April 2025
15Apr

Italy launches ‘baby bonus’ scheme to combat declining birthrate

Italy's new "baby bonus" initiative was launched on Monday, marking the latest step in the country's ongoing efforts to reverse its declining birthrate. The Italian National Institute for Social Security on Monday unveiled the formal process for families to access a tax-free allowance of 1,000 euros (1,135 US dollars) for each child born or adopted in 2025. The bonus will be granted to Italian citizens as well as citizens of other European Union (EU) member states and non-EU nationals who hold...

April 15, 2025
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15Apr

UK. ESG round-up: Brunel faces government pressure to merge or disband

UK sustainable investment leader Brunel Pension Partnership may be forced to merge with another pool or disband after the government rejected the pool’s plans to comply with new requirements under the aim to drive consolidation of local government pension assets. The government had asked pools to submit plans to comply with new requirements on management and structure but has rejected those submitted by Brunel and another pool, ACCESS, meaning they will be forced to explore merger options. The pair...

April 15, 2025
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15Apr

Aging Nation: The Alarming Shift in Japan’s Demographic Landscape

Japan faces a demographic shift, with a rapidly aging population and a 14-year trend of population decline. Japan’s total population stands at 123.8 million, a decrease of 550,000 from the previous year. Individuals aged 75 and over now constitute 16.8 percent of the population, while those under 15 years old make up only 11.2 percent. The population decline is contrasted by an increase in foreign residents for the third consecutive year. Migration provides a counterbalance to the declining...

April 15, 2025
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15Apr

US, Beyond the 401(k): 3 Strategies To Retire Comfortably and Still Leave Money Behind

For many Americans, having a plan to leave money for their loved ones is a priority. According to a recent Empower survey, 40% of Americans say that leaving an inheritance for their children is part of having a happy retirement. If this is one of your financial goals, you’ll likely need to look beyond your 401(k) to ensure you can save for your retirement and still have money left over. Here are three strategies you should consider to help you build a financial legacy. Diversify Your...

April 15, 2025
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14Apr

UK households warned over HMRC tax change ‘which should be grabbing headlines’

Inheritance tax changes on pensions are what should be grabbing headlines, according to a pensions expert. Former Pensions Minister Steve Webb says the Labour Party government is set for a multi-billion pound windfall. Webb is a partner at pension consultants LCP, and was UK pensions minister from 2010 to 2015. He warned: "While the inheritance tax changes for farmers have grabbed most of the media attention, it is the IHT changes relating to pensions which will affect far more people and raise...

April 14, 2025
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14Apr

Nigeria’s pension fund seeks to diversify with focus on infrastructure

Nigeria's pension fund regulator wants to diversify investments with more focus on infrastructure and private equity, a spokesperson said on Friday — a move that could unlock a major new source of capital in Africa's most populous nation The voluntary and privately managed Retirement Savings Account held assets of 23.26-trillion naira (R275.13bn) as of February, with 60% of that invested in government debt and less than 10% in corporate securities. Diversification would allow the fund to seek out higher-yield investments, National...

April 14, 2025
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14Apr

Adding the impact investing dimension to Luxembourg’s sustainable finance

“We were set up with the mission of helping the financial sector transition towards sustainability,” says Nicoletta Centofanti, CEO of the Luxembourg Sustainable Finance Initiative (LSFI) who opens our conversation explaining the origins of the organisation, which with the support of its Impact Investing Advisory Board (IIAB), became a national partner of GSG Impact in December last year. “We are a centre of excellence and knowledge hub on sustainable finance and aim to unlock the sector’s potential, channel more capital...

April 14, 2025
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14Apr

Jamaica. Gov’t worker arrested for fraud after pension funds go missing

Detectives assigned to the Constabulary Financial Unit (CFU) of the Counter Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigations Branch (C-TOC) arrested an administrative assistant at a government establishment on Thursday, April 10, following an investigation into alleged fraudulent pension payments. The CFU team visited the establishment at about 10:00 am and apprehended a 49-year-old woman from a Garvey Meade address in St Catherine. The investigation revealed that between March 2017 and May 2018, another government body reportedly made seventeen (17) payments totalling just...

April 14, 2025
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14Apr

Zimbabwe. Short-term insurers target informal sector

The Insurance Council of Zimbabwe (ICZ), an association of short-term insurers, says the industry is exploring new business lines through inclusive insurance and targeting the informal sector. Motor and fire insurance continue to dominate short-term insurance industry revenue in both local currency and US dollar terms. According to the Insurance and Pensions Commission (Ipec) third-quarter 2024 report, direct short-term insurers reported consolidated insurance revenue amounting to ZiG 2,53 billion and US$153,97 million in terms of foreign currency business. During the reporting period,...

April 14, 2025
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11Apr

Top U.S. pension funds lost US$169 billion after tariff shock

The top 25 state and local U.S. pension investment funds suffered an estimated paper loss of US$169 billion in public equities after U.S. President Trump’s tariff announcement. The losses came in the four trading days between April 3 and April 8, following U.S. Trump’s announcement on global tariffs, according to a report by Equable Institute, a New York-based the bipartisan nonprofit organization that focuses on pensions. For the whole year so far, the top funds have lost an estimated US$249...

April 11, 2025
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