March 2026
03Mar

Markets Brief: For Iran War Impact on Oil and Other Markets, Longevity and Strait of Hormuz Are Key

With the attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran, and Iran’s retaliatory strikes, investors are once again having to navigate a wave of geopolitical uncertainty. Beyond the human toll of the war, for now all eyes in the markets are on oil prices, and more specifically on the Strait of Hormuz. “The main transmission channel of the Iran crisis to the global economy and macro markets is its impact on energy markets, with the combination of severity and expected...

March 3, 2026
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03Mar

Is Kenya ready for Financial Services Regulators Consolidation

Kenya’s financial sector has evolved far beyond the regulatory architecture originally designed to supervise it. What was once a neatly segmented ecosystem where banks are regulated by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), capital markets by the Capital Markets Authority (CMA), insurance by the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA), retirement benefits by the Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA), and deposit-taking Saccos by the Sacco Societies Regulatory Authority (SASRA), has transformed into an interconnected web of financial conglomerates offering multiple products across sectors...

March 3, 2026
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03Mar

Reform unlocks China’s sil­ver dividend

In a tech­no­logy park in Shang­hai’s Xuhui dis­trict, 58-year-old Zhang Wei is fine-tun­ing a drone used for agri­cul­tural inspec­tion. With 35 years of exper­i­ence as an air­craft mech­anic, he remains one of the most reli­able tech­ni­cians in the fact­ory. Under China’s pre­vi­ous retire­ment frame­work, however, Zhang would soon be expec­ted to step aside, begin draw­ing a pen­sion and leave the work­force. But Zhang is not ready to hang up his boots. “This is when exper­i­ence mat­ters most,” he says. “If...

March 3, 2026
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02Mar

Japan’s births hit record low for 10th year as demographic crisis outpaces government forecasts

Japan’s demographic crisis accelerated to a historic velocity last year as the number of births fell for the 10th consecutive year, reaching a record low that threatens the structural integrity of the nation’s social security framework. Data released Thursday by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare revealed that births in 2025 declined 2.1% from the previous year to 705,809. This figure, which includes foreign nationals residing in Japan, represents the lowest level since record-keeping began in 1899 and marks...

March 2, 2026
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02Mar

Japan public pensions let domestic bond holdings slide as yields rise

Organizations managing public pension funds in Japan are keeping a smaller share of their assets in Japanese bonds, steering clear of buying in a trend that could add to the upward pressure on yields. The Federation of National Public Service Personnel Mutual Aid Associations had 19% of its holdings in domestic bonds at the end of 2025, well below its standard allocation of 25%. The organization has around 12 trillion yen ($76.8 billion) in assets under management. Similar, albeit smaller, declines...

March 2, 2026
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02Mar

US. Indiana prepares to put bitcoin in its public retirement plans

Indiana lawmakers approved a bill allowing public retirement and savings plans to invest in digital assets and spot crypto ETFs, with Gov. Mike Braun expected to sign it soon. The move places Indiana among at least 21 states that are investing in or evaluating bitcoin and other digital assets for public funds, in line with the President of the US push to expand crypto holdings in the country. In a separate measure, Indiana legislators voted to ban crypto ATMs statewide after...

March 2, 2026
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02Mar

Voluntary pensions are launched in Moldova

This event launches the private pension savings market, which was previously virtually non-existent in the country, despite a number of previous unsuccessful attempts to introduce voluntary pensions in Moldova. With the appearance of the first private pension fund, citizens have the opportunity to save for their old age on their own, in addition to the state pension. Contributions are exempt from taxation and will be capitalized to generate additional income in the future. Until now, Moldova’s pension system relied solely on...

March 2, 2026
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02Mar

Europe must close the rights gap for migrants and asylum seekers with disabilities

Migrants and asylum seekers with disabilities continue to face systemic exclusion from protection, support, and integration systems across the European Union, despite the EU’s human rights obligations. In response, IRAP and EDF have jointly launched a new policy brief, “A Pact That Excludes: Closing the Protection Gap for Migrants and Asylum Seekers with Disabilities in the European Union,” showing that EU migration and asylum systems remain largely inaccessible and discriminatory for people with disabilities. This briefing analyses the EU Pact on Migration and...

March 2, 2026
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February 2026
27Feb

Japan public pensions let domestic bond holdings slide as yields rise

Organizations managing public pension funds in Japan are keeping a smaller share of their assets in Japanese bonds, steering clear of buying in a trend that could add to the upward pressure on yields. The Federation of National Public Service Personnel Mutual Aid Associations had 19% of its holdings in domestic bonds at the end of 2025, well below its standard allocation of 25%. The organization has around 12 trillion yen ($76.8 billion) in assets under management. Similar, albeit smaller, declines...

February 27, 2026
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27Feb

UK. Reform’s pension plan could backfire and lead to higher council tax bills, experts warn

Reform’s flagship plans to force multibillion pound local government pension funds to invest in the UK risks backfiring and pushing up council tax bills, experts have warned. Nigel Farage’s party wants to merge the schemes to create a single British Sovereign Wealth Fund of up to £575bn. Richard Tice, the party’s business spokesman, set out a vision of a “fund patriotically backing British companies, buying and promoting British product… (with a) strategic UK growth mandate backing Britain all the way.” Across England and Wales...

February 27, 2026
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