February 2020

R3 To Provide Blockchain Identity Solutions To Help Recover $48B In Unclaimed Pensions

Blockchain technology provider, R3 has revealed that it is working on offering pension companies with the requisite technology to develop fresh identity solutions built on blockchain which could enable savers to recoup part or all of $48 billion worth of lost pension pots in the UK, CoinDesk reports. The head of R3’s digital identity unit, Abbas Ali, pension services providers are set to debut their solo solutions that will use R3 tech within this year. According to a study...

China’s state pension plan needs retooling as slowdown, ageing population hit retirement pot

China’s ageing population is increasing the pressure on the state pension deficit at the same time employers are falling behind on their contributions. A deeper economic slowdown could burn a bigger hole in the retirement pot, experts say. The cumulative balance in the pool stood at about 5 trillion yuan (US$712 billion) at the end of 2019, and the employers’ contributions were expected to fall short by 417.4 billion yuan due to measures to ease their burden, vice finance...

Nigeria. Pension operators reduce investment in real estate to N220bn

The Pension Fund Administrators have reduced the amount of funds invested in real estate assets to N220bn as of the end of December 2019, latest figures obtained from the National Pension Commission have shown. This amounts to 2.15 per cent of the total assets of the Contributory Pension Scheme, which stood at N10.21tn during the period under review. The operators had invested N250.02bn in real estate as of the end of June 2019, PenCom stated. PenCom also disclosed...

‘Massive Risk’ Drives ESG Bets at $108 Billion Finnish Funds

Two of Finland’s biggest pension funds, with combined assets of $108 billion, are determined to make their portfolios carbon neutral over the next decade and a half, in a race to dodge the fallout of global warming before it’s too late. “Climate change is such a massive risk factor for companies in the future,” Anna Hyrske, head of responsible investments at Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co., said in an interview. Climate change has been on the agenda for years,...

Latin Americans Expect To Have ‘Gaps’ In Retirement Income: LIMRA

A new study finds that 64% of Latin American adults expect to have significant gaps in their retirement funds when they turn 60, and 52% don’t believe the income from their government-funded pension (Social Security) and their employer-sponsored pension will cover basic living expenses. Also Read Which countries’ workers spend the longest (and shortest) in retirement? The study was conducted by Secure Retirement Institute and the Society of Actuaries (SOA) Almost half of Latin American consumers consider it their...

Staff in 74 UK universities start 2-week strike over pensions

Up to 50,000 staff members in 74 universities across Britain started a 14-day strike on Thursday over disputes on pension, pay and working conditions. Members of the University and College Union (UCU), including lecturers, technicians, librarians and other academic and support staff, are joining the industrial action between Feb. 20 and March 13, potentially affecting 1.2 million students. The UCU said 50,000 of its members will take the action over workloads, pay, a 15 percent gender pay gap,...

Canadian pension fund Caisse posts 10.4% return in 2019

Canada's second-biggest pension fund Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) on Thursday reported average weighted returns of 10.4% in 2019, as strength in its equities portfolio offset underperformance in real estate holdings. The overall annualized returns over five and 10 years were 8.1% and 9.2% respectively, the fund said in a statement. Total assets rose to C$340 billion ($256.8 billion) as of Dec. 31, from C$310 billion a year earlier. The Caisse's real estate portfolio posted a...

Mongolian commercial banks resume providing loans to pensioners

Mongolian commercial banks have resumed providing loans to pensioners, the country's Minister of Labor and Social Protection Sodnom Chinzorig said Friday. The resumption started on Thursday after the loans of all pensioners in the country have been written off, Chinzorig told a press conference. Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga announced the decision on Dec. 31 to write off the loans of all pensioners to help them get out of debt when he extended New Year greetings via media. On Jan....

Will Collective Defined Contribution Schemes take off?

Collective defined contribution (CDC) schemes are now on the horizon, with Royal Mail lining up to be the first UK employer to launch this type of scheme, later this year. Already well-established in countries such as the Netherlands and Denmark, the schemes were given the green light by the then Work and Pensions Secretary, Amber Rudd, in March 2019. The new schemes aim to bridge the gap between DB and DC schemes. They may be attractive to companies...

Which countries’ workers spend the longest (and shortest) in retirement?

Retirement lengths vary by country. There are now more people over the age of 65 than there are under the age of five. The World Economic Forum says pension savings must be incentivized to ensure better retirement outcomes. For the first time, there are now more people over the age of 65 than there are under the age of five, a World Economic Forum report has found. As a result, there are fewer young people to support the growing...