July 2022

Over 2,000 Retired Nigerian Workers Were Cut Off from Monthly Pension

Some Nigerian workers will have to live by what they have saved as their pension account failed to meet the regulatory standard The number of workers according to the National Pension Commission is over 2,000 from both the public and private There are currently over 9.67 million pension accounts in the country with a pension fund value at N34.11 trillion More than 2,084 retirees who can no longer receive monthly pension payments and who left the Contributory Pension Scheme in the first...

Canadian defined benefit pension plans’ financial health steady in Q2 2022: Aon

Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, announced today that the aggregate funded ratio for Canadian pension plans in the S&P/TSX Composite Index increased from 100.5 to 101.5 percent during the past three months, according to the Aon Pension Risk Tracker. It was at 96.9 percent at the beginning of the year. The Aon Pension Risk Tracker calculates the aggregate funded position on an accounting basis for companies in the S&P/TSX Composite Index with defined benefit (DB)...

UK. DB pension surplus reached record high in June

The aggregate defined benefit (DB) pension scheme surplus in the UK increased by £60bn to £250bn in June, according to the PwC Pension Trustee Funding Index, marking the highest surplus recorded since the launch of the index in 2015. The index showed that whilst asset values fell over the month amid market volatility, this was more than offset by a larger fall in liabilities, as long-term bond yields continued to rise. Liabilities fell by £110bn to £1,340bn, while asset values declined...

Africa insurers urged to focus more on climate change

Africa’s insurance industry has been challenged to play a proactive role in addressing the climate change agenda. Speaking at the Africa Insurance Organization Annual Conference, General Assembly in Nairobi, director School of Pension and Retirement Studies Edward Odundo, underscored the need for climate change provisions in Environmental, Social and Governance, ESG, risk assessment. "The risks posed by the rising global temperatures cut across all sectors including the insurance industry,"Odundo said. He added that the increasing frequency and intensity of disasters relating to...

US. Climate change knocking, but not all managers home

Some of the most in demand regions in the U.S. for real estate investment, most notably the Sun Belt, are also getting clobbered by the floods, extreme heat and other ravages of climate change — potentially impacting returns. It's a worldwide challenge that is threatening to chisel away at expected returns across real asset sectors, from housing and office to retail. Some real estate managers are starting to exit properties early or decline to invest in real estate with relative...

Pension giant GPIF to invest in Japanese startups for first time

Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund, one of the world's largest institutional investors, will begin investing in Japanese startups in order to give the sector a boost, Nikkei has learned. The amount of the GPIF's investment in startups is expected to total several tens of millions of dollars. The move could serve as a magnet for other pension money and give momentum to the development of Japanese startups, which have lagged behind those in the U.S., China and other countries, observers...

A bright future for pensions in Mexico. Interview with: David Razú Aznar, CEO, Afore XXI Banorte

Home to 130 million people and covering just shy of two million square kilometres, Mexico is a vast nation with tremendous economic potential. For decades, the country has been hotly tipped as an economy ready to boom, with experts predicting that Mexico could emerge as a global powerhouse as far back as the 1980s. Boasting abundant natural resources, a young labour force and enjoying a strategic location that is integrated with North America, Mexico is certainly ripe with economic...

US. Milliman: Public pension plans’ funding dips slightly in May

The estimated funding ratio of the 100 largest public defined benefit plans in the U.S. inched down to 78.4% at the end of May from 78.6% at the end of April, according to the latest Milliman 100 Public Pension Funding index released Wednesday. The "relatively stagnant market" of May provided a "reprieve" for these plans after the volatility experienced between February and April this year, Milliman said in a news release. The funding ratio was as high as 85.5% at...

UK. Majority of CEOs unaware their pension scheme could contribute to climate change

Less than half (45 per cent) of UK CEOs and business leaders are aware that their company pension scheme could be contributing to climate change, according to research from Make My Money Matter (MMMM). Earlier analysis by the campaign group and sustainability research house Route 2 showed that the investments of UK pension schemes allow an estimated 330 million tonnes of carbon to enter the atmosphere every year – more than the UK’s entire national carbon output. This lack of awareness...

Japan. World’s Top Pension Fund Writes Off Russia Stocks, Sells Bonds and Closes Year With Gains

Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund said Friday that it’s been selling Russian assets since March following the invasion of Ukraine, marking down some values to almost zero in the process. The world’s biggest pension fund has substantially reduced holdings of Russian bonds, which can still be traded over-the-counter. The fund has been largely stuck with the country’s stocks, as foreign investors face trading restrictions, Chief Investment Officer Eiji Ueda said in the GPIF annual report. The Government Pension Investment Fund lost...