March 2025

“The Cuban lives to eat”: This is what one could buy with the minimum pension of a retired Cuban

A young Cuban identified on TikTok as @brianna4258, residing in the province of Matanzas, posted a viral video documenting what can currently be purchased in Cuba with the minimum pension of a retiree: 1,500 Cuban pesos, equivalent to about 4 dollars at the informal exchange rate. “This is the basic salary of a retiree in Cuba,” he says at the beginning of the video while showing the cash. He then walks through the streets and kiosks of his area to highlight the scarcity and...

La crisis de las pensiones en Latinoamérica

Las protestas de los jubilados en Argentina han acaparado una inusitada atención al unírseles (infiltrárseles, interpretan también algunos) las barras bravas, los hinchas radicales del fútbol. Más allá de la polémica por la dureza de los enfrentamientos con la policía, ¿son justificadas sus quejas? "Sí, sin dudas, dentro del ajuste que tiene la política pública nacional argentina, los jubilados son uno de los principales grupos afectados", señala Javier Curcio, director del Departamento de Economía de la Universidad de Buenos Aires. Curcio cifra el "ajuste desproporcionadamente...

México. Ante informalidad, se debe invertir en bonos de valores de jubilación

El premio Nobel de Economía 1997, Robert Merton dijo que México tiene el potencial para beneficiarse de inversiones en Bonos de Seguridad de Jubilación (RBS, por sus siglas en inglés, ante el reto que mantiene por la informalidad y en la construcción de un sistema de pensiones más eficiente. El economista fue reconocido este lunes en la Ciudad de México, y ofreció una conferencia sobre los beneficios de los RBS, instrumentos que ofrecen un flujo estable de ingresos durante la...

Chile. Macías asegura que fondos de pensiones triplicarán su tamaño y las AFP condicionan metas a implementación

El jefe del regulador planteó que la nueva ley elevará los activos previsionales un 35% más, hasta superar los US$ 660 mil millones, mientras las administradoras advierten que serán cruciales las definiciones en el nuevo régimen de inversión. La reforma de pensiones que eleva a 17,5% el porcentaje de cotización previsional —con una proporción mayoritaria a la capitalización individual— representa una cuantiosa inyección de recursos al ahorro de los afiliados, pero las AFP remarcan que el efecto final sobre las...

México. Consiguen las Afore ganancias históricas pese a incertidumbre

En medio de un periodo de turbulencia en los mercados financieros provocado por la incertidumbre que generan las acciones económicas y políticas del presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, las administradoras de fondos para el retiro (Afore) obtuvieron rendimientos históricos. De acuerdo con datos de la Comisión Nacional del Sistema de Ahorro para el Retiro (Consar), en los primeros dos meses de 2025 las Afore reportaron plusvalías por 278 mil 758 millones de pesos, un monto no visto antes en...

UK. Industry reliance on outdated technology could risk ‘stifling’ engagement

Many pension providers are still relying on outdated technology, with nearly half (41 per cent) still posting out letters, despite UK workplace pension savers wanting better digital tools to connect with their pensions, research from Bravura has revealed. The survey also found that 75 per cent of members don't have access to retirement income estimators, savings calculators or retirement goal trackers, despite savers naming all three of these technologies as their preferred tools for retirement planning. In addition to this, just...

India. New Unified Pension Scheme Set to Launch in 2025

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has announced the introduction of the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), set to take effect on April 1, 2025. This new scheme will provide an alternative for central government employees currently enrolled in the National Pension Scheme (NPS). The UPS aims to streamline pension benefits and enhance financial security for government employees, with specific eligibility criteria and contribution requirements outlined in the recent gazette notification. Who Can Participate in the UPS? The UPS is...

US. Closing the Retirement Gap: Challenges and Opportunities

There is progress in expanding retirement plan coverage, but there still is work to be done. An expert panel recently highlighted some of the challenges to be met in building on that progress. They offered their insights in a discussion that was part of the recent 16th annual National Institute on Retirement Security Retirement Policy Conference. Moderated by National Institute on Retirement Security Executive Director Dan Doonan, the panel included Lilach Frenkel, Director, Product Innovation, CAAT Pension Plan; Joelle Saad-Lessler,...

UK. DB transfer activity falls to record low

Defined benefit transfer activity fell to a record low in February, data from XPS has found. XPS Group’s Transfer Activity Index fell to the lowest observed rate since the Index was established in 2018. In February 2025, there was an annualised rate of 13 members in every 1,000 transferring their benefits to alternative arrangements. This was the third consecutive month the index had fallen, suggesting that members are becoming increasingly cautious when making decisions about their retirement arrangements. Helen Cavanagh, senior consultant at...

Cost of living support coming for 1.5 million New Zealanders

More than 900 thousand superannuitants and almost five thousand veterans are among the New Zealanders set to receive a significant financial boost from next week, an uplift Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says will help support them through cost-of-living challenges. “I am pleased to confirm that from 1 April, most MSD payment rates will increase through the Annual General Adjustment (AGA),” Louise Upston says. “Overall this year’s AGA means around 1.5 million New Zealanders will get an increase to...