News Archives - Page 326 of 954 - Pension Policy International

17AprApril 17, 2023

UK. Should pensions tax relief be used to fund care costs?

Getting more people into work and keeping them there for longer was a thread that ran throughout last month’s Spring Budget. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt focused on childcare, state benefit reform and elements of the pensions tax relief system, such as the abolition of the lifetime allowance (LTA). But there was nothing more to add on the funding of social care. Last year’s Autumn Statement, which confirmed the proposed £86,000 cap on social care costs in England would be delayed by...

April 17, 2023

NewsHealth, Taxation, UK

14AprApril 14, 2023

Constitutional Council approves Macron’s controversial French pension reform

The Constitutional Court, the country’s highest authority on constitutional matters, on Friday handed down its ruling on whether the pension reform – which among other things raises the pension age from 62 to 64 – was constitutional. As there is no appeal against court decisions, a refusal would have been a crushing blow for Macron’s government – but the court announced on Friday evening that the major parts of the reform were approved. The court also rejected a request for a...

April 14, 2023

NewsFrance, Pension Reform, Retirement Age

14AprApril 14, 2023

UK. TPR authorises first CDC pension scheme

The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has authorised the UK’s first collective defined contribution (CDC) pension scheme. CDC schemes provide an alternative to traditional defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution (DC) pension schemes and see member and employer contributions pooled in a collective fund from which an aspired to pension income for life is drawn. The pooling of longevity and investment risks makes CDC schemes more resilient to market shocks. Yesterday (April 13), the regulator published a list of authorised CDC schemes on its...

April 14, 2023

NewsCDC, Regulation, UK

14AprApril 14, 2023

Why An Aging Population Might Not Doom The American Economy

The American economy is booming and robust. Just look at the chart below, which shows that the overall unemployment rate — the share of people within the labor force who are without work but are looking for it — is lower than it’s been in more than 50 years: But wait! Americans just don’t want to work like they used to. As you can see in the following chart, the labor force participation rate — the share of all Americans...

April 14, 2023

NewsAging, US

14AprApril 14, 2023

Dutch pension group warns proposal on derivatives could hurt pension funds’ returns

A Dutch pension federation, which represents pension funds with a combined a €1.4 trillion ($1.5 trillion) in assets warned that the latest European proposal on central clearing of derivatives could lead to lower investment returns. Under the latest proposal to amend the European Market Infrastructure Regulation, the European Commission wants market participants to have an active account with a central counterparty, or CCP, inside of the European Union and wants to define a minimum share of transactions that would have...

April 14, 2023

NewsInvestment, Netherlands

14AprApril 14, 2023

Swedish retirees demand fairer pensions for women

"Old ladies need more money!" a group of grey-haired women chants in front of Sweden's parliament, as their recurring protest against the country's pension system enters its 10th year. During the warmer months, members of the red-hatted "Tantpatrullen" (The Old Lady Patrol) gather every Thursday on the cobble streets of Stockholm's Old Town, right across from Sweden's parliament. They have just begun their 2023 protest season. In a country that prides itself on being a champion of feminism and gender equality,...

April 14, 2023

NewsAdequacy, Sweden

13AprApril 13, 2023

UK. Government body calls on London pension fund to divest fossil fuel holdings

Transport for London Pension Fund, London, should divest its holdings in fossil fuel companies and develop an annual report on performance against net-zero targets, according to calls by a London governmental body. The Greater London Authority committee, which oversees the London Pensions Fund Authority and TfL Pension Fund, launched an investigation as part of a review into its pension funds' investments and costs. The pension funds had about £22 billion ($27.1 billion) in combined assets as of March 31, 2022. In...

April 13, 2023

NewsClimate crisis, ESG, Investment, UK

13AprApril 13, 2023

South Africa: Grandparents Spend Their Pensions to Feed Entire Families as Food Crisis Hits Hard in Eastern Cape

As Eastern Cape communities are hit by spiralling food inflation and unemployment rates of 42.4%, the province's elderly residents are using their state pensions to look after families in crisis and often have to rely on loans in the last weeks of the month. In Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, pensioners are selling scrap metal for food as whole families rely on their grants to survive and the cost of food often leaves their cupboards bare before the end of...

April 13, 2023

NewsIncome, Poverty, South Africa

13AprApril 13, 2023

Bank of Korea, pension service seal $35 billion FX swap deal to help ease pressure on won

South Korea's central bank on Thursday agreed a deal with the National Pension Service that allows the latter to secure up to $35 billion in funds outside the standard foreign exchange market, a move offering support to the beleaguered Korean won. The move comes in the wake of the won weakening more than 8 per cent versus the dollar in just two months, hit by a ballooning trade deficit and a fresh wave of risk aversion in global markets. The won...

April 13, 2023

NewsPension Management, Polirical Economy, South Korea

13AprApril 13, 2023

New protests in France over Macron plan to raise pension age

Protesters opposing President Emmanuel Macron’s unpopular plan to raise the retirement age to 64 marched Thursday in cities and towns around France, in a final show of anger before a decision on whether the measure meets constitutional standards. Hours before the Paris march got underway, protesters piled bags of garbage in front of the Constitutional Council, which is expected to decide Friday whether to nix any or all parts of the legislation. The trash piles were cleaned up but signaled the...

April 13, 2023

NewsFrance, Pension Reform

April 2023