November 2022

EU regulators seek input on greenwashing

European financial regulators issued a call Tuesday for stakeholders to help them better understand greenwashing features, drivers and risks, and to identify potential greenwashing practices. The call for evidence came from the European Union's European Supervisory Authorities, consisting of the European Banking Authority and European Securities and Markets Authority in Paris and the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority in Frankfurt. In the statement, the ESAs cited "rapidly evolving regulatory regimes" as well as growing demand for sustainability-related products and "the...

October 2022

Pensions regulator plays down LDI risk to EU

Eiopa doubts UK gilt market chaos could occur to same degree in Europe Read also Swiss regulator expects underfunding for pension funds facing volatility The European Union’s top pensions and insurance regulator is cautiously optimistic that the chaos suffered by UK pension funds will not be crossing the Channel any time soon. When government bond prices moved against them in late September, the funds were left scrambling to meet large margin calls on derivatives and leveraged repo positions. “Our insurance and...

EU urged to help pension funds on margin calls stress

Derivatives trade body calls for access to central bank-backed facility to avoid fire-sales European pension funds should have access to a central bank-backed facility as a last resort to help them avoid the fire-sale of assets forced on UK pension managers, the derivatives industry’s main trade body has said. Read also Dutch central bank urges pension funds to guard against UK-style crisis The International Swaps and Derivatives Association (Isda) on Wednesday called for a system that would allow pension funds to more...

August 2022

Portugal becomes fastest aging country in EU: Study

Portugal currently registers 182 elderly (aged 65 years and above) for every 100 young people (aged up to 14 years), becoming the fastest aging country in the European Union (EU), according to a study published by the Contemporary Portugal Database Pordata. In the past three decades, the elderly population tripled in the country, according to the study, based on data from the Portuguese National Statistics Institute (INE) and published by Publico newspaper on Sunday. In 1990, Portugal registered 66 elderly for...

Public Wage and Pension Indexation in the Euro Area: An Overview

By Cristina D. Checherita-Westphal, João Domingues Semeano, Elena Ahonen, Pierrick Stinglhamber, Stefan Van Parys, Johannes Clemens, Katri Urke, Orsolya Soosaar, Maria Vergou, Maria Flevotomou, David Staunton, Jorge Martínez-Pagés, Aris Avgousti, Gintare Zelionkaite, Olivier Delobbe, Florian Henne, Baiba Brusbārde, John Farrugia, Juergen Attard, Fabrizio Renzi, Marco Savegnago, Doris Prammer, Lukas Reiss, Gerard Eijsink, Jip Italianer, Maria Manuel Campos, Andreja Strojan Kastelec, Barbora Palášthyová, Vratislav Pisca & Jarkko Kivistö. If the responses of wages – both private and public – and of...

June 2022

European Union Will Lend Ukraine EUR 9 Billion for pensions, among others

The European Union Summit has decided to provide Ukraine with an urgent loan in the amount of EUR 9 billion to pay off urgent budgetary needs. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen stated this at a press conference on the night of May 31, European Pravda reports. "Ukraine needs urgent financial support. As you know, about EUR 5 billion is required monthly in Ukraine to support basic payments, such as salaries, pensions, etc.," von der Leyen recalled, speaking...

May 2022

ESG factors increasingly put into hedge funds

Interest and investment in hedge funds that incorporate environmental, social and governance factors are on the rise among U.S. investors, although demand still trails that of European investors. While some hedge fund firms have included one or more ESG factors in their investment strategies for years or have created dedicated ESG funds, others still are evaluating the efficacy and return potential of investment in portfolio companies that meet ESG standards, sources said. "There are two ways to do ESG. You can...

April 2022

Europe dominates green finance index, but U.S. cities catching up

Western European cities, led by London, continue to dominate when it comes to green finance, but U.S. cities are starting to catch up, according to the Global Green Finance index published Thursday by London consultancy Z/Yen Group. Compared with the first one published in March 2018, the ninth edition of the semiannual index found more correlation between U.S. cities' standing as financial centers and their green credentials, said Mike Wardle, a director and head of indexes for Z/Yen, in an...

EIOPA proposes new pensions info-gathering to close ‘important’ data gaps

The EU pension fund regulator has proposed collecting look-through data on IORPs’ investments in UCITs and derivative information as part of a move to strengthen its capacity to analyse emerging risks in the occupational pensions sector. In a consultation document, EIOPA said this capacity was “currently limited as it lacks crucial data in a number of areas”. Important data gaps had been identified, it added, namely in the area of derivatives and look-through information. The regulator is also proposing to amend current...

March 2022

Pensions and the green transition: policy and political issues at stake

Pensions and the green transition: policy and political issues at stake

By David Natali, Michele Raitano & Giulia Valenti Pension policy has gone through an intense period of reform over the past few decades. However, further changes are likely to take place in the near future. Major global trends, not only population ageing but also globalisation, technological innovation and climate change, are going to shape socioeconomic and labour organisation and influence macroeconomic trends and will thus have an impact on the adequacy and long-term sustainability of pension policy. This paper focuses...