The decision, which was passed by the group’s board of directors, is open to 1,154 private entities that are registered to the fund, with those companies able to submit their application for postponed payments electronically through the fund’s online portal. According to the fund, 8,765 citizens are also registered with the fund. “The...

April 1, 2020
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