December 2025

UK. A Christmas wishlist for the pensions industry

By Nick Reeve With the festive break upon us, it’s time to find out what the pensions industry really wants for Christmas this year. Pensions Expert asked representatives of 21 organisations from across the UK retirement industry to come up with one ‘Christmas wish’ – something they would like to see over the next 12 months. From a smooth passage for the Pension Schemes Bill to collective defined contribution (CDC) schemes becoming a reality, from defined benefit (DB) endgames to the Pensions...

México. Consar “aprieta” supervisión a Afores con nuevas reglas de entrega de ahorros a trabajadores

Como parte de los planes de mejora al Sistema de Ahorro para el Retiro (SAR), la Comisión Nacional del Sistema de Ahorro para el Retiro (Consar) emitió cambios para tener mayor supervisión en la entrega de recursos a los trabajadores y medidas de fiscalización en las Administradoras de Fondos de Ahorro para el Retiro (Afores). Por medio de diversas modificaciones publicadas en el Diario Oficial de la Federación (DOF), se facilita a las Autoridades Fiscalizadoras y a la Secretaría del Trabajo y Previsión Social (STPS) combatir...

Bulgaria: Over 2 Million Retirees to See Pension Increase in 2026

Pension insurance contributions will not increase in 2026, while pensions themselves will be updated from 1 July under the Swiss indexation formula, resulting in an expected rise of 7–8%. These measures are part of the revised 2026 State Social Security (SSS) budget, approved at first reading by the parliamentary budget committee. Minimum Wage Set at €620.20 From 1 January 2026, the national minimum wage will be €620.20. The minimum insurance threshold for self-employed persons will match this amount, also rising to €620.20. The maximum insurance income will be €2300, a slight decrease compared to the earlier draft...

August 2025

Nigeria’s wage and pension crisis

By Shu’aibu Usman Leman   Earlier this month, the United States government released a sobering assessment of Nigeria’s human rights record in its 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Among the stark revelations was the shamefully low national minimum wage of ₦70,000—a figure described as “woefully inadequate” amid rising inflation, a weakened naira, and an ever-worsening cost of living. At just $47.90 per month by current exchange rates, this wage is not merely insufficient—it is an affront to human dignity. In...

Analysis: The US$400 trillion global retirement gap

By Paul Mackintosh   In a recent discussion with the World Economic Forum (WEF), Yie-Hsin Hung, chief executive officer of State Street Investment Management, addressed the global retirement savings gap, estimated to have hit some US$50 trillion ten years ago and forecast to reach around $400 trillion by 2050. The US is expected to account for 33% of the $400 trillion, China, 30%, and India, 20%. In the US, those who are 45- 60 years old or Generation X save on average around...

China’s pension system needs an overhaul because it is neither fair nor sustainable

By Zhou Xin Mainland China’s pension system has again become an issue of debate after the Supreme People’s Court ruled that any private agreement between employers and employees to evade payment of retirement funds was invalid. While the legal interpretation reiterated existing laws and regulations, it struck a nerve with the population and triggered doubts about the pension system’s fairness and sustainability. China’s pay-as-you-go system, which requires workers to contribute funds into a state-managed pool to pay for their retirement, essentially serves as a...

US. Increasing Social Security’s Retirement Age…

By Andrew G. Biggs Without forgetting that some people aren’t living longer. I have a new policy brief co-authored with John Shoven of Stanford looking at how we might address part of Social Security’s funding gap by raising the retirement age, but doing it in a way that account for differential mortality by income — the fact that rich people tend to live longer than the poor, which means that rich people are contributing more to Social Security’s insolvency than are the poor. The trick...

July 2025

¿Al fin todos los colombianos deberán cotizar en Colpensiones?

Por: Sergio Rodríguez Sarmiento    La Corte Constitucional se alista para estudiar, de nuevo, el proyecto de reforma pensional que aprobó la Cámara de Representantes, por segunda ocasión. Dentro del análisis que hará el alto tribunal, el futuro de las cotizaciones en Colpensiones es uno de los más importantes. De acuerdo con el legislativo, las modificaciones sobre los nuevos pilares de ahorro incluyen el hecho de que desaparezca la competencia que existía entre fondos privados y el público. Con esto de base, la reforma no...

June 2025

Chile. Reforma de pensiones: una tarea silenciosa, pero crucial

Por Paulina Yazigi   Luego de más de dos años de una intensa y ruidosa discusión sobre la reforma de pensiones —con amplio despliegue mediático y la participación de técnicos, parlamentarios, autoridades y regulador, gremios y opinión pública— hoy nos abocamos al árido camino de su implementación. La diferencia hoy es que este es un trabajo bastante silencioso. Pero no debería serlo. Esta nueva fase es mucho menos visible, y con otros actores principales. Con la implementación de la reforma, se deberán abordar casi...

March 2025

On International Women’s Day, let’s focus on the gender pension gap

By Ivana Zanardo   Women in the workforce have made significant strides in recent decades: the gender wage gap is shrinking and more women hold a growing share of senior leadership positions at Canadian companies. But as we celebrate International Women’s Day, there’s another gap that should get more attention – the gender pension gap. Despite advancements made in the workplace, according to Stats Canada, women still face an annual income gap of 29 per cent. And what’s more worrisome is that we...