May 2023

After pan-bashing, France’s Macron faces labour day protests

France's President Emmanuel Macron faces more nationwide protests on Monday as he seeks to steer the country on from a divisive pension law that has sparked anger, pan-bashing and social unrest. Last month he signed a law to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, despite months of strikes against the bill. He and his government have since tried to turn the page on the episode of popular discontent, one of the biggest challenges to his second mandate. But protesters have...

Nigeria. PenCom steps up efforts at diversifying pension fund investment

The National Pension Commission, PenCom, is stepping up efforts at diversifying investments in pension fund portfolio assets. The Director-General, D-G PenCom, Mrs Aisha Dahir-Umar, gave this hint in the Commission’s 2022 fourth-quarter report. The D-G said the Commission had stepped up efforts at ensuring sustainable investment of pension funds in alternative asset classes, during the quarter under review. According to her, PenCom had also structured infrastructure projects that met the strict requirements of the Pension Fund Investments Regulation. The D-G said “the Commission...

Germany has a plan to tackle a rapidly aging workforce: recruiting robots

A robot takeover has long been the stuff of science fiction, but digitalization could be key in solving Germany’s labor shortage crisis, as its population ages. A record 45.9 million people were employed by Europe’s largest economy in the fourth quarter of 2022, the German Federal Statistical Office found. But, while more people than ever have jobs, over half of German companies reported that they were struggling to find skilled workers to fill vacancies, according to German Chambers of Commerce...

April 2023

México: Pensiones del IMSS: crece riesgo de cancelación de la Modalidad 40

Expertos en temas de pensiones aseguran que el Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social cuenta con un sistema de verificación de datos que generan alertas que puedan revisar a fondo las solicitudes de pensiones, sin embargo, han detectado ciertos errores y algunos derechohabientes han terminado perjudicados. De acuerdo con el experto, Arturo Galván, quien asesora a los ciudadanos con respecto a la solicitud y obtención de pensiones, afirma que el IMSS ha descubierto casos en donde los mismos trabajadores del Instituto...

Perú. AFP: buscan que fondos no reclamados por herederos sean transferidos al Estado

El congresista Alejandro Soto Reyes, de la bancada Alianza para el Progreso, propone que los fondos administrados por las AFP que no han sido retirados por los herederos de los aportantes fallecidos sean transferidos al tesoro público, mediante la modificación del artículo 12 de la Constitución Política del Perú. Cabe precisar que en julio de 2022 se presentó un proyecto, de Acción Popular, con similar objetivo que hoy sigue en la Comisión de Economía. De esta manera, el PL 4800,...

Bank of England tells insurers to moderate their push into pensions

The Bank of England warned insurers on Thursday not over extend themselves in grabbing more business from pension schemes eager to offload risks. Charlotte Gerken, executive director for insurance supervision at the Bank, said that in the face of considerable temptation to capture business opportunities, insurers need to exercise caution. Bulk purchase annuities (BPA) are long-term policies from life insurers for company defined benefit, or final salary, pension schemes. Rising interest rates have improved funding levels of pension schemes, making them cheaper...

Pension funds need to consider beneficiaries’ sustainability preferences more – here’s why the IORP II consultation matters

The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) consultation on the review of the Institutions for Occupational Retirement Provision (IORP) II Directive closes next month, on the 25 May. What’s at stake here is significant – how to take account of preferences to invest sustainably, and how the law, and the overall policy landscape, can improve. EIOPA’s technical consultation features a dedicated sustainability chapter. It suggests that pension funds should integrate members’ and beneficiaries’ sustainability preferences into investment decision-making while complying...

US. Closing Pensions For Public Workers Has Proven A Mistake

A measure to close North Dakota's public pension plan is headed to Governor Doug Burgum's desk for signature. Before enacting the measure, the state’s chief executive would be wise to look at the experience of other states that have made such a drastic move. State leaders have learned the hard way that ending pension benefits comes with little to be gained and a big price to pay. More specifically, states that shifted new employees from defined benefit pensions to defined...

​Danish FSA develops national stress test for pension firms

The Danish Financial Supervisory Authority (FSA, Finanstilsynet) has developed its own stress test for pension providers, saying it takes certain national conditions into account – unlike the European Supervisory Authority for Insurance and Occupational Pension Schemes (EIOPA) version. The Copenhagen-based financial watchdog announced yesterday that the new stress tests to assess how insurance and pension companies would fare in a severe economic slump were part of its “strategy 2025” to ensure robustness. “EIOPA’s stress test ensures a high market coverage on...

México. Urgen nuevos esquemas de aportaciones para el retiro; jóvenes, los que menos ahorran

Las generaciones más jóvenes son las que menos destinan una parte de sus ingresos al ahorro para el retiro, por lo que se requieren nuevos esquemas de aportaciones voluntarias. De acuerdo con el reporte “Bienestar Financiero 2023” presentado este martes, los millennials y la generación Z son quienes menos ahorran para el fin de su vida laboral. Juan Hernández, director de América Latina en Vanguard, dijo que una manera de facilitar las aportaciones voluntarias es que las empresas inscriban a...