December 2019

Automatic enrolment: Qualitative research with small and micro employers

By Department for work & pensions Legislative changes set out in the Pensions Acts 2007, 2008 (and updated as part of the Pensions Act 2011 and 2014) aim to increase private pension saving in the UK and reverse a long-term decline in pension participation rates. The reforms require employers to automatically enrol eligible workers into a qualifying workplace pension scheme and to make a minimum contribution. These employer duties are being introduced between October 2012 and February 2018,...

Fintechs and financial inclusion

By Gayatri Murthy, Maria Fernandez-Vida As Fintech companies targeting poor and underserved customers grow and scale, there is a lack of granularity on how their business models solve pain points in financial inclusion and what the industry can learn from the iterations in their business models. CGAP launched a fintech initiative in 2016 to better understand these innovations and draw clear linkages to financial inclusion, where they existed. We worked with 18 fintechs in Africa and South Asia that...

The Comprehensive Wealth of Older Immigrants and Natives

By David A. Love, Lucie Schmidt This article compares the retirement preparations of immigrant and native-born Americans aged 51 or older. The authors estimate the present value of future income streams in calculating measures of comprehensive wealth and an annualized equivalent. In addition to some significant differences in median annualized wealth between immigrants and natives, the authors find that the most recent waves of immigrants are more financially vulnerable in retirement than earlier immigration cohorts were at similar ages....

The Real Effects of Environmental Activist Investing

By S Lakshmi Naaraayanan, Kunal Sachdeva, Varun Sharma Using a socially-motivated activist campaign by a large pension fund, we measure the real effects of activist investing on pollution and the environment. Targeted firms reduced their total toxic chemical releases, production-related emissions, cancer-causing pollution, environmental accidents, and legal risks. These effects do not come at the expense of lower financial performance or returns. We rule out natural alternative hypotheses while also presenting evidence supporting the external validity of socially motivated...

Exploring Wealth Inequality

By Cato Institute, Ryan Bourne, Chris Edwards Many political leaders and pundits consider wealth inequality to be a major economic and social problem. They complain about a shift of wealth to the top at everyone else’s expense and about plutocrats dominating policymaking in Washington. Is wealth inequality the crisis that some people believe? This study examines six aspects of wealth inequality and discusses the evidence for the claims being made. Section 1 describes how wealth inequality has risen in...

México. Consar reporta crecimiento de 1.2% en ahorro de trabajadores

En el último mes el ahorro para el retiro de los trabajadores registró un aumento de 1.2 por ciento, con lo que acumuló un año con plusvalías, es decir, con crecimiento, reportó la Comisión Nacional del Sistema de Ahorro para el Retiro (Consar). Lee también México. Pensión y jubilación de mujeres: cómo garantizar un retiro digno Según datos del organismo regulador y supervisor, el ahorro pensionario en manos de las Administradoras de Fondos para el Retiro (Afore) cerró noviembre de...

Chile aprueba incremento de las pensiones más bajas en hasta un 50%

El Senado aprobó, por unanimidad, un proyecto de ley que supondrá un aumento gradual de las pensiones más bajas en hasta un 50 % y que tras su aprobación por la Cámara de Diputados quedó listo para su promulgación como ley. La iniciativa forma parte de la agenda social del Gobierno del presidente Sebastián Piñera derivada del estallido ciudadano que vive el país desde hace casi siete semanas y que tiene en el modelo privatizado de pensiones chileno una...

Chile. Las AFP se defienden: “el debate ha tenido un nivel de irresponsabilidad y mentiras muy grande”

Esta tarde el gerente general de la Asociación de AFP, Fernando Larraín, conversó con T13 Tardey defendió el sistema de pensiones chileno, que ha sido fuertemente cuestionado en medio de la crisis social que vive el país. En la entrevista, Larraín coincidió en que el sistema de pensiones de Chile "necesita cambios", pero también denunció que la conversación en torno a este tema "ha tenido un nivel de irresponsabilidad y mentiras muy grande". El ingeniero comercial arremetió contra la senadora DC Ximena Rincón, quien hizo un...

A Look at France’s Heated Debate Over Pensions

The planned overhaul of the French pensions system aims to streamline a complicated patchwork of provisions, but workers argue it will require them to work longer and will reduce their income. The heated debate over the changes to the retirement system are laid bare in the nationwide strike and protests taking place Thursday. The popular discontent will test the resolve of the government of President Emmanuel Macron, who says it remains determined to pass the reform next year. Here's a look at...

ESG investing to move faster in Asia

Although in its initial stages and faced with challenges, opportunities in ESG investing are rising in Asia. Thanks to a governmental push as well as growing ESG awareness and compliance among institutional investors, sustainability is quickly picking up in Asia, though challenges still exist. Featuring Christopher Hui, executive director, Financial Services Development Council; Karine Hirn, partner, chief sustainability officer, East Capital; William Ng, ESG engagement analyst, investment team, HSBC Global Asset Management; and Paul Milon, sustainability and ESG integration specialist, BNP...