January 2026
09Jan

UK. DWP told to introduce state pension ‘means test’ to ‘guarantee its survival’

The Department for Work and Pensions has been told to "means test" the state pension to "guarantee" its survival. Craig Mackinlay, writing in the Telegraph, called on the Labour Party government and the DWP to make changes. Mackinlay of Richborough is a member of the House of Lords. He was previously the MP for South Thanet and served on the DWP and Public Accounts Select Committees. He is also a chartered accountant and tax adviser. He explained: "My solution was a...

January 9, 2026
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09Jan

Chile. Senate Advances Bill to Prevent Convicted Individuals from Receiving Survivor Pensions for Femicide and Domestic Violence

The Senate’s Commission on Women and Gender Equity has unanimously approved a project that amends Article 5 bis of Decree Law No. 3,500 of 1980. This change aims to ensure that individuals convicted of crimes such as femicide and domestic violence do not benefit from the survivor pension of their victims. This initiative, currently in its second legislative process, seeks to establish a legal framework for the correct application and full functionality of the law, according to the Senate’s bulletin. The...

January 9, 2026
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09Jan

National pension and basic pension rise 2.1% in South Korea

Starting in January this year, National Pension and basic pension recipients will receive benefits raised by 2.1% from the previous level. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said on the 9th that it convened the National Pension Review Committee at the National Pension Service Gangnam office and approved the change. First, it decided to raise the National Pension basic pension amount and the dependent family pension amount by 2.1%, reflecting last year's consumer price inflation. With this increase, an old...

January 9, 2026
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08Jan

Divorced UK women face 61% pension gap

Female divorcees have been found to typically have £53,160 less in pensions savings than divorced men in the UK, according to research by Now:Pensions and the Pension Policy Institute. Divorced women hold just 39% of the pension wealth of divorced men, with the median pension wealth for divorced men standing at £85,800, compared to £32,640 for divorced women. Among married individuals, men hold 61% more with £111,540, versus £43,656 for women. Divorced women’s annual pension income of £13,893 stands at just...

January 8, 2026
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08Jan

UK. Scale, support and sustainability to define DC pensions market in 2026

LCP expects 2026 to be a pivotal year for the defined contribution (DC) pensions market, driven by new regulation taking shape, tax reform and evolving member expectations. LCP is urging employers and trustees to act early to stay ahead of the curve. LCP’s five key areas of focus for employers and trustees are: 1. Pension Schemes Bill Royal Assent for the Pension Schemes Bill this year will introduce value-for-money (VfM) requirements, small-pot consolidation and post-retirement defaults. LCP is advising trustees to start benchmarking...

January 8, 2026
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08Jan

Refining longevity risks for China’s ageing population

Just like every dark cloud has a silver lining, insurers are proficient at managing risks and turning them into opportunities. As an ageing population has become a pressing issue around the globe, the booming demand for insurance and annuities presents considerable potential. China, one of the fastest-ageing countries, is expected to see its personal insurance market expand from four trillion Chinese yuan (US$553 billion) in 2021 to between 6.6 and 12.6 trillion Chinese yuan by 2035, according to the Boston...

January 8, 2026
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08Jan

US. What Retirement Savings Look Like for People Under 35

How Many People Under 35 Have Any Retirement Savings If you're in your 20s or early 30s, you may not be thinking much about retirement. Only about half of U.S. households with a reference person under age 35 had any money in retirement accounts in 2022, according to the latest available data from the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances. That makes young adults the working-age group that's the least likely to have dedicated retirement savings.1 This makes sense, of...

January 8, 2026
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08Jan

The gig economy is not the future of work — it’s a warning

By Quah Boon Huat   This article first appeared in Forum, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on January 5, 2026 - January 11, 2026 Affan Kurniawan, a 21-year-old ride-hailing driver and his family’s breadwinner, should have been invisible to power. On Aug 28 last year, an armoured police vehicle crushed him as it chased protesters. The video of his death seared Indonesia. Affan was not a protester. He was working — delivering food, saving for a home, keeping his family afloat. His killing ripped through Indonesia,...

January 8, 2026
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08Jan

German dentists’ pension fund sues advisers after C$1.77B loss

A pension fund for more than 10,000 German dentists has launched legal action against its former auditor, an external adviser and several ex-managers after suffering investment losses of over €1.1 billion (about C$1.77 billion), according to reporting by Bloomberg and AwazLive. Versorgungswerk der Zahnärztekammer Berlin (VZB), which manages roughly €2.2 billion (C$3.55 billion) for dentists in Berlin, Brandenburg and Bremen, said the losses were significant enough to prompt a corruption probe by Berlin prosecutors. In legal filings, the fund alleges that...

January 8, 2026
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07Jan

Funded status of largest US corporate pension plans now well over 100% for year-end 2025

The funded status of the nation’s largest corporate defined benefit (DB) pension plans improved significantly in 2025, according to an analysis by WTW (NASDAQ: WTW), a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company. WTW examined pension plan data for 349 Fortune 1000 companies that sponsor U.S. DB pension plans and have a December fiscal year-end date. The aggregate pension funded status of these plans at the end of 2025 is estimated to be 104%, an increase from 101% at the...

January 7, 2026
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