April 2018

UN staff pension fund mired in ‘dirty profits’ from firms guilty of rights abuses

The United Nations is facing calls for a full review of its staff pension fund after the Guardian uncovered that it has around a billion dollars invested in companies whose activities are or have been incompatible with core UN principles and programmes. Established in 1948 by the UN general assembly, the fund provides retirement, death and disability benefits to employees. At present it has 203,050 beneficiaries and a market value of $64bn (£45bn), of which nearly $1.5bn is invested in...

Do pension participants want the freedom to choose or the freedom to snooze?

By Hendrik P. van Dalen and Kène Henkens Individual freedom of choice is a much heralded and cherished principle in democracies. Milton Friedman and colleagues at his alma mater, the University of Chicago, made this a cornerstone of their belief (Friedman & Friedman, 1990). The freedom of choice is the antidote to excessive government interference and an instrument which enables people to realize their goals and discipline agents and organizations. The call for freedom is getting louder as individualization of...

Blockchain Voting App Developed By Kas Bank

Europe-based KAS Bank, in collaboration with IT services provider Atos Origin, has developed a new blockchain app with the objective of streamlining the voting process. Founded in 1806, KAS Bank provides wholesale securities services for professionals in the pensions and securities industries in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Belgium. It serves pension funds, insurance companies, private banks, family offices, fund managers, professional investors, investment companies, wealth managers, brokers, and charities. The new blockchain app, called Voteroom, was built using...

Malaysian pension fund to review investment strategy

Malaysia's Kumpulan Wang Persaraan, which manages over $36 billion in assets of civil servants' retirement benefits, may invest more in listed equities and alternative assets as it reviews current investment policy, its chief executive said Monday. The state-run pension fund, also known as KWAP, favors dividend-yielding sectors such as banking and telecommunication, Wan Kamaruzaman Ahmad told reporters. KWAP is also looking to invest more in global technology sector and remains in talks with two insurers to acquire a stake, he...

Top 5 most sustainable pension systems worldwide

Thanks to gradually rising life expectancy and a higher state pension age, pension contributions are set to soar around the world. World Finance explores the top five countries with sustainable pension systems, where retirees can live particularly well with their pension pot. Australia Australia’s three-tier ‘superannuation’ pension system is one of the most touted in the world. It includes a tax-financed age pension, providing basic benefits, a company pension pot and the individual contribution to a retirement savings account. Employers are...

UN supports Nigeria’s ageing policy

The United Nations (UN) has pledged to support Nigeria in the implementation of the country’s ageing policy.Mr. Oleg Serezhin of the Technical Cooperation Unit, Division for Social Policy and Development of Economic and Social Affairs UN, said that the global body was committed to bringing its resources to support Nigeria on ageing. He said this during the UN Department of Social Affairs scooping visit to Nigeria on capacity support to ageing at the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social...

México. Trabajadores podrán ahorrar para el retiro en tienditas y panaderías

A partir de esta semana, los trabajadores mexicanos podrán ahorrar para el retiro en su cuenta Afore en tienditas, panaderías o tlapalerías de la red Yastás, con aportaciones desde 50 pesos en adelante con lo que pueden apoyar a mejorar su pensión. Este martes se hará el anuncio oficial de la incorporación de Yastás a la red de más de 7,000 establecimientos que reciben ahorro para el retiro en la que están 7-Eleven, Círculo K, EXTRA, sucursales Telecomm, Chedraui, Farmacia...

Perú. Profuturo AFP: Esta será su estrategia para seguir creciendo

En junio de 1993, ocho AFP comenzaron a operar en el recién creado sistema privado de pensiones. De aquellos nombres, hoy solo quedan dos: Integra y Profuturo. Buen momento, entonces, para conversar con uno Vicente Tuesta, CEO de Profuturo AFP, cabeza de uno de aquellos pioneros, y hacer un balance de los 25 años transcurridos y evaluar escenarios para el futuro. Leer Más: El Comercio

Colombia. Optimización del Fondo de Garantía de Pensión Mínima

Explicábamos recientemente cómo ha estado en el corazón del debate pensional la optimización del Fondo de Garantía de Pensión Mínima (Fgpm). Esto con miras a incrementar de forma expedita la mejor cobertura pensional, especialmente en las cotizaciones de menor monto (digamos de 1-2 SML). La postura de Anif a este respecto ha sido que no se requiere inventar un esquema diferente al ya existente en materia del Fgpm, pues alternativas que busquen monopolios a favor de Colpensiones, en lo que...

México. Si se cancela aeropuerto, el impacto en pensiones sería mínimo, dice la Amafore

El dinero de los trabajadores mexicanos que las Afores invirtieron en el Nuevo Aeropuerto de la Ciudad de México (NAIM) está protegido, por lo que la cancelación del proyecto tendría un impacto mínimo en su pensión, afirmó el presidente de la Asociación Mexicana de Administradoras de Fondos para el Retiro (Amafore), Carlos Noriega Curtis. Para Noriega el mantener la participación en esa obra "es la oportunidad de invertir profesionalmente su ahorro y lograr los mejores rendimientos". El dirigente de Amafore mandó...