May 2021
05May

Canadian pension officials hailed as climate champions

Two Canadian pension fund officials were hailed Tuesday by the British High Commission and the Canada Climate Law Initiative as Canadian climate champions for their efforts to move Canada to net-zero emissions. The list of 26 champions includes Barbara Zvan, the inaugural president and CEO of the University Pension Plan, Ontario, and Kim Thomassin, executive vice president and head of investments in Quebec and stewardship investing for the Caisse de Depot et de Placement du Quebec. Last July, Ms. Zvan was...

May 5, 2021
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05May

BBC Africa Eye uncovers grand corruption in Nigeria’s pension pot

A new investigation by BBC Africa Eye into pensions in Nigeria has uncovered an unfair and corrupt system which leaves some elderly people sick and penniless, with government workers soliciting extra payments before paying out pensions, people arbitrarily being declared ‘dead’ and having to prove they are alive before their pension is reinstated, and politicians being offered outrageous retirement packages. The five month investigation began when Africa eye was approached by Obaji Akpet – a reporter / producer from Cross...

May 5, 2021
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05May

UK. FCA proposes Pension Wise nudge for DC savers

In a consultation today, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) today proposed that providers will need to go further than the current signposting in a bid to improve take-up of the free guidance service. Consumers would see appointments made for them, if requested, although they will not be mandatory after MPs on several occasions voted against the idea, believing it could be seen as a tick-box exercise, as opposed to a beneficial part of the process. Upon deciding, in principle, how to...

May 5, 2021
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04May

Union Demands CPPIB Ditch Brazil Water Privatization Involvement

Canada’s largest union is demanding that the $387.1 billion Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) abandon its investment in a private water and sewage treatment service provider in Brazil. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) said CPPIB is taking part in a “risky” sell-off of public water and sewage infrastructure being led by controversial President Jair Bolsonaro. “The involvement of the CPPIB in support of Bolsonaro’s privatization program would serve to legitimize his disregard for the needs of the...

May 4, 2021
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04May

Pension changes for South Africa under the spotlight

Parliament’s Standing Committee on Finance has invited interested parties to submit written submissions on the Pensions Funds Amendment Bill. Introduced by the opposition Democratic Alliance, the bill aims to amend the Pension Funds Act to allow pension fund members to access a portion of their fund before retirement as a guarantee for a loan. The DA has described the draft bill as crucial in the fight for ‘people power over state power’ in South Africa. “Individuals should be free to choose, in...

May 4, 2021
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04May

Surging Stocks Improve Pension Funding Levels, But De-Risking Isn’t at Risk

A strong stock market delivered the goods and then some for pension funding levels, both public and corporate, in the first quarter. But don’t expect companies to pull back from their campaign to shift into safer (if low-paying) bonds from stocks. That’s the conclusion from JPMorgan’s global market strategy team, which noted in a report that this development didn’t mean that corporate plans would ease up on their de-risking—that is, moving into bonds from stocks. Reason: Company defined benefit (DB)...

May 4, 2021
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03May

How One of Canada’s Largest Pension Funds Is Incorporating ESG in Its Portfolio

As allocators and fund managers alike scramble to incorporate diversity and climate change into their strategies, one of Canada’s largest asset owners has released its latest report on how, exactly, a C$365.5 billion pension fund does it. The Stewardship Report, released Wednesday by Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (known colloquially as CPDQ), details the fund’s 2020 efforts toward sustainability and diversity. In the report, CPDQ said it is tying employees’ variable compensation to the achievement of certain climate targets...

May 3, 2021
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03May

Ireland. A decent pension system isn’t something we can keep putting off

By John Mercer Ireland is entering a pivotal phase of transformational pensions change that should have a positive impact on individual retirement savers. The good news is that many of the necessary foundations for change are already in place - all that remains is a commitment to prioritising the rollout. The first development has now arrived with the long overdue implementation last week of the EU’s IORP II Directive. This slightly indigestible-sounding piece of legislation will govern the private retirement savings and...

May 3, 2021
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03May

Japan. GPIF looks to study private equity replication

Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund may be mulling changes to an alternatives investment program that's been cautiously deliberate until now. On April 20, the ¥177.7 trillion ($1.63 trillion) Tokyo-based giant made two separate announcements speaking to potential changes: the first was a callout for information from managers of domestic real estate, a sign GPIF could be moving beyond the fund-of-funds platforms it's focused on in recent years to directly hire general partners; the second was a paper exploring ways to...

May 3, 2021
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April 2021
29Apr

UK. FCA mulls online test for high risk investments

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has proposed to force people to take an online test before they can invest in high risk assets, as part of a round up of ideas on curbing risks in the market. In a discussion paper out this morning (April 29) the regulator said it was keen to prevent consumers from accessing high-risk investments that they do not understand. The FCA is concerned that despite its existing marketing restrictions, too many consumers are still investing in...

April 29, 2021
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