December 2025

South Korea names former lawmaker Kim Sung-joo to lead NPS

South Korea has appointed Kim Sung-joo, a former lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Party and a long-time health policy specialist, as chairman and chief executive of the National Pension Service. The decision hands Kim a second term at the helm of the world’s third-largest pension fund during a pivotal phase for the country’s retirement system. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Friday that Kim, 61, will begin a three-year term on Dec. 15 after receiving presidential approval, replacing current chairman Kim...

India. NPS can now invest in gold, silver ETFs: National Pension System to be more rewardee as it is now allowed to invest in these funds, Nifty 250 index

In a major update, the pension body has allowed NPS, UPS and APY schemes to invest in silver and gold ETFs as well as the Nifty 250 index. Not just that, they can now also invest in Alternative Investment Funds (Category I and II). These updates were revealed in a master circular on investment guidelines for Unified Pension Scheme/National Pension System/Atal Pension Yojana schemes pertaining to central/ state government (default), corporate CG, NPS Lite, Atal Pension Yojana and APY Fund Scheme options. The master...

US. Major labor union warns new bill could put retirement savings at risk

The fight over how the U.S. should regulate digital assets escalated this week after one of the country’s largest labor unions warned Congress that a new crypto bill could put retirement savings at risk. At the same time, Wall Street is beginning to experiment with tokenized stocks, the very scenario unions say the legislation fails to control. Tokenized stocks are digital versions of real company shares that live on a blockchain but still represent the same ownership and rights as traditional...

Brazil. The pension deficit is no longer a distant issue but is now a national concern, raising the question that will define the future of a generation: will it still be possible to retire?

Pension system pressured by growing deficit, demographic changes and uncertainties about future payment capacity. The situation of the Brazilian social security system is no longer addressed solely in technical reports; it has become a key point in public debate, precisely because official data shows that the system operates under continuous structural pressure. With each new release, the perception grows that demographic, financial, and administrative challenges are accumulating rapidly. Furthermore, experts say that the pressure tends to intensify, as the country ages...

UK. Trustees need flexibility to make pension investments matter for long term

Politics can struggle to look past the next week. Fortunately, others must. Take pension funds, for example. Today’s youngest pension savers will retire into the world in 2070. What’s that world going to look like? Capital shapes the world around us. It finances our homes, our jobs, and the goods we consume. And UK pension funds sit on a lot of this capital; £2.5tn in total, equivalent to the size of the entire UK stock market or the annual GDP...

Australia. Foreign pension giants sour on banks over green issues

Overseas pension funds managing hundreds of billions of dollars have thrown their support behind shareholder resolutions from environmental groups pushing for changes from Westpac and National Australia Bank at their annual meetings this week. Westpac’s fossil fuel lending is likely to be a key topic of discussion at the bank’s annual meeting in Sydney on Thursday, after environmental group Market Forces put forward a resolution that it says would require the bank to prove how its fossil fuel financing, including...

US Workforce Is Aging Fastest in These Industries

The U.S. workforce is aging, and workers who are 55 or older have been the fastest-growing age group in the labor force for more than two decades, according to new research by the U.S. Census Bureau. Those aged 55 or older made up almost a quarter (24 percent) of the U.S. workforce in 2022, which was up from 10 percent in 1994. The data also revealed which industries have greater concentrations of older workers than others. Why It Matters There is growing concern about America's...

Dignity in Retirement: A Call for Pension Justice in Ghana

In Ghana today, pensioners face indignity in retirement: no cost-of-living allowance, no inflation-indexed increases, and shrinking benefits that erode their livelihoods. Meanwhile, executives enjoy perks while elders struggle to survive. This injustice demands urgent reform. To restore dignity and align with international social security standards, Act 766 must be amended without delay. Pension justice is not charity — it is a right, and Ghana must rise to meet it. The Crisis of Pensioner Welfare Retirement should be a season of dignity,...

US. AIC President in Fortune: “Private equity is an essential part of solving our country’s retirement crisis”

Yesterday, Fortune published an op-ed by Will Dunham, President and CEO of the American Investment Council, highlighting how expanding Americans’ access to private markets through their 401(k)s can play a key role in solving the retirement crisis. The op-ed cites data from a new AIC report showing that private equity has delivered stronger returns compared to public markets and other asset classes over 5-, 10-, 15-, and 20-year time horizons, even when accounting for fees. Some key takeaways from Will’s op-ed are outlined below: Read...

Bulgaria: Over 2 Million Retirees to See Pension Increase in 2026

Pension insurance contributions will not increase in 2026, while pensions themselves will be updated from 1 July under the Swiss indexation formula, resulting in an expected rise of 7–8%. These measures are part of the revised 2026 State Social Security (SSS) budget, approved at first reading by the parliamentary budget committee. Minimum Wage Set at €620.20 From 1 January 2026, the national minimum wage will be €620.20. The minimum insurance threshold for self-employed persons will match this amount, also rising to €620.20. The maximum insurance income will be €2300, a slight decrease compared to the earlier draft...