August 2020

13Aug

Call for urgent reforms to pension funds in Bahrain

The pension funds need to undergo urgent reforms in order to be saved before it’s too late. Social Insurance Organisation (SIO) chief executive Eman Al Murbati gave a presentation on the future of pension funds. Read also Switzerland. Pension reform initiative runs out of steam at early stage She was speaking at an event hosted by the National Communication Centre (NCC) as part of their ‘Conversations with a Government Official’ series. Read also Thai Airways must pay B5.4bn in pensions Ms...

August 13, 2020
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13Aug

Japanese head of world’s biggest pension fund looks beyond sovereign debt for future returns

The head of the world’s largest pension fund said he is looking beyond the safety of sovereign debt as an era of falling rates forces even the most conservative of investors to rethink playbooks. Masataka Miyazono, the president of Japan’s mammoth Government Pension Investment Fund with ¥162.1 trillion ($1.5 trillion) in assets, said the fund is looking at a range of foreign debt as it seeks steady returns in pandemic-riven markets after swinging from a record loss to...

August 13, 2020
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13Aug

Risks That Can Derail Retirement

The day you retire, a weight on your shoulders seems to remove itself as you no longer need to work to survive. The years of punching a clock, worrying about losing a job and making uncomfortable small talk with that guy from accounting are over. But, among the bliss that is your 20-year vacation, there is a list of risks that retired individuals face more now than when they were working. Economic risks These may feel obvious to some....

August 13, 2020
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12Aug

Despite Robust Returns, US Corporate Pension Funding Falls in July

A 39-basis-point drop in the monthly discount rate to a record-low 2.26% canceled out strong asset gains and lowered the funded ratio for the US’s 100 largest corporate pension plans to 81.1% at the end of July from 83.5% a month earlier. Read also US. Public Funds Lead Institutional Investment Rebound According to consulting firm Milliman’s Pension Funding Index (PFI), the funded status of the plans worsened by $68 billion during July, while the deficit jumped to $388 billion as...

August 12, 2020
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12Aug

Nigeria. Axa close to selling off pension fund arm

Axa Mansard, the Nigerian branch of French insurer Axa, is on the verge of finalizing the sell-off of its pension fund administrator. The company sold the 60% stake (representing nearly 2.1 billion shares) it holds in Axa Mansard Pension Ltd to Eustacia Limited, a member of investment group Verod. “This transaction marks a new step in AXA ́s broader strategy to focus on and grow our Life, Property & Casualty (P&C) and Health businesses across all its territories. The...

August 12, 2020
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12Aug

UK. Will the FCA defined benefit pension transfer plan work?

The defined benefit (DB) pension transfer market has caused a lot of problems for the advice industry, with rising professional indemnity insurance premiums and pension scheme scandals. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) set out a range of measures in June 2020 designed to address weaknesses, in a bid to transform the space. This included steps to reduce conflicts of interest by banning contingent charging, as well as help for advisers “who want to do the right thing and provide...

August 12, 2020
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12Aug

Fitch Ratings recommendations for Brazil’s Pension Deductible Loan Regulation: Credit Neutral

Changes approved by the Brazilian Social Security National Council (Conselho Nacional de Previdencia Social, CNPS) to the pensioner deductible loan regulation in response to the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic are expected to be Credit Neutral for Fitch's rated portfolio of pension deductible loan (PDL) securitizations, says Fitch Ratings. Proposed changes, which seek to increase availability of credit in the economy, consider (i) increasing the maximum credit limit to 1.6x (from 1.4x) of the obligor's monthly income for...

August 12, 2020
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12Aug

Thai Airways must pay B5.4bn in pensions

Debt-ridden Thai Airways International (THAI) will have to pay more than 1,600 employees pensions worth 5.4 billion baht over the next 13 years, according to a source at the airline. The revelation came as THAI puts together a debt rehabilitation plan -- which necessitates aggressive cuts to employee salaries and other expenses -- to be submitted to the Central Bankruptcy Court on Aug 17. It has also appointed six members of its board of directors to execute the plan....

August 12, 2020
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11Aug

The Millennial Retirement Puzzle

Millennials now comprise the largest living demographic group in the U.S. Thanks to innovation and advances in technology, this first generation of digital natives has enjoyed opportunities that were unimaginable a few decades ago. Their demand for transparency, relevance and authenticity in the way they interact with service providers has been the driver of unprecedented change across industries, including — and perhaps especially — financial services. Read also Nearly half of young people have lost income due to the...

August 11, 2020
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11Aug

Switzerland. Pension reform initiative runs out of steam at early stage

The campaigners announced they had failed to collect the required minimum number of signatures and saw no chances of doing so by the deadline in early October. “Without any doubt I have been miscalculating a few things. The coronavirus did the rest for us,” said the main promoter of the initiative. Josef Bachmann said citizens were aware of the flaws in the current system, but under the restrictions imposed to fight the pandemic, it was much more difficult to...

August 11, 2020
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