December 2025
18Dec

UK. Looking ahead: What to expect for the pensions industry in 2026

The Pension Schemes Bill is expected to receive Royal Assent in 2026. The bill will significantly change the current defined contribution (DC) landscape, with the requirement for most multi-employer DC auto-enrolment master trusts and pension schemes to have at least one “main scale default arrangement”. These must have at least £25bn of “qualifying” assets under a common investment strategy by 2030 to continue. Other DC measures include a new value for money framework as of 2028, a “guided retirement” or...

December 18, 2025
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18Dec

Germany. Bundestag Passes Second Act Strengthening Company Pensions

The aim of the BRSG II is the necessary expansion of company pension schemes in Germany and it contains important new regulations. The Act will come into force in several stages from 1 January 2026. The most important points are summarised here. Following lengthy deliberations, which were also delayed by the new Bundestag elections, the Bundestag passed the BRSG II on 5 December. In particular, the Act includes options for introducing opting-out systems at company level, higher settlement caps for...

December 18, 2025
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18Dec

US. Research Finds Slowdown in Spending During Retirement

Retirement spending is dynamic, with 60% of new retirees seeing their annual expenses fluctuate by more than 20% in the first three years, according to the J.P. Morgan Asset Management report, “Retirement by the Numbers.” “This means that compared to periods just before retirement, they see a 20% jump—up or down—in their annual spending compared to that baseline right before they retire,” Michael Conrath, J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s chief retirement strategist wrote in an email. Older retirees, aged 75 to 80,...

December 18, 2025
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18Dec

8 ways countries with aging populations are reshaping the economy

Across many advanced economies, falling birth rates and rising life expectancy are reshaping labor markets, public finances, and growth assumptions faster than policymakers expected. What once unfolded over generations is now compressing into decades, leaving less time to adapt. The economic consequences are structural. Smaller working-age populations limit output and strain employers. Larger retiree populations increase spending on pensions and healthcare. Tax bases narrow just as public costs rise. These forces interact, reinforcing slower growth rather than canceling each other...

December 18, 2025
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18Dec

Pension discussions with family and friends remain rare

Just a third (33 per cent) of people have spoken to their family about pensions in the last year, research from Standard Life has revealed, as engagement with pension savings remains low. The research showed that this was far lower than the proportion of people discussing household bills (48 per cent) or inflation (41 per cent), highlighting how long-term financial planning is still something many households shy away from. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Standard Life found that there are significant generational differences when...

December 18, 2025
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17Dec

French MPs adopt social security budget, suspend pension reform

French lawmakers on Tuesday, December 16, adopted a social security budget, which includes the suspension of an unpopular pension reform, as Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu races to finalize a 2026 spending plan by year-end. The Assemblée Nationale approved the measure by 247 votes to 232, the first of two budget bills needed to pass before the December 31 deadline. The version of the bill lawmakers approved includes the suspension of a 2023 reform to raise the retirement age from 62...

December 17, 2025
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17Dec

US. New House Bill Revives Push for Automatic Retirement Accounts for Uncovered Workers

Representative Richard Neal D-Massachusetts reintroduced a bill Monday that would mandate employers with 10 or more workers to automatically enroll employees in individual retirement accounts, unless the company already provides a retirement plan. Neal, the ranking member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, said in a statement that the bill would create a retirement savings option for gig workers and other independent contractors who do not have access to defined contribution retirement accounts. “Automatic IRAs are simple and effective, and they have...

December 17, 2025
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17Dec

UK. Trust-based pension schemes: Trustees and governance, building a stronger future

The pensions landscape is changing. The transition from Defined Benefit (DB) to Defined Contribution (DC) is well underway. The DC market itself is transitioning to a more mature structure, characterised by bigger schemes. Change is also being accelerated by the Pension Schemes Bill currently before Parliament. Amidst this change, one thing remains constant: the importance of good governance, with schemes overseen by trustees that have not only the skills and knowledge to navigate the changes to come, but also members best interests consistently front of mind. This consultation...

December 17, 2025
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17Dec

Dutch Pension Shift Obsessing Bond Traders Is About to Get Real

In the European market for long-term bonds, a once-loyal and deep pocketed customer is about to start shopping elsewhere. The €1.6 trillion ($1.9 trillion) Dutch pension system — the largest in the region — is undergoing a major transformation aimed at making it more sustainable for an aging population. Funds will invest more in riskier assets and less in bonds, with a big drop in demand expected for long-term interest-rate hedges. The big start of the shift, years in the planning,...

December 17, 2025
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17Dec

The Pension Fund of Uzbekistan and the ILO join forces to develop the work injury insurance system

As part of the Global Accelerator project in Uzbekistan aimed at employment formalization, representatives of the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction, the Off-budget Pension Fund, the National Agency for Social Protection, and ILO specialists reviewed the current work injury insurance system and discussed the need for legislative amendments, at a meeting on 28 November 2026. The parties committed to facilitating an informed dialogue to strengthen protection for all workers, with the goal of preparing proposals in 2026. This decision...

December 17, 2025
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