May 2020
28May

Australian regulator urges poorly performing pension funds to find buyers, exit industry

Many Australian pension funds have been suffering from falling asset prices, liquidity pressures and declining investor inflows due to the coronavirus pandemic and some should consider finding a buyer, the industry regulator said on Wednesday. Trustees must “be able to demonstrate their ‘right to remain’,” the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) said in an article published on its website “For some the only way forward ... may be to exit the industry and pass on the trusteeship of their...

May 28, 2020
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28May

The Game of Pension Risk Transfers Continues

fsi Many employers with defined benefit pension plans would love to put responsibility for the plans in the hands of a life insurer, by buying a large group annuity contract. Predictions about how the current COVID-19, stock price and interest rate turmoil will affect the market for pension risk transfer annuities are… highly diverse. The life insurers in the market say demand is strong. Analysts at Moody’s Investors Service say big pension risk transfer units could help buffer...

May 28, 2020
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28May

Will COVID-19 Create a New or Accelerated Normal for Pensions?

Will COVID-19 usher in a 'new normal' in pensions? Or will it accelerate trends that were already evident before the crisis? Some sectors and industries will see entirely new ways of working. This is unlikely to apply in pensions. Instead, our view is that the COVID-19 crisis will lead to an 'accelerated normal'. In other words, COVID-19 will not be midwife for the birth of new trends in the world of pensions. Instead, it will be a catalyst accelerating...

May 28, 2020
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28May

Bitwage and Gemini Partner to Launch Bitcoin-Based Retirement Plan for Employees

Cryptocurrency payroll service Bitwage has announced the launch of a Bitcoin 401 (k) plan, allowing companies to give their employees a BTC-based retirement plan. In a press statement, Bitwage, which claims to have tested the product on its own employees for 10 months, said workers now have the ability to invest their pre-tax and post-tax dollars in BTC, through their employer. A 401(k) is a retirement plan that allows employees of a company to save and invest for retirement...

May 28, 2020
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27May

US. The Federal Employee Retirement Plan Should Add, Not Delete Chinese Stocks

By Ric Edelman Never mix investing with politics, as I wrote in my bestselling book, The Truth About Retirement Plans and IRAs. Sadly, for millions of American public servants, the board that controls their $600 billion retirement savings plan just did. The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board just halted its plans to include Chinese stocks in the Thrift Savings Plan, the 401(k) equivalent for federal employees and members of the military. First, some background. The TSP has five core...

May 27, 2020
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27May

South Africa. Odds stacked against investment industry as Covid-19 hits pension contributions

The investment industry could face one of its toughest years to date in 2020 as people are losing their jobs and cashing out their pensions to survive, while companies are giving those who remain employed options to save less for retirement. One of SA's biggest asset managers, Coronation Fund Managers, said while it is still early to assess the impact of coronavirus-related job losses on the industry, it is safe to expect that less money will be coming in....

May 27, 2020
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27May

Spain: Pension Payouts And Registrations Fall After Coronavirus Crisis Hits Elderly

The coronavirus crisis has triggered an historical drop in the number of state pensions paid out in Spain in May, in part because of two months of high mortality caused by coronavirus. Read also The Game of Pension Risk Transfers Continues Some 9,754,137 contributory pensions were paid out in May, 38,508 fewer benefits than were paid out in April.The fall has triggered an unprecedented drop in Spain’s monthly pension bill. In May, it fell by 0.3% to 9.8 billion...

May 27, 2020
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27May

The Future Of Fintech: The New Normal After The Covid-19 Crisis

OBSERVATIONS FROM THE FINTECH SNARK TANK The “new normal” in banking and fintech is best understood by starting with a look back at what the “old normal” was. The Old Normal: Fintech Fetishism The Oxford dictionary defines fetishism as “worship of an inanimate object for its supposed magical powers.” That’s a good term for how many people have thought—and still think—of fintech. There’s a misguided notion held by many that fintech startups are somehow more ethical than legacy banks,...

May 27, 2020
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26May

Virus Turmoil Wipes Out Year’s Growth for Australia Pensions

Global market turmoil caused by the coronavirus has wiped out a year’s growth for Australia’s pensions industry, the world’s fourth-biggest pot of retirement savings. Read also Australian regulator urges poorly performing pension funds to find buyers, exit industry Assets under management fell 7.7% to A$2.73 trillion ($1.8 trillion) in the three months to March 31, back to almost the same level it was a year ago, Australian Prudential Regulation Authority data published Tuesday showed. That’s a marked turnaround for an...

May 26, 2020
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26May

Romania’s PM says pensions will rise “depending on economy”

Romanian prime minister Ludovic Orban confirmed that the public pensions would increase from September 1, although the economy is not going well. By how much will depend on "the state of the economy" and will be decided considering the long-term sustainability of the public pension system, he added. "The pensions will increase. By how much will they increase, this depends on the state of the economy and the [state's] actual capacity to pay pensions not only this year but...

May 26, 2020
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