May 2025

Jamaica. Pension assets climb to record $811b

The Financial Services Commission (FSC) is advising pension fund managers to be cautious in their investment decisions so as to safeguard the retirement savings they administer. It comes against the backdrop of changing trade and immigration policies in the United States that the pension regulator said could impact the local economy, given the trade relationship between the two countries and Jamaica’s reliance on foreign aid for development purposes. Jamaica’s private pension market reached a record $810.97 billion in assets under management...

Survey shows cost and awareness gaps hinder access to voluntary insurance in Canada

A national survey conducted by Environics Research revealed gaps between Canadian employees’ desire for voluntary benefits and their access to them. The survey found that most employees consider benefits essential to their happiness and job retention. According to the results, 93 percent of respondents said benefits and insurance options directly influence their workplace satisfaction and decision to remain with their employer. Despite this, only 2 percent said they would ask their employer for more insurance options, even though 66 percent expressed interest...

UK relieved as government backs off from forced economic growth investment

The UK pensions industry has welcomed the launch of the voluntary initiative to be known as the Mansion House Accord, which sets government investment ambitions for UK workplace pension providers. The government has previously toyed with the idea of mandating investments in private markets, which Mansion House Compact signatories warned could lead to unintended consequences. The new initiative calls for UK workplace pension providers to invest 10% of their default funds into private markets, with 5% of the total allocated to UK assets...

US. Bill Would Lower Retirement Plan Eligibility Age to 18

Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA.) and Tim Kaine (D-VA.) have re-introduced the Helping Young Americans Save for Retirement Act. The bill was previously introduced last Congress in November 2023. Much like last time, the bill would reduce the participation age in ERISA-governed plans, currently set at 21 years old, to 18 years old. The purpose of the bill is to expand retirement savings to younger workers. ERISA plans would still be permitted to set a minimum age that is younger than 18. Employees...

Germany struggles to fix its pension system

Germany's baby boomers are retiring. Those born between 1955 and 1969, when the birth rate was at an all-time high, are also living longer. The workforce is not growing at the same rate. So who will pay the elderly's pensions? A considerable chunk of the federal budget goes into propping up the statuary pension system and the new Labor Minister, Bärbel Bas from the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), has reiterated an idea of how to partially fix that. The pension system in Germany, established in 1889,...

Türkiye’s birth rate falls further, deepening alarm over below-replacement fertility

The number of live births in Türkiye fell to 937,000 in 2024, as the average number of children per woman declined to 1.48—well below the replacement level of 2.1, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) reported on Tuesday. The total fertility rate refers to the average number of children a woman is expected to have over her reproductive lifetime, defined as the 15–49 age group. Compared with the EU average fertility rate of 1.38, Türkiye ranked 9th among member states and candidate countries....

Pension funds ‘to unlock up to £50bn’ of investment, with half for UK firms

The bosses of 17 of the UK’s biggest pension funds have struck a deal with the government that it claims will release up to £50bn worth of investments, with at least half earmarked for British assets including clean energy projects and homegrown startups. Fund managers including Aviva, Legal & General, M&G, Phoenix and the Universities Superannuation Scheme have agreed to sign a new “Mansion House accord” that will lead to at least 10% of their workplace pension schemes being invested...

Baby Boomers vs. Gen X: How They Approach Retirement Differently

Nobody wants to hear they’re becoming their parents, but as we age, it's often inevitable. It’s hard to escape it when their morals, values, and idiosyncrasies have been etched into our brains. Unless, however, we’re talking about retirement saving, planning and investing. When it comes to baby boomers and Gen Xers, their approaches couldn’t be more different. Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964 (according to Pew Research), number 69 million strong. Pew places Generation X, or Gen X, as those...

Pension Gaps and Inflation: The struggle for a secure Nigerian retirement

Across the African continent, the aspiration for a peaceful and financially secure retirement has remained a common dream for generations. For many today, particularly in Nigeria that vision is becoming increasingly difficult to attain. The harsh realities of the current economic landscape, defined by soaring inflation, a continually rising cost of living, and limited access to pension schemes for millions of workers, especially those in the informal sector, have made retirement planning more complex and uncertain than ever. In Nigeria, as...

Swiss pension industry faces mounting skills shortage as funds invest in training

The Swiss occupational pension sector is facing a deepening shortage of skilled workers, a trend expected to intensify in the coming years. Larger pension funds are increasingly investing in training programmes to attract career changers and mitigate the talent gap. Sandro Meyer, a member of the executive board at Zurich Switzerland, told IPE that the shortage of qualified professionals is becoming a critical challenge for the industry. This is partly due to demographic shifts – there are simply fewer young people entering the...