June 2025

Hong Kong’s gig economy workers want industry regulated. Can city deliver?

Hong Kong food delivery rider John Lam* cannot afford to make a single mistake while working. The 40-year-old takes extreme care while delivering orders on his motorcycle, knowing that if he has a work-related accident he will receive few employment benefits and minimal compensation. “I understand that being highly responsive to my phone can lead to more orders. But for safety reasons, I only handle my phone when my vehicle has completely stopped,” said Lam, who delivers food for the city’s...

​Danish architects’ pension fund to push climate agenda harder at Sampension

The new chair of the Danish architects’ pension fund has vowed to work harder for climate and biodiversity in the political sphere and within the pension fund’s partnership with Sampension – especially now that switching to another provider seems less likely. Pensionskassen Arkitekter & Designere (PAD) announced on Wednesday that its board had constituted architect Rikke Rohr as the new chair, taking over from Mads Gudmand-Høyer, after she was elected by the fund’s members, with Kenneth Winther – appointed by...

Boomers Aren’t Planning for a 30+ Year Retirement: 3 Reasons This Is a Mistake

The average number of years spent in retirement continues to grow, but many boomers aren’t planning to spend several decades in retirement. According to TIAA Institute’s “Retired for How Long?” report, most boomers (57%) plan to retire between ages 60 and 69 and nearly half (46%) believe they will live to age 90 or older. That means a significant portion of boomers will spend 30-plus years in retirement. Yet, only 9% are planning to spend that long in retirement. You Can Run Out of...

Nepal. Social Security Fund: Over 2,000 claim health services daily

The government has introduced a new policy requiring companies to be affiliated with the Social Security Fund (SSF) in order to renew their registrations. However, the Fund’s regular programs have not yet succeeded in attracting a large number of employers and workers. This provision has been included in the government’s policy and program presented in Parliament for the upcoming fiscal year. To date, around 20,700 employers and nearly 2.3 million contributors have enrolled in the Social Security Fund. Yet, according to...

UK households told to ‘hoard physical cash’ as millions rush to act

UK households have received an advisory to 'hoard physical cash' amidst economic uncertainty and concerns about outages, with Brits taking action in response to worldwide instability. The Bank of England's chief cashier has observed that families are creating emergency cash reserves as they did during past crises related to Covid and living costs. On Tuesday, Victoria Cleland highlighted the trend of UK households amassing a cash contingency pot, noting the substantial rise in banknotes circulating in recent months. "At a time...

Half of DB Sponsors Plan to Stay in the ‘Pension Ecosystem’

Fewer defined benefit plan sponsors are considering terminating their pension funds as other risk management strategies such as plan design changes or limited risk transfers appear more attractive. Fully half of plan sponsors do not intend to terminate their DB plans, up from 36.7% in 2023 and 28.3% in 2021, according to Mercer’s 2025 CFO Survey, shared in a webinar on Wednesday. The survey is based on responses from 173 chief financial officers and senior finance executives. “A lot of the plans...

Brazil and Mexico draw inflows as investors rotate from China, India, and Russia

Latin American equities have become the top-performing stock market group this year, with investors paying just over $9 for every $1 in earnings—compared to over $19 in developed markets—according to Reuters. Brazil and Mexico have emerged as central markets for global investors seeking yield, value, and diversification amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and a shifting global macroeconomic landscape. Both countries’ stock markets are trading near record highs, with valuations described as low. Sovereign bonds across the region offer attractive yields, supported by softening...

UK’s DB schemes remain in ‘robust shape’, PPF 7800 shows

The Pension Protection Fund's (PPF) 7800 Index for May painted a broadly positive picture of defined benefit (DB) schemes, as the aggregate surplus of the 4,969 schemes in the PPF 7800 Index increased by £18.6bn, rising from £202.5bn to £221.1bn. The index showed a 2.8 percentage point increase in the funding ratio, reaching 125.6 per cent, while just over seven in 10 (71.8 per cent) of all schemes were in surplus, or 3,569 in total. Commenting on the report, PPF chief...

US. LA Pension Fund Commits $75M to 3 Funds

The $23 billion Los Angeles City Employees’ Retirement System has committed $75 million to three funds within its private equity, credit and real estate portfolios. The biggest of the three investments was a commitment of up to $40 million in the Hg Saturn 4 A L.P. private equity fund. The fund will target European-based large-cap software and tech firms that have enterprise values of at least $1.5 billion and equity valuations of more than $700 million. The fund will invest in the companies...

Energy firm CEO Appointed to Ghana’s National Planning and Pension Boards

Michael Bozumbil, Chief Executive Officer of indigenous energy firm PETROSOL, will represent Ghanaian employers on two critical national institutions following his appointment by the Ghana Employers Association. Bozumbil was sworn in as a Commissioner of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) by President John Mahama and simultaneously appointed to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) Board of Trustees by Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson. The PETROSOL leader, who currently serves as First Vice President of the Ghana Employers Association,...