October 2023

Kenya. Pension fund assets up Sh127bn on NSSF new rates

Pension fund assets rose by Sh127 billion in the first half of this year, boosted in part by the introduction of higher mandatory contributions to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and exchange gains on offshore investments. The 8.1 percent growth to Sh1.704 trillion was also boosted by new investments in Real Estate Investment Trusts (Reits), including the Sh6.92 billion Laptrust Imara Investment Reit (I-Reit) which was listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) in March. Read: Pension funds fail to...

August 2023

Bangladesh enters the era of universal pension

Bangladesh has launched a universal pension scheme to bring four types of citizens under a sustainable and organised social security system. “From now on, professionals from every economic stratum will receive pensions, which will eliminate social disparity,” said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, as she inaugurated the scheme on Thursday. Anyone aged over 18 years and not holding a government job will be eligible for the pension plan by paying a regular premium. Expatriates can also avail themselves of the service. The...

July 2023

Pensions for all. Proposals for more inclusive pension systems in Latin America.

Edited by David Tuesta y Gautam Bhardwaj One of the pending tasks in Latin America is the development of a pension system that is widely accessible, sufficient and financially sustainable over time. Beyond the different degrees of progress in each of the countries, they all face similar internal and global challenges. In particular, the problems of high informality of institutions and labor markets make the road even more uphill. The recent Covid19 pandemic scenario has highlighted the structural weaknesses of pension...

Pensiones para todos. Propuestas para sistemas de pensiones más inclusivos en Latinoamérica.

Editado por David Tuesta y Gautam Bhardwaj Una de las tareas pendientes en Latinoamérica se centra en el desarrollo de un sistema de pensiones que sea de acceso amplio, suficiente y financieramente sostenible en el tiempo. Más allá de los diferentes grados de avance en el que se encuentran cada uno de los países, todos enfrentan similares retos internos y globales. En particular, los problemas de elevada informalidad de las instituciones y de sus mercados laborales, hace el camino aun...

June 2023

Perú. Comisión de Economía aprobó dictamen que plantea una reforma del sistema de pensiones

La Comisión de Economía, Banca, Finanzas e Inteligencia Financiera, que preside la congresista Rosangella Barbarán (Fuerza Popular), aprobó por mayoría (14 votos a favor y 9 en contra), el dictamen que reforma el sistema previsional de nuestro país. Se trata del dictamen recaído en los proyectos de ley nros. 118/2021-CR, 344/2021-CR, 551/2021-CR, 866/2021-CR, 912/2021-CR, 1356/2021-CR, 1513/2021-CR, 1595/2021-CR, 1922/2021-CR, 2047/2021-CR, 2110/2021-CR, 2278/2021-CR, 2659/2021-CR, 2718/2021-CR, 2728/2021-CR y otros, que proponen la “Ley de reforma del sistema previsional peruano”. La propuesta tiene por objeto...

May 2023

México. Fitch califica de “excelente” el manejo de Afore Citibanamex

La calificadora Fitch Ratings asignó la evaluación de “excelente” al Fondo para el Retiro (Afore) de Citibanamex por la calidad de administración de inversiones, al alcanzar en el primer trimestre de 2023 un capital de 851 mil millones de pesos, equivalente a 15 por ciento de los activos gestionados por la industria. En un reporte, la firma indicó que la institución muestra solidez financiera en sus resultados a pesar de las reducciones en las comisiones que reportó el sector en...

Colombia. La presidenta de la Junta Directiva de Asofondos sobre el Régimen de Prima Media: “Las matemáticas no dan”

Marcela Giraldo, presidenta de Colfondos y de la Junta Directiva de Asofondos (Asociación Colombiana de Administradoras de Fondos de Pensiones y de Cesantía), el gremio que agrupa a las cuatro administradoras de fondos de pensión privadas (Colfondos, Porvenir, Protección y Skandia), sostuvo una conversación con Infobae Colombia acerca de la reforma pensional planteada por el gobierno de Gustavo Petro, la reforma laboral y la relación del gremio con el nuevo ministro de Hacienda, Ricardo Bonilla. La dirigente gremial entregó sus...

US. Debt-ceiling apocalypse could offer opportunities as well, observers say

The ongoing debt-ceiling standoff between Democrats and Republicans could result in buying opportunities for institutional investors as long as widespread faith that the two sides will eventually do whatever is necessary to avoid a U.S. debt default proves well-founded. If not, all bets are off. For now, even as the "X-date" where the government won't be able to cover all of its Treasury bonds and bills coming due approaches— as early as June by some estimates — most market participants say...

Philippines. Millions sans pension a ‘ticking time bomb’

The massive protests over the highly unpopular legislation that France passed, raising its retirement age from 62 to 64 to save its pension system, may be a window to a similar future in the Philippines, with its own “ticking time bomb” in its pension scheme. University of the Philippines School of Labor and Industrial Relations (UP-SOLAIR) professor Emily Christi A. Cabegin warned of this scenario, where the government may have to spend millions of pesos to take care of thousands...

Germany. Retirement Workers: The Solution To The Skills Shortage?

Kurt Marx repairs and maintains heating systems. He started as an apprentice almost 50 years ago. Actually, he could soon retire free of deductions. However, the service technician plans to continue working. Not for financial reasons: he likes the daily challenge of finding technical errors, he says. Above all, Marx wants to keep in touch with people. And he knows how difficult it is for his boss to find staff. “I’m probably not the exception, after all, specialists are...