September 2025
30Sep

UK. Pension disaster as nearly half of pots overdrawn in ‘real risk’ to retirement savings

Fresh analysis of Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) figures shows pension withdrawals at unsustainable rates have reached record levels. In 2024/25, 45 per cent of all retirement savings pots were accessed at eight per cent or higher. Financial experts generally regard four per cent as a prudent annual drawdown rate, meaning many retirees are drawing down at double the recommended pace. The findings come from consultancy firm Broadstone, which compiled eight years of FCA retirement income market data. The 45 per cent figure is...

September 30, 2025
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30Sep

Power Of Friendship Can Slow Down Ageing, Study Finds

Friendships that have survived the odds and persevered for years can help slow down biological ageing, a new study has found. Such relationships and engagement may 'reset' the body's internal clocks to lower the biological age, the research published in the journal Brain, Behavior & Immunity - Health, highlighted. Drawing on data from 2117 adults who participated in a study called the Midlife in the United States, researchers noted that people with greater "cumulative social advantage" showed slower rates of biological...

September 30, 2025
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30Sep

Swiss pension fund defends oil and gas exposure despite political pushback

Pensionskasse des Kantons Schwyz (PKSZ), the CHF3bn (€3.2bn) pension fund of the Swiss canton of Schwyz, will continue to invest in oil and gas companies – including those operating in authoritarian regimes – arguing that greening the portfolio would damage returns. The canton’s government has rejected a motion tabled by members of the Social Democratic Party (SP) to amend the law governing the fund’s investments, which would have introduced sustainability criteria and excluded fossil fuel holdings. The executive council, led by...

September 30, 2025
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30Sep

The global imperative of investing in healthy aging

Observed on October 1 of each year, International Day of Older Persons recognizes the contributions of older adults and raises awareness of the challenges they may face. As the world undergoes a profound demographic shift with increasing life expectancies, many communities lack the structures or opportunities that allow the older population to thrive. Societies are confronted with a once-in-a-generation choice: reimagine systems to support longevity for all or risk stagnation with outdated structures. “Improving the quality of life for older individuals and...

September 30, 2025
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29Sep

UK. Gen Z need £3m plus for comfortable retirement

Young people typically now in their 20s, known as Generation Z, are likely to need at least £3 million to retire comfortably due to the erosive impact of inflation, according to new analysis by Rathbones Group, one of the UK’s leading wealth management firms. The calculations, based on the amount needed for a ‘comfortable’ retirement as defined by the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA), show that a 25-year-old today would need a pension pot of £3.1 million to retire at age...

September 29, 2025
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29Sep

China’s local pension fund reaps over 5 pct investment return in 2024

China's local pension fund saw a return on investments of 5.52 percent in 2024, official data showed on Monday. The fund, managed by the National Council for Social Security Fund (NCSSF), generated investment income of nearly 105.69 billion yuan (about 14.87 billion U.S. dollars) last year, according to the NCSSF's annual report. Despite rising economic challenges at home and abroad in 2024, the NCSSF managed to preserve and grow the value of the fund, thereby helping to bolster the country's efforts...

September 29, 2025
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29Sep

Strengthening Nigeria’s pension sector: Rethinking the new capital requirements for PFAs and PFCs

The National Pension Commission’s (PENCOM) newly revised capital requirements for Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) & Pension Fund Custodians (PFCs), while aimed at strengthening the financial resilience of operators, risk creating unintended consequences that could undermine investor confidence, restrict innovation, and distort the competitive landscape of Nigeria’s pension sector. This public commentary advocates for a more balanced and globally aligned approach that preserves the safety of pension assets while enabling growth, competition, and sustainable operations. 1. Understanding the Nature of Pension...

September 29, 2025
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29Sep

US. New Government Research Finds Strong Private Sector Retirement Plan Coverage

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has released its latest monthly report on employee benefits in the United States, and retirement benefit coverage for workers specifically. As of March 2025, the latest month for which measurable results are available, the Bureau found that retirement benefits were available to 72 percent of private industry workers. Notably, 70 percent of private sector workers had access to defined contribution plans, and 14 percent had access to defined benefit plans. Among private sector workers, the research found that 59...

September 29, 2025
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29Sep

Ghana. NPRA to roll out basic pensions education in schools

The National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) has announced plans to introduce basic pensions education at tertiary, secondary, and vocational institutions as part of efforts to enhance financial literacy and expand pension coverage in Ghana. During a courtesy call on the Minister of Education, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NPRA, Chris Boadi-Mensah, acknowledged the minister’s personal contributions to the growth of NPRA and the pensions industry during his tenure as Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, especially establishing NPRA’s Tamale...

September 29, 2025
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26Sep

UK. Industry urges policy shift to revive DB and accelerate CDC

The Society of Pension Professionals (SPP) has called for a policy reboot to keep existing defined benefit (DB) schemes open and to fast-track collective defined contribution (CDC) schemes, as the relaunched Pensions Commission turns its attention to pensions adequacy. In a new paper, Past Lessons, Future Gains, SPP argued that the current adequacy crisis cannot be fixed by contribution reviews alone and urged the commission to examine the type of scheme people save into, warning that the long shift from...

September 26, 2025
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