How the EU plans to get more pensions invested in stocks
Petra Hielkema, chair of the EU’s pensions regulator Eiopa, wants to address the fact that EU citizens collectively hold around $39tn in savings but around a third of this is sitting in bank deposits - and she hopes reforms to pan-European pension products will help
Major super funds post near-identical returns but tell different stories
Regulatory settings have nudged some of Australia’s largest superannuation funds into similar listed portfolios, so differentiation now happens in unlisted assets, where disclosures ranged from detailed to silent.
Why is everyone copying Sweden’s pension system?
Germany’s pension commission has recently recommended moving to a Swedish pension system, and the Finnish government has appointed an independent expert to explore doing the same thing
Is the UK government’s push for pension consolidation in tension with its other aims?
In the first ever AOX Trends Report video, editor Damian Fantato talks to UK reporter Georgina McNamara about the UK government’s push for greater pension consolidation and whether the drive for bigger pension funds is in conflict with its desire to see pension funds invest ever-greater sums of money in British private equity.
Banco Master’s collapse proves problematic for Brazilian pensions
The Brazilian Central Bank shut down Banco Master in 2025 after months of liquidity stress, rule breaches and a federal fraud investigation. This has kicked off a chain reaction which is causing problems for some of Brazil’s pension funds
South African pension funds are finally increasing overseas exposure
The government increased the limit on offshore investment from 30 per cent to 45 per cent in 2022. But South African pension funds have failed to take advantage, until now
Is the deadline for reforming Italy’s pension funds unrealistic?
The deadline for implementing reforms to the Italian pension system has arrived but many of the affected funds have yet to apply the new rules
Finnish pension centre highlights private equity costs in new report
Analysis by Eläketurvakeskus, the Finnish Centre for Pensions, has highlighted the cost-reward benefits of private equity at a time when governments across the globe push pension funds towards greater investment in the asset class.
KiwiSaver providers unfazed by NZ Super ruling but heed its warning
Although providers within New Zealand’s NZ$140bn-plus KiwiSaver voluntary retirement scheme see little direct legal risk from a recent ruling against NZ Super, they say it underlines the need for a rigorous approach to sustainable investing.
Do new Dutch pension regulations infringe EU law?
The Dutch pension market is undergoing huge reforms, but it turns out the Dutch government and the European Commission are engaged in a “pre-infringement dialogue” after the latter suspected that the new Dutch pension rules infringed European law.
British MPs have a large allocation to junk
The Parliamentary Contribution Pension Fund, which has 869 members made up of current or former British MPs, has a significant exposure to sub-investment grade fixed income
Swedish buffer funds face tougher governance requirements on illiquid investments
Sweden’s minister for financial markets explains the reforms which his government is planning on pursuing to the way the country’s pension funds invest in illiquid assets
Master trusts must lower variance in investment returns and bring fees down, UK commission says
The UK’s second pensions commission has found that savers with similar outcomes can pay fees ranging from about 0.1 per cent to more than 0.5 per cent depending on their employer
Why pensioners think Dutch pension reforms are a work in progress
Koepel Gepensioneerden, the largest advocacy group for senior citizens in the Netherlands, says the landmark pension reforms which kicked off this year still need work to avoid disadvantaging pensioners
Railpen investment boss on plans to double infrastructure exposure
Mads Gosvig, the chief officer of pensions investment management at Railpen wants to see the $46bn fund’s investment in infrastructure to go up from $1.3bn to $2.7bn over the next five years
Hermes hits back at pension fund in $136mn legal claim
The asset manager has said the legal claim by the North East Scotland Pension Fund - which centres on investments in wind farms which lost 83 per cent - is based “entirely on hindsight”
Why the UK and the Dutch have taken two very different approaches to collective pensions
The UK has become one of the few countries where collective defined contribution pensions exist. How does the way it is approaching CDC compare to the approach taken in the Netherlands, where these funds have been common?
Irish pension funds latch onto consolidation craze
The Irish pension system is entering a phase of consolidation, which is currently taking place organically. But experts predict this will not last long and the republic’s government will soon intervene to speed things up
$54bn UK master trust catches American cold over ESG policy
The People’s Pension, which manages $54bn in assets, has recently made its policy on responsible investing less ambitious following an ‘in-depth review’
Swedish asset owner's relationship status with fund manager gets complicated
FTN, the Swedish fund selection agency, has removed one of its most popular global equity funds from its platform - a move which has triggered a court battle with the fund management company