December 2018

Pension regimes struggle to gain trust of workers, says OECD

People remain slow to trust pension promises, a new OECD report has found. Low investment returns on pension savings, less stable employment structures, low economic growth and the fact that people are living longer have all eroded belief that pensions “will deliver on their promises once workers reach retirement age”, the OECD Pensions Outlook 2018 reports. Poor pension coverage among some workers has also contributed to this scepticism. “People are also concerned about whether the institutions managing their retirement savings in funded...

Canada pension fund investment into US detention firm larger than reported

CPPIB holds $6.1m in investments in Geo Group, a firm that runs US detention facilities under Trump’s immigration crackdown A controversial investment by one of Canada’s biggest pension funds in a company which operates private prisons in the United States is larger than initially thought, recent securities filings have revealed. The Guardian and Documented reported last month that the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) – which manages $366.6bn in pension funds on behalf of some 20 million Canadian retirees –...

Bermuda. Athene Announces Significant Pension Risk Transfer Transaction with Bristol-Myers Squibb

Athene Holding Ltd. (“Athene”) (NYSE: ATH, a leading retirement services company, announced today a first-of-its-kind pension plan termination transaction with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) covering more than 24,000 active employee participants, retirees, beneficiaries, and former Bristol-Myers Squibb employees who have not yet commenced their benefits. Under the agreement, Athene’s wholly-owned Iowa-domiciled life insurance subsidiary, Athene Annuity and Life Company (“AAIA”), agreed in advance to provide an annuity contract covering all obligations of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s U.S. Retirement Income Plan (the...

UK. Pensions dashboards to enable more informed retirement planning

Proposals to give millions of people their pension facts and figures at their fingertips have been unveiled by the government. Pioneering proposals to give millions of people their pension facts and figures at their fingertips have been unveiled by the government today (3 December). New free, user-friendly ‘pensions dashboards’ would allow people to access their information from most pension schemes in one place online for the first time. Pensions dashboards – an idea welcomed by consumer groups and pension providers - would: ...

India. Why pension funds are a good bet for investors

They are regulated by India's Pension Fund & Regulatory Development Authority Q: Investment in pension funds is becoming quite popular. As I am returning to India for good this year, I want to know how safe and secure these funds are and whether they are properly regulated? A: Pension funds are regulated by the Pension Fund & Regulatory Development Authority (PFRDA). This authority exercises control over pension fund managers (PFM). The PFMs are permitted to invest only in corporate bonds which...

A Regulation Revolution In Financial Services

If your professional interests take you to the crossroads of financial services, regulation, compliance, and digital - especially data analytics and machine learning - which altogether is known as regtech, you are in the right place. You are part of statistically small and very geek-oriented professional community, but you know this, and though you might choose not to admit this to strangers at this year's festive parties for fear of causing great pain by boredom, you are in good...

November 2018

East Africa to harmonize pension regimes to promote labor mobility

East African Community (EAC) member states plan to harmonize their pension regimes in order to promote labor mobility, officials said on Thursday. Nzomo Mutuku, chief executive officer of Kenya's Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA), told Xinhua in Nairobi that currently the six member states of the EAC have different taxation levels for the pensions industry and therefore workers could lose benefits if they move from one partner state to another. "All the partner states are committed to have the same pension standards...

BNY Mellon earns global custody renewal from £28 billion UK pension fund

BNY Mellon has been re-appointed as the global custodian for RPMI Railpen, one of the UK’s largest pension schemes. The mandate, which includes core custody, securities lending, FX and cash management, renews a 22-year relationship with Railpen, the £28 billion investment manager of the industry-wide pension scheme for UK railway companies. BNY Mellon will also continue to support Railpen’s data management and investment accounting process through Eagle Investment Systems. “A robust operating model is essential to ensuring that Railpen continues to meet...

US. Wells Fargo considering sale of retirement-plan unit

is considering the sale of its retirement-plan services business, according to people familiar with the matter. The unit could fetch as much as $1 billion, said one person, who asked to not be identified because the matter isn't public. The people said deliberations are at an early stage and the bank may decide to keep the business, which offers record-keeping, trust, custody and other retirement-plan services to corporations. A representative for Wells Fargo declined to comment on the potential sale. Wells Fargo,...

Where flexibility risks liability

Flexibility is a good thing – especially for sports professionals, gymnasts, and those of us balancing work and domestic commitments. In a pension context, the increased flexibility introduced by the 2015 freedom and choice reforms has generally been seen as a welcome response to the evolving nature and shape of retirement. The flexibilities have proved popular, with over 3.7 million transactions in the first three years of the policy. However, as anyone suffering from hypermobility knows, the premium of flexibility...