January 2026

China’s birth rate hits record low as population continues to shrink

China's birth rates sunk to a record low in 2025, despite the government rolling out a spate of incentives to boost it, as the country's population fell for the fourth straight year. Government data on Monday showed that the country's birth rate fell to 5.63 per 1,000 people – a record low since the Communist Party took power in 1949 – while its death rate rose to 8.04 per 1,000 people, the highest since 1968. Its population fell 3.39 million to...

Swiss Life Holding AG: How a 165-Year Incumbent Is Rebuilding Wealth and Retirement for a Volatile Age

The New Urgency of Swiss Life Holding AG Retirement planning used to be boring. Then zero interest rates, inflation spikes, housing crises, and fragmented work lives turned it into a high?stakes puzzle that most people are failing to solve. In Europe, where demographic aging is accelerating and public pension systems are under strain, that puzzle is now an existential problem for households and a structural challenge for governments. Swiss Life Holding AG sits right at the center of that storm. Officially,...

South Korea. National Pension Fund Surpasses 1,500 Trillion Won Mark

The National Pension Fund, which surpassed 1,400 trillion won at the end of last year, is understood to have broken through 1,500 trillion won in just two weeks, riding on KOSPI’s rally, which broke all-time highs for 10 consecutive trading days. According to investment banking (IB) industry sources on Jan. 15, the National Pension Fund’s asset management scale recently exceeded 1,500 trillion won. This represents an increase of nearly 30 trillion won this year from the provisional figure of approximately...

UK. Most self-employed and freelancers failing to save for retirement, Aviva research finds

New research from Aviva reveals a worrying gap in retirement planning among the UK’s self-employed, freelancers, and digital nomads - groups that are increasingly shaping and driving the modern workforce. Just over a third (34%) of digital nomads – those who use technology to work remotely while travelling and living in various locations, rather than being in a single office – are actively saving into a pension or retirement plan.  The picture is only slightly better for the self-employed (38%)...

How our fear of aging is speeding it up

After I turned 60 last October, I became consumed with thoughts of mortality. I worried that I was now on a fast track toward ill health, retirement blues and forgetful conversations filled with non-sequiturs. It’s not hard to see why. In 2023, the American Psychological Association wrote that “ageism is one of the last socially acceptable prejudices” in American culture. From shelves lined with anti-aging products, to punchlines about getting older to workplace bias, the message is clear: entering...

México. El SAR tuvo su mejor año en 2025, pero 2026 traerá más volatilidad para las Afores: experto

Durante 2025, el Sistema de Ahorro para el Retiro (SAR) registró plusvalías acumuladas por MXN$ 1.1 billones , un monto 105.1% superior al observado en 2024, lo que convirtió al año en el mejor de la historia del sistema; sin embargo, para 2026 se anticipó un escenario de mayor volatilidad que impediría repetir esos resultados, advirtió Gerardo López Jiménez, experto en pensiones. De acuerdo con cifras de la Comisión Nacional del Sistema de Ahorro para el Retiro (Consar), en diciembre de 2025 el SAR reportó plusvalías por MXN$...

Chile. Las AFP que lograron la mejor rentabilidad en los fondos de pensiones en 2025

El 2025 fue un extraordinario año para los mercados accionarios globales. También eso ocurrió a nivel local, donde el Ipsa reportó su mejor año en más de tres décadas: el principal índice bursátil de Chile cerró en 10.481 puntos, un salto de 56,81% en 2025, su mejor desempeño anual desde 1993 (68,73%). Bajo este escenario, las AFP también obtuvieron positivos resultados en los fondos de pensiones, pues rentaron a tasas de dos dígitos en casi todos los multifondos, consiguiendo su...

Colombia. Estos son los efectos que tendrá el decreto de pensiones en las rentas vitalicias y el seguro previsional

Sigue la polémica en el país por la decisión del Gobierno nacional de modificar el mecanismo que regula el ajuste de las pensiones en el sistema privado de pensiones por incremento del salario mínimo, asignando mayores responsabilidades financieras a las aseguradoras. Y es que el nuevo decreto implica que el Estado ya no asumirá completamente el denominado “componente político” en el aumento del salario mínimo, lo que exige más capital a quienes buscan adquirir una renta vitalicia y encarecerá los...

UK. Pensions administration to become ‘core’ governance function by 2030

Pensions administration is set to move from a back-office operation to a core element of scheme governance by the end of the decade, driven by regulatory pressure, technological change, and heightened risk awareness, LCP has predicted. Writing in a blog post, LCP senior consultant, Ella Holloway, said the revised administration guidance from The Pensions Regulator (TPR) had clarified expectations for trustees and signalled a shift in how administration should be viewed, placing it firmly at the centre of effective governance rather than...

Crypto and retirement: Why seniors are taking an interest in digital assets

Despite its unique volatility, cryptocurrency has recently expanded beyond blockchain exchanges. Now, cryptocurrency prices have found a place in exchange-traded funds (ETFs), investment portfolios, and perhaps most notably, retirement funds. Drawn by returns, accessibility, and diversification, Australians have begun to explore the potential of crypto as a supplement to traditional retirement strategies. Why would cryptocurrency prices appeal to retirees? Typically, retirees in Australia and around the world place an emphasis on assurances and stability. However, as the global financial market faces uncertainty and...