July 2022

Measurement of ESG Performance: A Study of Indian Companies

By Preeti Sharma, Priyanka Pandey, Vijay Kumar Jain & R. C. Dangwal The present study aims to construct an inclusive, Literature-based, and statistically vetted environmental, social and corporate governance disclosure (ESGD) index, measure the item-wise, theme-wise, and factor-wise ESG performance of the top 80 Indian companies for the period 2013-2016, and examine item-wise, theme-wise and factor-wise variations in ESGD. Content analysis is used to measure the ESG disclosures of the sample companies. To test the variations, skewness, kurtosis, Levene’s, Chi-square,...

UK. 90% of savers would use digital pensions dashboard

Nine in 10 savers would use a digital pensions dashboard if it gave them a consolidated view of their pensions, savings and investments, according to research from The Investing and Saving Alliance and EY. The report, based in part on interviews with more than 20 senior executives from across the financial services industry, found that 90 per cent would use a dashboard if it consolidated that financial information, while 94 per cent of those currently using a dashboard would use...

June 2022

US. New IRS Pre-Examination Retirement Plan Compliance Program

The Internal Revenue Service recently announced a new pilot pre-examination retirement plan compliance program initiated in June. If you are a plan sponsor, do not play ostrich should you receive an IRS Pre-Examination Retirement Plan Notice. Failure to respond timely to the pre-examination notice may result in larger legal, accounting and/or audit fees and the imposition of larger sanctions. Under the new program you have 90 days to do a self-audit of the plan that is the subject of the...

UK. Four in five DB transfer requests raise scam warning

Four in five (83 per cent) defined benefit transfer requests have raised one or more warning flags, according to XPS Pensions Group. The firm’s scam flag index recorded May to have the highest number of scam warnings in the tracker’s history, up from a near record high in March. This is an increase of roughly 30 per cent since the beginning of 2022. XPS Pensions Group client lead, member engagement hub, Helen Cavanagh, said: “We continue to see the rate of potential...

May 2022

Swiss regulator urges pension funds to check asset manager licenses

The Swiss occupational pension supervisory commission OAK BV is urging pension institutions including pension funds to check whether external asset managers still need the approval from the Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) to manage so-called collective assets. According to the Federal Act on Financial Institutions (FinIA), the two categories of managers of collective assets include asset managers of occupational pension schemes and of collective investment schemes. OAK BV is also recommending investment foundations, vested benefit foundations (Freizügigkeitseinrichtung) that receive the benefits...

US Department of Labor at Odds with Fidelity’s Bitcoin Pension Plan

A senior agency official said he raised concerns about such plans given the volatility and risks that cryptocurrencies pose. The pension fund management company argues that this step only seeks to expand the supply of digital assets available and constantly growing. The Department of Labor takes issue with Fidelity Investments’ pension plan, which allows investors to hold Bitcoin in their 401(k) accounts. Officials consider these kinds of offers to pose a huge security risk to American retirees. "We have grave concerns with...

March 2022

Nigeria. PTAD saves N7 billion through BVN verification of pensioners

Nigeria. PTAD saves N7 billion through BVN verification of pensioners

The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) has said that over N7 billion has been saved through the use of Bank Verification Number (BVN) in its verification of pensioners under the Defined Benefit Scheme. According to the agency, the N7 billion hitherto went to settling dead or uncertain pensioners from the federal government account. The exercises got rid of 19,018 retirees who had been receiving monthly pension benefits from the Federal Government. Speaking on the development at a workshop for media in...

February 2022

UK. Prudential reports itself to regulator over AVC failings

Prudential is one of the UK’s largest additional voluntary contributions providers for Local Government Pension Scheme funds. Standard Life, Scottish Widows, Aegon, Legal & General and Clerical Medical also process AVCs. LGPS members have two options when it comes to increasing their pension benefits. They may buy an extra pension in the LGPS, and are allowed to make additional contributions to buy up to £7,316 of extra pension, if they are in the main section of the scheme, or they...

Nigeria: Alleged Pension Fraud – EFCC Closes Case Against Ex-Head of Service, Steve Oronsaye

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Thursday, rested its case in a pension fraud trial involving a former Head of Service of the Federation, Stephen Oronsaye. The anti-graft agency closed its case with the testimony of its 21st prosecution witness. It will now be the turn of Mr Oronsaye and his co-defendants to open their defence to the 49 charges of money laundering involving N2 billion in public funds. EFCC alleged in the charges at the Federal High Court in...

January 2022

México. La Amafore asegura no estar en contra de crear la figura de "asesor previsional"

México. La Amafore asegura no estar en contra de crear la figura de “asesor previsional”

La Amafore envió un comentario a la Comisión Nacional de Mejora Regulatoria (Conamer) sobre el anteproyecto de la Consar para crear la figura del “Asesor Previsional” y manifestó no estar en contra de dicha modificación La Asociación Mexicana de Afores (Amafore) envió un comentario a la Comisión Nacional de Mejora Regulatoria (Conamer) sobre el anteproyecto de la Comisión Nacional del Sistema del Ahorro para el Retiro (Consar) para crear la figura del “Asesor Previsional” y manifestó no estar en contra de dicha modificación. “La Amafore comparte la finalidad...