News Archives - Page 2 of 949 - Pension Policy International

19JunJune 19, 2026

South Africa. Government invested R18 billion in pension funds in 23 companies and lost 100% of its money

The Public Investment Corporation’s (PIC) Isibaya Fund invested more than R18.2 billion in 23 companies, which ultimately recorded an internal rate of return (IRR) of -100%, meaning the investments lost all their value. The losses came to light through a parliamentary reply to questions from DA MP Andrew Bateman to the Minister of Finance regarding the PIC’s unlisted investment portfolio. The PIC is South Africa’s state-owned asset manager and invests money on behalf of public sector clients, including the Government Employees Pension Fund...

June 19, 2026

NewsInvestment, Pension Management

19JunJune 19, 2026

Côte d’Ivoire Expands Social Protection Coverage for Informal Workers

Côte d’Ivoire has expanded access to health insurance, pensions and social benefits for informal workers, a group that accounts for more than 92% of total employment. The government estimates that 1.6 million informal workers are now eligible for retirement pensions through the Social Scheme for Independent Workers (RSTI). Authorities enrolled more than 23 million people in the Universal Health Coverage (CMU) system by December 2025, but participation and benefit utilization rates remain low. The Ivorian government has taken another...

June 19, 2026

NewsCote D'Ivoire, Social Protection

18JunJune 18, 2026

Vanguard’s alarming state of retirement in 2026: The average American has $167,970 in their account—or they have $44,115

For 25 years, Vanguard has been keeping score on the great American retirement experiment. Every year, it publishes the most comprehensive snapshot in the industry of how workers save, how much they accumulate, and whether any of it will be enough. The 2026 edition is out. Spoiler: It depends on which number you’re looking at. The number Vanguard leads with is $167,970—the average 401(k) balance across nearly 5 million accounts the firm administered at year-end 2025. That’s a record high, up 13% from...

June 18, 2026

NewsAdequacy, savings, US

18JunJune 18, 2026

South Korea. Pension Savings Balances Near 200 Trillion Won

Last year, driven by a bullish stock market, pension savings balances neared 200 trillion Korean won, with annual returns exceeding 10%. Notably, annual returns for pension savings funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) approached 30%. Pension savings are voluntary products individuals join in addition to the National Pension and retirement pensions. On the 18th, the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service announced in the "2025 South Korean Pension Savings Investment White Paper" that last year’s accumulated pension savings balance...

June 18, 2026

Newssavings, South Korea

18JunJune 18, 2026

Nigeria. Over 92% of personal pension savings accounts remain unfunded

Amidst efforts by the National Pension Commission, PenCom, to include informal sector workers in the pension scheme, the Personal Pension Plan, PPP, which caters to the informal sector, has remained stagnant. While the PPP has 215,412 registered Retirement Savings Accounts, RSAs, only 17,320 of these RSAs, which represents 8.0 per cent, have received contributions. The remaining 198,092 RSAs, which represent 92.0 per cent, are dormant. PenCom, in its fourth quarter 2025 report stated that registrations are not savings and registration without funding...

June 18, 2026

NewsInformal Sector, Nigeria, savings

18JunJune 18, 2026

South Korea. Robotics ETFs Draw 3 Trillion Won as ‘100-Year Growth’ Sector Rises

“Pension investors, just memorize this. These are the ETFs that will make you smile in the end if you consistently accumulate them: U.S. representative index ETFs, robotics and automation ETFs, and monthly dividend ETFs. Most pension investments end within these categories.” This is the investment advice gaining attention in pre-retiree communities these days. The so-called “pension trio” strategy positions U.S. representative index ETFs as a solid foundation, supplemented by robotics ETFs targeting growth potential and monthly dividend ETFs that provide...

June 18, 2026

NewsInvestment, South Korea, Technology

17JunJune 17, 2026

British pensions giant reducing US exposure over tech risks

Britain's biggest pension asset owner, the Border to Coast Pensions Partnership (B2C), is reducing its allocation to U.S. ‌assets by up to 10% due to concerns about overexposure to a small number of Silicon Valley giants, an executive at the fund said on Tuesday. B2C, which oversees around £120 billion ($161 billion) worth of local government pension assets globally, is shifting its weighting by about 5%-10% from investments in the U.S. to Europe and Asia, its chief investment officer, Joe...

June 17, 2026

NewsInvestment, UK

17JunJune 17, 2026

US. Retirement savings set record high — but so do hardship withdrawals: Vanguard

There's some good news and some not-so-good news on the retirement front from Vanguard. Americans set aside a record amount of money in their 401(k) accounts last year, according to Vanguard's "How America Saves 2026" report. But while savings rates are up, so are the number of Americans tapping their 401(k) for emergencies. Vanguard said 6% of participants made a hardship withdrawal in 2025, the largest share ever and up from 5% in 2024. "Pressures such as inflation and rising interest rates contribute...

June 17, 2026

Newssavings, US, Withdrawals

17JunJune 17, 2026

UK to review pension transfer rules after unusual deal

Britain will review defined benefit pension transfer rules after a novel deal saw an ‌asset manager take on a scheme's assets and liabilities in an unanticipated use of existing legislation, a government minister said on Tuesday. Torsten ⁠Bell, a junior minister in the finance and pensions departments, said the deal used a flexible apportionment arrangement – a mechanism introduced in 2012 to allow pension liabilities to be reassigned during corporate restructurings without triggering ‌employer ⁠insolvency. Bell said the asset manager used...

June 17, 2026

NewsRegulation, UK

17JunJune 17, 2026

New Study Finds the Ideal Amount of Strength Training for a Longer and Healthier Life

Strength training is increasingly linked to longevity, with fitness research suggesting that a moderate weekly amount can deliver meaningful health benefits. A long-term study of more than 147,000 adults found that 90 to 120 minutes of resistance training per week was associated with lower mortality risk, especially for cardiovascular and neurological diseases. The findings also highlight the importance of balance in fitness routines. While strength training alone showed clear benefits, the strongest results came from combining it with regular aerobic exercise....

June 17, 2026

NewsHealth, Longevity

June 2026