May 2025
30May

Real estate welcomes renewed government commitment to pensions ‘megafunds’

The government has fleshed out its plans to double the number of "pension megafunds" alongside reforms expected to have a major impact on real estate and infrastructure investment in the UK. The government has published its Pensions Investment Review – Final Report and its response to the Options for Defined Benefit schemes consultation, setting out what will be addressed in legislation, in particular, the Pensions Scheme Bill due later this year. Announcing the publications the Treasury said reforms to be introduced through...

May 30, 2025
News,
Read more...
30May

Younger Americans Rewriting Rules of Retirement

A majority (55%) of Americans believe that receiving professional financial advice between the ages of 25 and 39 is highly important or even critical for achieving long-term financial stability. The encouraging news is that members of Generation Z and Millennials are not only recognizing this need, but responding to it, according to the Northwestern Mutual 2025 Planning & Progress Study, which surveyed 4,626 U.S. adults aged at least 18 from January 2 through January 19. Of those surveyed, 81% of Gen...

May 30, 2025
News,
Read more...
29May

UK. Reeves outlines plan for £25bn pension ‘megafunds’

The government has fleshed out its plans for reforming the UK pension industry, including the creation of £25bn "megafunds" which will be instructed to make a portion of their investments locally to help fuel economic growth. The chancellor said the overhaul, designed to follow the example of Australia and Canada's huge pension investment funds, would also boost people's pension pots. "These reforms mean better returns for workers and billions more invested in clean energy and high-growth businesses," Rachel Reeves said. Read also:...

May 29, 2025
News,
Read more...
29May

US. PensionBee Launches SEP IRAs To Include Non-Traditional Retirement Savers

PensionBee, a leading online retirement provider, announced today the launch of Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) IRAs in its digital platform. This offering provides a best-in-class retirement solution designed for self-employed individuals. Self-employed Americans consistently report lower levels of retirement preparedness. Only about 13% of self-employed individuals in single-person businesses participate in retirement plans, compared to nearly 72% of traditional employees. The launch comes at a critical time as the gig economy continues its rapid expansion. By 2025, gig workers are expected...

May 29, 2025
News, ,
Read more...
29May

EU. Hundreds of ESG funds renamed as ESMA guidelines kick in

Nearly 700 investment funds have had their names changed to avoid falling foul of new sustainability rules from the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). NGOs Finanzwende, Urgewald and Facing Finance have found that 674 funds were rebranded to stay on the right side of the EU supervisor’s fund-naming guidelines, which came into force fully last week. The rules require funds that use language associated with six themes (transition, environment, social, governance, impact and sustainability) to invest at least 80% of their...

May 29, 2025
News, ,
Read more...
29May

​Germany. Aon recommends halt in US investments as capital shifts to safer havens

Aon is recommending German corporate pension funds to refrain from making new investments in the US, and carefully rebalance allocations as capital moves to safer havens. Volatility on the equity markets, particularly in the US, continues, and it is likely to result in capital shifts to safe havens such as Europe and Japan, and possibly Canada and Australia, the consultancy wrote in a blog (published in German) to highlight the impact of capital market turbulences on occupational pensions in Germany. Companies offering funded...

May 29, 2025
News, ,
Read more...
28May

UK Government to make getting full State Pension simpler with specific changes

The Check Your State Pension forecast service aids those wishing to make voluntary National Insurance contributions to fill gaps in their National Insurance record, and Treasury Minister James Murray has confirmed that changes will enhance the service. In a written statement to Parliament, he recently detailed a series of new simplified measures and updated guidance for the self-employed, those paying the High Income Child Benefit Charge, and anyone who wishes to maximise their State Pension by purchasing voluntary National Insurance Contributions. "The government also intends to further...

May 28, 2025
News,
Read more...
28May

U.S. money managers put on notice by $65 billion Dutch investor

Dutch pension fund PME is issuing a blanket warning to U.S. money managers, amid concerns America’s investment industry is caving in to pressure from the Trump administration to abandon basic principles of stewardship. They “aren’t condemning what Trump is doing and how he is operating and how he is handling issues like climate change and demolishing the judiciary,” Daan Spaargaren, senior strategist for responsible investing, said in an interview. “We are worried about that.” Read also: Hong Kong regulator prods pension...

May 28, 2025
News,
Read more...
28May

Hong Kong regulator prods pension funds on US rating downgrade implications

Hong Kong's pensions regulator has told the city's pension funds they may need to adjust their investment portfolios to reflect the impact of a downgrade to the U.S. sovereign credit rating, according to a statement. Ratings agency Moody's cut America's pristine sovereign credit rating by one notch earlier this month, the last of the major ratings agencies to downgrade the country, citing concerns about the nation's growing $36 trillion debt pile. Pension funds regulated by Hong Kong's Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) Schemes...

May 28, 2025
News, ,
Read more...
28May

Has baby bust bottomed out? S. Korea sees 7% rebound in births in Q1

For the first time in years, South Korea is seeing signs of a turnaround in its record-low birth rate. According to new data released by Statistics Korea on Wednesday, the number of babies born in the first quarter of 2025 rose by 7.3 percent compared to the same period last year. That makes it the highest first-quarter increase recorded since the agency began tracking the figure in 1981. From January to March, 65,022 babies were born, up from 60,571 a year...

May 28, 2025
News,
Read more...