April 2022

Pinbox gets seed capital from ADB Ventures to expand micro pension coverage in India

ADB Ventures, a platform of Asian Development Bank, has provided seed funding to Pinbox for expanding micro pension coverage in India. Read also Kenya. Pensions raise investments in offshore, private equity Pinbox works to address friction and accessibility challenges in delivering micro pension and insurance solutions to underserved informal sector workers, ADB Ventures said in a statement. It provides a ready-to-deploy micro pension technology platform globally to governments and regulators who are seeking to expand pension and insurance coverage .. Read also Australia....

Ghana. NPRA embarks on pension education for informal sector workers

The National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) as part of its quest to improve informal pension coverage in Ghana has embarked on an outreach programme in Oti Region to create awareness of pensions. The Head of Corporate Affairs, Nana SifaTwum, told the Ghanaian Times in Accra on Wednesday, that the move is to educate and sensitise both formal and informal sector workers on pension matters. He said the outreach programme which would begin on Monday, April 4 and ends on Friday, April...

March 2022

UK. Flexi-retirement increasingly common due to gig economy

Flexi-retirement is becoming increasingly common, as more and more retirees are opting to work part-time in the gig economy. According to a new report from Abrdn, two thirds of people retiring in 2022 do not plan on giving up work completely. This compares to just over half of those who retired in 2021 and a third of 2020 retirees. The report, which surveyed 2,000 UK adults, reveals how the “class of 2022” plan to spend their and money in retirement. A quarter said...

Ghana. 10 Million workers in the informal sector not covered by social security- SSNIT

Ghana. 10 Million workers in the informal sector not covered by social security- SSNIT

The management of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has met with stakeholders to find ways to expand and deepen the coverage of the basic national social security scheme for the self-employed. Read also President Sisi approves 13% increase in pensions: Egypt’s PM This is because 10 million informal workers in the country are not covered by any social security. During a speech at the event, the Minister of Employment and Labor, Ignatius Baffour Awuah, praised the SSNIT leadership for...

New European pensions saving regime takes effect this week

New European pensions saving regime takes effect this week

EU legislation which gives effect to a new European pensions savings regime is being introduced this week The Pan-European Personal Pension (PEPP) is a voluntary retirement savings option for EU citizens that complements existing pension schemes. It allows people to pay into the same scheme throughout the EU, even if they move countries. Read also China: National Pension Insurance Co receives green light to start operations Rachel McGovern, director of financial services at Brokers Ireland, which represents 1,225 brokers, says pension providers...

Does Informal Sector Size Impede Economy Growth in Developing Countries?

Does Informal Sector Size Impede Economy Growth in Developing Countries?

By Loudi Njoya, Ngouhouo Ibrahim & Etah Ewane This paper empirically analyses the impact of the informal sector on long-term growth in developing countries. Using a panel of 112 countries from the icrg and Medina and Schneider (2018) over the period 1991 to 2015, a U-shaped relationship between the size of the informal sector and the growth of GDP per capita was obtained. These results, contrary to those of Ceyhun Elgin and Serdar Birinci (2016), show that a certain threshold...

Malaysia needs an all-encompassing national pension system

AS Malaysia joins the rest of the world in becoming an ageing society, it has become imperative for the government to address the challenges that increasing life expectancy pose to social security arrangements. Increasing life expectancy brings with it sweeping changes in population needs and capacities. The most evident sign is the strain on the pension system as the number of people requiring protection and support is on the rise. There are growing concerns that many are not prepared for a...

Ghana. Peoples Pension Trust partners SCBF to introduces new Pension Scheme to support women

Peoples Pension Trust (PPT) has partnered the Swiss Capacity Building Facility (SCBF) to introduce new a pension scheme. The new programme; Scaling Gender-Focused Financial Resilience (SGFR) was launched to commemorate this year’s International Women’s Day. Read also Does Informal Sector Size Impede Economy Growth in Developing Countries? SGFR will support informal, marginalized, and excluded female workers and entrepreneurs to secure their future through micro-pensions. Globally 1.8 billion people are working in the informal sector, and in Ghana, this represents approximately 80% of the...

Saving for Retirement by Kenya’s Informal Sector

Insurance companies in Kenya need to offer financial management education which is a key contributor to ensuring that the informal sector workers save and invest in pension schemes. Kenya’s vision 2030 targets the provision of high quality of life for all citizens. There are both public and privately run retirement schemes in the country but most citizens are subscribed to NSSF especially those in the formal sector. In Kenya, the current retirement age stands at 60 years but unfortunately, most people...

Labour Ministry launches ‘Donate-a-Pension’ initiative: Check details

India. Labour Ministry launches ‘Donate-a-Pension’ initiative: Check details

Union Labour and Employment Minister Bhupender Yadav launched the 'Donate-a-Pension' program under Pradhan Mantri Shram on Monday. This move is to make the process of creating and contributing to a pension fund for support staff easier. Union Labour and Employment Minister, Bhupendra Yadav tweet, “Launched ‘Donate-a-Pension’ programme at my residence by donating to the gardener. It is an initiative under (PM-SYM) pension scheme where citizens can donate the premium contribution of their immediate support staff such as domestic workers, drivers,...