July 2026

Nigeria. Social protection, structural reforms must go hand in hand for lasting impact – CPPE

The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) has urged the federal government to complement its expanding social protection programmes with far-reaching structural reforms, warning that cash transfers and other welfare interventions alone cannot deliver sustainable poverty reduction or inclusive economic growth. In a policy brief on the federal government’s newly launched $3.05 billion Social Intervention Programme, Muda Yusuf, Chief Executive Officer of CPPE, said social protection and structural reforms should be pursued as complementary policy instruments to ensure...

The Retirement Planning Mistake That Makes Inflation Much More Expensive

Inflation, sequence of returns, unexpected early retirement, and long-term care costs pose serious risks to today’s retirees. At the 2026 Morningstar Investment Conference, I talked about those retirement shocks with Dana Anspach of Sensible Money and Michael Finke of The American College of Financial Services. Today’s excerpt from that panel focuses on inflation and how to prepare for it. How to Account for Inflation Shock in Your Retirement Plan Christine Benz: I wanted to start with one that’s top of mind...

Pension Funds Try to Come to Grips With the Scariest Global Warming Scenario

Institutional investors are trying to figure out what it would mean for their portfolios if continually rising temperatures trigger what JPMorgan Chase & Co. is calling “climate black swan risks.” The scenario is one that investors including Allianz Global Investors and Standard Life Plc say they’re taking increasingly seriously. It’s “something we really need to think about,” said Hetal Patel, head of sustainable investment research at Standard Life. The investor plans to do an “initial development” of its risk management around...

UK. Pension ‘lifestyling’ under scrutiny as returns vary widely

Returns gap exposed: Analysis finds five-year pre-retirement returns vary from 17.9% to 31.1% among major default lifestyle funds. Strategy under question: Critics say automatic de-risking may harm growth potential for those planning to keep investing in retirement. Check your fund: Experts advise savers to review glide path length, asset mix, and whether the approach aligns with their income plans. New report questions pension 'lifestyling' effectiveness Default 'lifestyling' strategies, which gradually shift pension investments from equities to bonds and cash before retirement, are delivering widely different results...

US is embarking on a risky experiment with GLP-1s and aging

Are GLP-1s for life? What we know about getting older on weight-loss drugs More than one in 10 Americans takes a GLP-1 medication for weight loss. As more people take a GLP-1, or glucagonlike peptide 1, receptor agonist, such as Wegovy, so, too, do more older adults—and those numbers are set to skyrocket. Last week the Trump administration launched the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program, a new initiative that would set the cost of three weight-loss medications— Wegovy, the KwikPen version of...

Vietnam. Ministry of Finance points out inadequacies in regulations on supplementary pension insurance

In the report and comments on the amended Law on Social Insurance, the Ministry of Finance said that the Law on Social Insurance No. 41/2024/QH15 has stipulated the principles for implementing supplementary pension insurance and assigned the Government to specify details. According to the Ministry of Finance, pension fund management enterprises started establishing pension funds from 2021. By the end of 2025, 7 funds were established with a total net asset value of nearly 2,210 billion VND, an increase of...

South Korea Unveils Sweeping Pension Reform Plan

The reform aims to increase pension payments for the lowest-income seniors, maintain or freeze payments for higher earners, and control rising fiscal costs. South Korea is preparing to overhaul its basic pension system for seniors, marking the most sweeping changes in more than a decade. The government’s plan, formally announced this week and reported by bntnews and NEWSIS, aims to address the country’s rapidly aging population, growing fiscal pressures, and persistent poverty among the elderly—especially women. At the heart of...

UK. Aviva and Age UK launch mid-retirement support pilot

Aviva and Age UK are launching a pilot program to help retirees manage their finances and make their pension savings last longer. The “mid-retirement MOT” will provide financial and wellbeing checkups through Age UK’s National Advice Line and in-person sessions delivered by local Age UK organizations. It will initially target people aged 72 to 76 with defined contribution pensions in Norwich, York, Bristol and Sheffield. Participants will receive guidance on pension savings, state benefits, estate planning, powers of attorney, household budgeting...

Japan PM vows to pursue steps to encourage domestic investment by GPIF

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Friday the government will pursue steps that encourage investment ​in domestic financial assets by households and ‌state pension funds including Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF). Under law, investments by state pension funds must be conducted exclusively for the benefit of those insured and, from a long-term perspective, ‌take ​into consideration their impact on ⁠markets and other private-sector ⁠activities, she said. “At the same time, as Japan transitions toward a new growth-oriented economy, the return...

Financing Mexico’s nearshoring future

Mexico is entering a defining period in its economic trajectory. Not because its structural challenges have disappeared – they have not – but because several long-term trends are beginning to reinforce one another at the same time: the reorganisation of global supply chains, the growing fragmentation of international trade, renewed emphasis on infrastructure investment, and the maturation of domestic pension savings into a meaningful source of long-term capital. At the centre of this convergence are Mexico’s pension funds, the Afores....