September 2023

AI in Investment Management: Separating Hype from Reality

Daily advances in artificial intelligence are leading some to herald it as the next frontier in asset management. AI can generate opportunity with new investment ideas and sources of alpha, as well as improve the risk management of existing quantitative models while creating new ones. But which developments are real and actionable, and which are simply noise? “What we’re seeing is, in a way, remarkable. The level of awareness of the technology has increased massively,” said Benjamin Roy, chief technology officer...

AI ‘inevitable’ in pension master trust era – MHC

Large institutional investors, including pension schemes, are beginning to use Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based platforms and machine learning models, a Mason Hayes and Curran webinar has heard (7 September). These tools are used to assist in long-term portfolio management in place of more traditional models based on financial theories. Accurate planning Fund providers have also begun using machine learning to predict scenarios such as an early withdrawal of the fund’s resources, which will allow for accurate planning. When it comes to individual retirement planning,...

June 2023

The GPSSA announces the launch of its new pension platform “MA’ASHI” to UAE-based entities

As part of its digital transformation implementation plan, the General Pension and Social Security Authority (GPSSA) will soon launch a new pension platform known as “MA’ASHI” for thousands of UAE-based federal, government and private sector entities to access. Ahead of the platforms launch, the UAE Pension Authority has dedicated both English and Arabic virtual training workshops, from the 20th to 22nd June 2023, for employers/entities across the UAE in order to learn more about GPSSA’s new platform “MA’ASHI” – which...

May 2023

UK. Govt urged to announce new pensions dashboards timeline

The government and pensions authorities have been urged to announce a new pensions dashboards timeline after the mandatory deadline was extended. In March, the pensions minister Laura Trott extended the 31 August 2023 deadline due to technicalities. Trott said additional time was needed to deliver the technical solution to enable the connection of pension providers and schemes. However, pensions experts want to see a new timeline announced sooner to get firms participating in the dashboards programme better prepared. “It’s imperative that the regulator...

The Future of AI and Older Adults

By Laurie M. Orlov  Advances in AI got the full attention of the technology industry, which is undergoing its first major disruption since the arrival of smart speakers and voice in 2014. Multiple industries see compelling opportunities, including healthcare providers, senior living, customer service providers, training and remote monitoring service offerings. Government organizations are investing in AI and aging startups and programs. Although there are a number of barriers to adoption, in the not-so-distant future, machine learning, chatbots, and AI in the home...

How To Minimize Ageism Through The Use Of AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) holds great promise in the fight against ageism, and future technologies powered by AI can be a first step to ensure older adults are fully involved in the processes, systems and, ultimately, services that will affect them throughout the aging journey. Healthcare providers, governments, academia, not-for-profits and businesses can ensure that AI is not only strengthening healthcare for older adults but also empowering them to meet their individual needs. At the same time, there are also significant risks...

Germany has a plan to tackle a rapidly aging workforce: recruiting robots

A robot takeover has long been the stuff of science fiction, but digitalization could be key in solving Germany’s labor shortage crisis, as its population ages. A record 45.9 million people were employed by Europe’s largest economy in the fourth quarter of 2022, the German Federal Statistical Office found. But, while more people than ever have jobs, over half of German companies reported that they were struggling to find skilled workers to fill vacancies, according to German Chambers of Commerce...

April 2023

Social protection and response to covid-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean: Innovations in registration and payment systems

By Nurth Palomo, Luis Vargas Faulbaum, Anna Carolina Machado, Camila Rolon and Fábio Veras Soares, Monica Rubio, Florencia Alejandre & Gerardo Escaroz The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the foundations of the economy and provoked devastating social effects in all the countries in the world, being Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) one of the most affected regions. As of mid-March 2021, there were 37 million reported cases in the region and a staggering 1,275,567 deaths, equivalent to...

Dashboard provider PensionSmith launches in UK

The integrated member web, education and communications platform has been operating in South Africa and Namibia since 2019 as ‘The Benefit Counsellor’. Having spent the last four years developing its platform, the firm has over 400,000 active members in South Africa, with a monthly engagement rate of over 50 per cent. The platform offers tools for member communication, member education, and aims to add a pension dashboard connection to allow members to view and interact with all their pension plans in...

PensionBee. Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022

By PensionBee PensionBee is a leading online pension provider in the UK, with a mission to make pensions simple, so that everyone can look forward to a happy retirement. We are a direct-to-consumer financial technology company with approximately 183,000 Invested Customers and £3.0bn of Assets under Administration (‘AUA’) as at 31 December 2022 (2021: 117,000 Invested Customers and  £2.6bn of AUA). We deliver a leading customer proposition to pension holders in the UK defined contribution pensions market, catering for the mass...