Congress’s ESG pension plan has a major flaw
The US Senate is considering an anti-ESG retirement bill which will force funds to only consider financially material questions when they pick their investments. Will this change what pension fund portfolios actually look like?
Ireland's sovereign wealth fund powers tech boom
Ireland is eager to take advantage of its new-found economic solvency and is using its £20bn sovereign wealth fund to actively invest in its tech sector
Mid-sized managers must ‘scale or fail’ as asset owners increasingly look for bigger partners
Fund management companies which are mid-sized may find themselves in “no man’s land” where they are not small enough to be nimble but not big enough to compete against the industry behemoths
What are consultants advising clients to do about AI?
Some of the largest consultants in the market tell AOX what they are advising their clients to do to address market concentration in the US and the high valuations of tech stocks due to the AI boom
Why Brazil’s wealthiest families shun investment abroad
A potentially contentious election is looming in Brazil but the country’s wealthiest families are largely keeping their money invested domestically, according to the head of wealth management at BTG Pactual, Latin America’s largest investment bank
Azerbaijan’s state oil fund has a 38% exposure to gold. Could that pose a problem?
The $73bn State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan, or Sofaz, has increased its exposure to gold from 12 per cent in 2023 to 38 per cent now. That has been a boon with the price of gold rocketing, but could that pose a problem?
Caribbean island to set up sovereign wealth fund with proceeds of AI boom
The Caribbean island of Anguilla has made millions by selling its .ai domain to artificial intelligence companies. Now it is putting that money to good use.
UK DC investors seeking bespoke private markets LTAFs
Defined contribution schemes in the UK are becoming more confident in seeking returns away from public markets, according to LCP
Norwegian pension fund begins real-estate shake-up
By the Norwegian Government Pension Fund’s own admission, its peers have adapted to changes in the real estate investment market much better than it has. So now it is shaking things up
European stocks poised for growth but US rhetoric over Greenland dents optimism
European equities have been unsettled by escalating tensions between the US and several European countries over Greenland but there are other issues which dent optimism, including the lack of innovative tech businesses
Why asset owner investment in commodities may be ‘self-defeating’
We seem to be living through a boom time for commodities, with the price of gold breaking the $5,000 barrier for the first time. But as commodity markets become dominated by institutional investors, this may have unintended consequences
How is the ‘jumbo’ level of pension buyouts affecting how insurers invest?
PwC expects 2026 to be a “jumbo” year for pension buyouts in the UK asset owner space, with more than £50bn of transaction volumes forecast. But how is that changing the way insurers, on the other side of the transaction, invest?
Wealthy families increasingly relying on external managers for ‘fast-growing asset classes’
According to new research from Standard Chartered Private Bank, which surveyed more than 300 ultra-wealthy families globally, nearly seven in 10 (69 per cent) are using an "institutional" approach to investment decisions rather than taking a "personal" approach to family affairs
How many mandates has BlackRock lost due to ESG?
BlackRock lost several high profile mandates during 2025 because of its supposed lack of commitment towards ESG. So we look at the numbers and see how much of a problem it is proving for the world’s largest asset manager.
Canada wants its pension funds to invest domestically. Will that undermine the ‘Maple 8’?
Canadian prime minister Mark Carney won last year’s election in part due to economic nationalism in response to US tariffs. But is this the right approach to the country’s widely-respected pension funds?
Scottish pension fund takes Federated Hermes to court over ‘existential gamble’ on wind farms
Aberdeen City Council is taking Federated Hermes to court over an investment in Swedish wind farms which, it alleges, lost $117mn or 83 per cent of the total investment
Danish pension fund sells off US Treasury holdings
The $25bn AkademikerPension fund is selling off its US Treasury holdings, a decision it insists is rooted in the American government’s “poor” finances rather than geopolitics
Debate over US tech concentration fuels demand for multi-factor equity strategies
European asset owners are grappling with the “concentration risk” in portfolios towards US technology and AI businesses in the S&P 500
Why are US asset owners investing in sports?
The NFL recently opened-up minority stake ownership in its teams to institional investors, which has prompted some asset owners to dip their toes into the sport. What’s the thinking behind asset owners getting involved in sport?
‘Forced’ pooling of pensions goes down badly in England and Wales
UK local government pension schemes are being ‘essentially forced’ to pool their management ahead of the April 1 deadline - but not everyone is happy about it