December 2022
07Dec

Global pensions with $3 trln on books fear stagflation –survey

Global public pension schemes and sovereign wealth funds managing more than $3 trillion in assets fear a combination of economic slowdown and higher inflation in the next 12-24 months, a survey showed on Tuesday. The investors face huge challenges in switching their portfolios to cope, according to think tank OMFIF, which carried out the survey of 19 funds across Europe, North America, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Latin America. Read also Europe needs to step up on ‘global clean tech...

December 7, 2022
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07Dec

Shelter Afrique target East African bourses, pension funds in USD 500mn housing bond

Speaking in Nairobi, Shelter Afrique's Ag. Managing Director Kingsley Muwowo disclosed that the Company was considering issuing local currency Medium Term Notes in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda. "Already, we have opened negotiations with Kenya's Capital Market Authority on the possibility of Shelter Afrique issuing another housing bond to support local housing projects and we plan to do the same with capital market authorities in Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania. We want to approach it as an East Africa issue- meaning...

December 7, 2022
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02Dec

Sustainable change needs to happen from the inside out. Here’s why that needs investment

Today, the number of impact-driven startups and scale-ups with noble intentions of improving the planet are plentiful, as are their ideas for clean alternatives to dirty technologies and innovations. But unfortunately, many of these ideas are simply reinventing what already exists, whether it be a product, supply chain or distribution system. Moreover, many are trying to reinvent all those things in parallel. These attempts sometimes fail to consider what competitors are already doing out there and don't take a holistic...

December 2, 2022
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01Dec

Maintaining reform momentum is essential to strengthen pension systems, says OECD

The current financial and economic uncertainty, as well as the rising cost of living, may lead policy makers, regulators and supervisors to postpone reforms that could improve their pensions systems. However, delaying needed reforms would put at risk the well-being of current and future pensioners. Policy makers should continue to improve pension systems, according to a new OECD report. The OECD Pensions Outlook 2022 says that pension arrangements in which retirement savings are invested to accumulate assets that will finance...

December 1, 2022
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01Dec

US. Corporate pension buyouts reach $26 billion in Q3 — LIMRA survey

U.S. corporate pension plan buyout sales totaled $26.1 billion in the quarter ended Sept. 30, the highest volume for a third quarter, a LIMRA survey found. It also brings the year-to-date volume of buyout sales to $41 billion, breaking the previous annual record of $36 billion in 2012 in just the first three quarters of the year. LIMRA projects the total volume for 2022 will exceed $50 billion. The third quarter was highlighted by the second-largest U.S. pension buyout transaction in...

December 1, 2022
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01Dec

Canada Pension Plan funds war and climate change

The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) manages $539 billion on behalf of over 21 million working and retired Canadians, making it the seventh largest pension plan in the world. The CPP Investment Board (CPPIB) however is accountable first and foremost to the federal and provincial governments, not the contributors and beneficiaries. A webinar  “What is the CPPIB Really Up To?” was hosted earlier this year by the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute, Just Peace Advocates, World BEYOND War and several other organizations....

December 1, 2022
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November 2022
28Nov

U.K. Pension savers ‘lost £1.7 billion on retirement transition

New research from HSBC Tomorrow Master Trust shows workplace pension scheme members are losing around £1.7 billion a year during their transition into and in retirement, due to savers choosing costly pathways to access their money. While some of this loss comes from scheme members withdrawing more than the 25% tax-free lump sum, exposing them to hefty tax penalties, many are potentially buying products that are not the optimal solution for their circumstances. The research was commissioned for a report Converting...

November 28, 2022
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25Nov

Global top 300 pension funds

By Thinking Ahead Institute and Pensions & Investments Pension fund industry trends Growth headwinds test financial and sustainability mandate resilience Has the macro reality shifted from ‘lower-for-longer’ to ‘end-of-cheap-money’? The last decade’s fear of deflation has been replaced by significantly higher inflation. A steep rate hike cycle has led to more interest rate volatility and is placing pressure on pension funds to deliver sufficient risk-adjusted returns. Pension funds are expected to face elevated macro uncertainty over the short term. The industry has...

November 25, 2022
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25Nov

The Financialization of U.S. Public Pensions, 1945-1974

By Sean Vanatta This article examines a major transformation public employee pension investment in the United States, from investing public funds in public infrastructure in the 1940s and 1950s, to investing public funds in private securities—corporate bonds, stocks, and mortgages—in the 1960s and 1970s. Three factors drove this change. First, in the adjacent field of professional asset management, motivated financial elites orchestrated a shift in state-level trust law, from legally-sanctioned investment lists, which encouraged amateur investment and safety, to the...

November 25, 2022
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25Nov

Ranked: The World’s 100 Biggest Pension Funds

Despite economic uncertainty, pension funds saw relatively strong growth in 2021. The world’s 100 biggest pension funds are worth over $17 trillion in total, an increase of 8.5% over the previous year. This graphic uses data from the Thinking Ahead Institute to rank the world’s biggest pension funds, and where they are located. What is a Pension Fund? A pension fund is a fund that is designed to provide retirement income. This ranking covers four different types: Sovereign funds: Funds controlled directly by...

November 25, 2022
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