August 2017

UK. Coats restores dividend as it ties off pensions dispute

  Coats Group, the world’s largest manufacturer of thread yarn and zips, has shaken off a three-year dispute with the pensions regulator to reinstate its interim dividend amid rising profits. In the six months to the end of June, the company’s revenues rose 3.8pc to $740m (£564m), while pre-tax profits were up 25.9pc on the previous year at $75.8m. The performances from its clothing arm and the division that supplies industrial thread were particularly strong. Coats supplies threads, zips and trims to...

Japan’s ageing society prompts redefinition of the term ‘elderly’

An early advocate of healthy living to stave off ageing-related illnesses, Shigeaki Hinohara, a Japanese doctor, saw patients until just months before bidding farewell to this world at the age of 105, last month. In 1954, Hinohara introduced comprehensive annual physical tests, part of the preventive medical system said to contribute to Japanese people's longevity. A fast-ageing society, Japan has the highest percentage of senior citizens in the world-more than a quarter of its population is aged 65 or above. Japan...

UK. Aeolus gains £51m investment from London Pensions Fund Authority

UK local authority pension fund manager the London Pensions Fund Authority (LPFA) made an investment of around £51 million in two of the reinsurance linked investment funds managed by Bermuda-based specialist Aeolus Capital Management Ltd. The investment was made in the calendar year ending March 31st 2017, according to the latest information from the £5.3 billion London Pensions Fund Authority. UK pension funds are increasingly becoming comfortable with the ILS and reinsurance linked asset class, with a growing number of authority...

Ladies, make sure you mind the pensions gap

There is a glaring gender gap when it comes to pension savings – a gap which grows as women age and means many face the prospect of spending their so-called “third life” in poverty. There are many factors behind this gap, ranging from the fact that women still pay a higher “parenthood penalty”, to the gender pay gap, and even the way retirement products are designed. While the number of men reaching the oldest ages is increasing, women still outlive their...

July 2017

EEUU. Cancelan iniciativa de Obama que promovía el ahorro entre los trabajadores más pobres

El periódico dijo que 20,000 personas habían depositado dinero en estos planes de ahorro para la jubilación y, por lo tanto, se verán directamente afectados por la decisión del Departamento del Tesoro. Jovita Carranza, Tesorera de Estados Unidos, dijo en unas declaraciones escritas que la iniciativa había costado a la agencia 70 millones de dólares desde su creación en el año 2014 y que no había una cantidad suficiente de personas para justificar ese gasto.  El programa buscaba ayudar a que...

Chile. Reforma a las pensiones: Gobierno apunta a organismo estatal con comisiones más bajas que AFP

El Gobierno se prepara a enviar el muy anticipado proyecto de ley para reformar el sistema de pensiones de Chile. Hay consenso en que será el más radical desde que se instaló el sistema de las AFP durante la dictadura, ya que introduce por primera vez un pilar de reparto. La semana pasada La Moneda informó que la iniciativa entrará al Congreso el próximo 7 de agosto. Hasta ahora no se habían filtrado detalles, pero ayer domingo El Mercurio publicó alguno de sus aspectos...

Can Regulatory Sandbox Nurture India’s FinTech Innovation?

The Indian financial services sector is undergoing major changes today. With more than 600 startups in the space of lending, payments, insurance and trading space, Fintech startups are not only spearheading innovation, but are also prompting traditional banks and financial institutions to explore new technologies and investing heavily in digital service delivery channels. However, fintech startups unlike others face additional challenges of operating in a heavily regulated industry and have stiff competition as their key competitors are well established banking...

Nigeria. FUG Pensions targets N500bn assets under management

Future Unity Glanvills Pensions Limited (FUG), said it is targeting assets base of N120 billion by 2019, and N500 billion over the next seven years for its medium term operation. The firm’s current assets under management have grown from zero position in 2007, to over N57 billion in 2017. This was disclosed by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Usman Suleiman, at the 10th year anniversary of the Company’s held in Lagos. According to him, the Company has put in place...

S. Korea’s NPS to reinforce top investment decision-making body

South Korea’s biggest institutional investor National Pension Service (NPS) is seeking to hold a fund management committee meeting on a monthly basis and add more financial experts to its members in a move to enhance its independence from political influence and investment decision-making role. According to multiple sources from the political circle and the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Friday, the country’s National Assembly is preparing to introduce a revised bill in October that will mandate the NPS’s fund...

US. 34% Of Entrepreneurs Have No Retirement Savings Plan

Fully a third of small business owners don’t have a retirement savings plan, according to a recent survey by small business site Manta. Of those who don’t, 37% don’t make enough profit to save for retirement, 21% used their previous retirement savings to invest in the business, and 18% plan to sell their business to fund their retirement. “I find that small business owners, especially successful ones, are typically very driven and optimistic people,” says Kirk Licata, a financial advisor...