December 2025

The evol­u­tion of pen­sion reforms in India

India’s rap­idly age­ing pop­u­la­tion is emer­ging as a pivotal pen­sion chal­lenge. Today, over 153 mil­lion Indi­ans are aged over 60. This is pro­jec­ted to double to 347 mil­lion by 2050. While a small sec­tion of older Indi­ans has benefited from the rise of formal sec­tor retire­ment, more than 88% of today’s senior cit­izens con­tinue to work, in the sprawl­ing informal eco­nomy, without access to pen­sions or reli­able social secur­ity rather than retir­ing (Chart 1). We revisit the evol­u­tion of...

Albania. 13 thousand pensioners added, scheme at risk, growing faster than contributors

The number of beneficiaries in the public pension scheme expanded further during 2022, reaching a total of 686,923 people or over 13 thousand more than in 2021. Official data from the Institute of Social Insurance show that the number of pensioners is growing faster than the number of contributors. Pensioners increased by 13 thousand, while contributors by 10 thousand. In 2022 for every beneficiary there were only 1.1 contributors from 1.2 which was this ratio in 2018. In the following years,...

UK. Pensions dump US equities over AI fears

Is an AI bubble on the horizon? Some of the UK’s biggest pension funds think so and are cutting back their exposure to US equities as a result. Schemes managing more than £200bn in assets for millions of British savers told the Financial Times they had been shifting allocations to other geographical regions or adding protection against a potential fall in stock prices in recent months, write Josephine Cumbo and Mary McDougall. The moves come as the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite index...

Major Changes To U.S. Pensions Being Considered By Congress

Congress is considering major changes to U.S. pensions after a new bill was introduced this week. The proposal, put forward by Democratic Representative Eugene Vindman of Virginia, seeks to make it easier for Americans to build emergency savings without sacrificing their retirement security. Why It Matters Vindman’s Congressional bill would modify eligibility rules and raise contribution limits for pension-linked emergency savings accounts—programs that allow workers to set aside funds for unexpected expenses alongside their retirement savings. If enacted, it could reshape how millions of employees prepare for financial shocks, offering a safety...

Trump said he’s looking into an Australian-style retirement program for the U.S.

The Trump administration is looking Down Under for inspiration on how to improve the United States’ retirement savings system. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said at the White House that his administration is looking into an Australian-style retirement program. “We’re looking at it very seriously,” Trump said. “It’s a good plan. It’s worked out very well.” Australia’s primary retirement savings program — known as “superannuation” — might have caught the attention of Washington officials. How superannuation works Superannuation, or “super” for short, is Australia’s...

Nigeria to extend social protections to 60 million in the informal sector

The minister made this disclosure in Abuja during a two-day national dialogue on expanding social protection to informal workers. He said the Federal Government is taking concrete steps to address decades of exclusion affecting millions of Nigerians who earn a living in markets, farms, workshops, roadside enterprises and other informal settings. “Today, we write a new chapter in our collective journey to give dignity, inclusion, and protection to the over 60 million Nigerians who make up our informal economy,” the minister...

UK. Industry stresses need to communicate ‘the whole truth’ on retirement CDC

Industry bodies have warned that benefit illustrations for retirement collective defined contribution (CDC) plans must be accurate and not misleading, as concerns grow about the final details of the regime. The government recently launched a consultation retirement CDC, which would allow people who have saved into a defined contribution (DC) scheme to transfer their pension pot into a CDC scheme at retirement. Industry experts have warned that the framework must dovetail with the forthcoming guided retirement duty and avoid creating default pathways before retirement CDC...

Is the world ageing out of interest rates?

From global rate hikes to political pressures, central banks can’t stay out of the news these days. But these headlines overlook a growing challenge for central banks: With the share of the population aged 65 or over set to nearly double by 2054, their policy tools may become less effective. Interest rates have long been a key instrument of monetary policy, used much like car pedals, with cuts made to accelerate economic activity and hikes to slow it down. Historically,...

The German far left grants last-minute approval to pension reform

The opposition party Die Linke announced on Wednesday that it would abstain from Friday's vote on pension reform, thus allowing Friedrich Merz's government to avoid a potentially destabilizing parliamentary defeat. This abstention effectively guarantees the passage of the highly contested bill and offers the chancellor a respite after several weeks of political tension. The bill aims to maintain current levels of state pensions until 2031, a measure presented as a key pillar of the coalition agreement between the conservative Merz...

Most Kenyans think their expenses will decrease in retirement. Is this true?

A new survey on retirement expectations shows that most working Kenyans believe their expenses will reduce once they leave active employment. The findings, published in the Driving Innovation in the Pension Sector in Kenya report by ICEA Group and released on November 20, 2025, offer a glimpse into how the workforce is preparing—mentally and financially—for life after work. According to the report, 57 per cent of the respondents expect their spending to be lower in retirement than it is today. This...