July 2024
12Jul

Global Pension Assets Study. 2024

By Thinking Ahead Institute The study covers 22 pension markets in the world (P22). They have pension assets of USD 55,688 bn. The P22 markets are: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, UK, US. 91% of P22 assets are in the seven P7 largest markets. A deeper analysis is performed for the P7, with assets of USD 50,842 bn. P7 markets are: Australia, Canada, Japan,...

July 12, 2024
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12Jul

Sustainable Investing in Pensions: Top Tips for Sponsors of Pension Schemes

 By Accounting for Sustainability This top tips guidance is written for organizations that sponsor a pension scheme on the why and how to engage with your pension trustees on sustainable investing. Just as more and more companies are embedding social and environmental risk and opportunity into strategy and decision making, it is vital that their pension schemes follow suit. The impact that climate change and other environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks can have on value and returns is driving changes across...

July 12, 2024
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11Jul

U.S. companies’ pension funds poised to stock up on corporate debt after big gains

The pension funds of U.S. companies are poised to shift billions of dollars into corporate credit, after months of stock-market gains and higher bond yields have left them awash with cash, analysts and advisers said. Corporate pension plans had 103.7% of the funding they need to meet obligations as of June, the highest level since 2022, according to the Milliman 100 Pension Funding Index. That metric has dropped below 100% only four times since March 2022. Big gains in U.S....

July 11, 2024
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10Jul

UK sets out plans for National Wealth Fund

UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves has launched a National Wealth Fund (NWF) to unlock private investments in “green and growth industries”. The Labour government has allocated £7.3 billion to the initiative, which will be allocated through the existing UK Infrastructure Bank so investments can start being made immediately. The Treasury said it had, alongside the department for energy security and net zero, convened a meeting with the Green Finance Institute-chaired and investor-backed NWF taskforce set up to advise the government on...

July 10, 2024
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05Jul

Global Public Pensions 2023

By OMFIF  The Global Public Pensions 2023 report explores how public pension and sovereign funds are building optimal investment strategies to address the uncertain economic environment and factor sustainability into their portfolios. The report draws on surveys, discussions, and written contributions from 22 global public funds across the world with combined assets under management of $4.3tn. These include the likes of Singapore’s GIC, Canada’s CDPQ, Australia’s Future Fund and India’s National Infrastructure Investment Fund. It also analyses the annual reports...

July 5, 2024
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05Jul

Pensions for Migrants – Leveraging the Renda Success

By Arun Muralidhar, Leandro Sarai & Sid Muralidhar Since migrants typically come from developing countries, with weak currencies, and are considered informal workers in developed countries, with hard(er) currencies, they slip through the economic and social cracks. Even if they earn a reasonable income, they do not have access to the formal financial sector and hence have no retirement security (much like informal workers in developed or developing countries). Brazil’s digitally-enabled, through Tesouro Direto, RendA+ retirement income bond, designed along the...

July 5, 2024
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05Jul

Japan’s GPIF Loses Status as World’s Biggest Pension Fund

Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund was dethroned as the world’s biggest pool of retirement savings as a depreciating yen eroded the value of its assets in dollar terms. The fund posted a record gain for the three months through March, generating a 9.5% return, but the yen’s slump to a 38-year low against the greenback was deep enough to put the value of its assets below that of Norway’s wealth fund in dollar terms.     Government Pension Investment Fund, Tokyo, posted a...

July 5, 2024
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03Jul

Canadian pension plans were volatile in Q2: Mercer

Defined-benefit (DB) pension plans in Canada experienced volatility throughout the second quarter of 2024 due to interest rate changes and market instability, according to Mercer Canada. The DB plans tracked in Mercer’s database had an average solvency ratio of 118% on March 29, 123% on April 30, 122% on May 31 and 118% on June 28. The solvency ratio is the ratio of plan assets to liabilities. “The overall financial health of DB pension plans in Canada remains strong,” said Jared Mickall,...

July 3, 2024
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03Jul

Invesco Launches New Global Climate ETF with $1.6 Billion from Pension Insurer Varma

Global asset manager Invesco announced the launch of the Invesco MSCI Global Climate 500 ETF (KLMT), and new exchange traded fund providing exposure to companies meeting environmental and climate criteria and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The new ETF, trading on the NYSE, is being launched with a $1.6 billion investment by Finnish pension insurer, Varma. Timo Sallinen, Varma’s Head of Listed Securities, said: “We are very pleased to work alongside Invesco, one the world’s biggest asset managers, and MSCI, a leading global index...

July 3, 2024
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02Jul

UK. DC pension schemes see rise in investments in assets with climate targets

The defined contribution (DC) pension scheme market has seen almost a quarter (23%) increase in schemes’ investment in assets with climate targets since 2021, according to research from Barnett Waddingham. The majority (86%) of DC pension schemes have set targets to reach net-zero by 2050, with 18% of these targeting 2040. Of the pension schemes that have set net-zero targets, 81% have committed to achieving interim targets, in many cases aiming to achieve a 50% emissions reduction by 2030. Barnett Waddingham said:...

July 2, 2024
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