July 2025
08Jul

UK regulator to develop climate transition plan template for pension funds

The UK’s pensions regulator will work with industry to develop and test a voluntary net-zero transition plan template suitable for occupational pension schemes. Announcing the move today, it said transition plans could help organisations, including occupational pension schemes, prepare for the government’s goal of transitioning the UK to a net-zero nature-positive economy by 2050. Last month, the government launched a consultation on how to take forward a manifesto commitment to introduce climate transition plans for financial institutions and FTSE100 companies. The...

July 8, 2025
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08Jul

China’s New Cash Plan to Tackle Birth Rate Threat

China plans to introduce new nationwide cash incentives for families with newborn babies in an effort to boost the country's declining birth rate and ensure long-term economic growth. Why It Matters China ended its decades-long one-child policy in 2016, but the country's fertility rate continued to decline for seven years, despite a raft of government policies. Officials fear that the demographic shift could have wide-ranging effects on the world's second-largest economy in the years to come. While the fertility rate last year bucked...

July 8, 2025
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08Jul

Germany’s 34.1 billion euros pension gives mandate to China stock fund

A German pension fund has tapped a Chinese firm’s Hong Kong arm to help it invest in local stocks, in a rare move among global allocators that have been cautious about gaining exposure to the nation’s equities. KZVK, which manages 34.1 billion euros (S$51 billion), gave US$50 million to Fullgoal Asset Management (HK) in the second quarter, according to sources with knowledge of the matter. The mandate is to invest in Chinese equities listed in Hong Kong, the mainland and...

July 8, 2025
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08Jul

PensionBee: Gig workers need automatic pensions

More than a million UK gig workers are unable to save for retirement, according to fresh data from PensionBee, a leader in the consumer retirement market, prompting renewed calls for a ‘universal pension’ system to ensure every worker, regardless of income or employment status, has automatic access to a pension. The findings, launched alongside PensionBee’s Invisible Worker campaign on National Freelancers Day, highlight the challenges faced by freelancers, unpaid carers and those on zero-hours contracts who are not auto-enrolled into...

July 8, 2025
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07Jul

UK. 15.3m are at risk of poverty in retirement

Millions of people across the UK are “sleepwalking into retirement poverty”, a report has warned, as rising living costs outstrip pension savings and key groups slip through the cracks of the system. A total of 15.3 million people – over a fifth of the population – are now at risk of financial hardship in old age, according to Scottish Widows’ latest Retirement Report. That is 1.6 million more than in 2023. Even as pension savings have edged up slightly, rising prices have cancelled out progress, according to...

July 7, 2025
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07Jul

Japan’s US$1.7 trillion fund boosts ESG holdings as others flee

Japan’s US$1.7 trillion Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) has added to its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investments, rejecting the shift away from green strategies by many global asset managers. GPIF held about 18.2 trillion yen (S$160.5 billion) of assets tracking ESG indexes at the end of March – or 14.7 per cent of the fund’s equity investments – up from 17.8 trillion yen a year earlier, according to documents published on Friday (Jul 4). The fund posted a quarterly...

July 7, 2025
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07Jul

US. What’s in your 401(k)? Why boomers and Gen X really need to know.

Your target-date fund might have the wrong mix for you, and new alternatives could be risky As stock and bond markets have whipsawed this year, you may be afraid to look at your 401(k) account balance. But all of the volatility actually makes this an opportune time to look under the hood of your 401(k) if you're nearing retirement or already there. The conventional retirement-investing advice is to "set it and forget it" - but at this stage of life, you...

July 7, 2025
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07Jul

Russia launches controversial scheme to boost birth rate, offers money to schoolgirls for having children

Amid a sharp decline in birth rates, Russia has launched a controversial new initiative that offers financial incentives to school and college-going girls to become pregnant and raise children. The program, currently being piloted in select regions, provides over 100,000 rubles (approximately Rs 90,000) to adult schoolgirls who agree to give birth and care for a child. The scheme is part of a broader demographic strategy adopted in March 2025 aimed at reversing Russia’s population decline. It is being implemented...

July 7, 2025
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04Jul

US. Asset Gains for 100 Largest Public Pensions Surge $98B in May; PRT Costs Decline

The 100 largest public defined benefit plans in the U.S. raked in $98 billion in asset gains during May thanks to a 2.4% investment gain during the month, according to Milliman’s Public Pension Funding Index. It was the funds’ best monthly market performance in more than a year. The consulting and actuarial firm said the strong gains boosted their estimated funded level to 81.1% from 79.6% a month earlier. It also said that the deficit between the estimated plan assets and liabilities...

July 4, 2025
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04Jul

UK. European insurance giant acquires Pension Insurance Corporation in £5.7bn deal

Pension Insurance Corporation (PIC), the specialist bulk annuity provider, has been acquired by European insurance giant Athora in a deal worth an estimated £5.7bn. It will become the UK insurance business for Athora, which has existing presences in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. The acquisition is a significant boost for Athora as it will increase its assets under management and administration to more than €130bn (£112bn). At the end of 2024, PIC was responsible for almost £51bn of assets and...

July 4, 2025
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