October 2021
07Oct

Hong Kong Policy Address: MPF offsetting – allowing employers to dip into pensions – will be scrapped

Hong Kong’s controversial Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) offsetting mechanism will be scrapped, Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced on Wednesday in her policy address. The mechanism allows employers to dip into workers’ pension funds to make long-service and severance payments, a system which has come under fire for years from unions and fundholders themselves. The offsetting will be fully scrapped as early as 2025, when the launch of an electronic management platform for the MPF (eMPF) is completed. According to a government source,...

October 7, 2021
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07Oct

Ros Altmann: Could pensions be used to boost more sustainable investing?

As we rebuild the economy after Covid-19 and pursue the government’s aims to ‘Level up’ and ‘Build back better’, the greening of finance has become increasingly important. With the impacts of climate change ever more apparent, politicians seek to appeal to the ‘green vote’. The legislative measures to boost the battle against climate change include: mandating the UK’s main financial regulators to factor in climate-related issues; statutory requirements for pension schemes to address the international Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures...

October 7, 2021
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06Oct

German occupational pension execs call on next govt to ease rules

Executives of company pension schemes in Germany are calling on the country’s political parties, which are discussing to form a coalition for the next government, to tackle the complexity surrounding occupational pensions in favour of opting-out solutions, according to a survey conducted by Willis Towers Watson (WTW). The research – carried out last week during the annual WTW’s occupational pension conference bAV-Konferenz – showed that 44% of respondents believed the decision by the next government to simplify occupational pensions schemes...

October 6, 2021
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06Oct

Will South Africa’s social security reforms impact HNWs?

In September 2021, The South African Department of Social Development withdrew its Green Paper on Comprehensive Social Security and Retirement Reform. The paper proposed to introduce a government-run social security fund that would have allowed people to receive retirement, survivor, disability and/or unemployment benefits. Contributions would have been based on a person’s income and wealth, with different bands and benefits provided accordingly. But the government gazetted the green paper to “provide better clarity on some of the matters entailed [in it]”...

October 6, 2021
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06Oct

Uk. Employers Be Aware – Big Changes To The Defined Benefit Pensions Landscape Come Into Force

Employers be aware – big changes to the defined benefit pensions landscape come into force Some of the biggest changes to the defined benefit pensions landscape in recent years come into force on 1 October 2021. Much has already been made of the provisions of the Pension Schemes Act 2021. Here is a rundown of what comes into force on 1 October (note that these provisions do not have retrospective effect): Getting money into schemes – the Pensions Regulator gains...

October 6, 2021
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06Oct

Governments should consider green investing incentives, says IMF

Policymakers should consider providing a financial incentive for sustainable funds as existing capital is “too limited in size and scope” to have a major impact on climate change, the International Monetary Fund has warned. In its semi-annual Global Financial Stability Report, published on Monday, the IMF said that an additional investment of as much as $20tn (£14.7tn) over the next two decades will be required to facilitate a green transition. Alongside this, a mainstreaming of green fiscal policies and greater...

October 6, 2021
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05Oct

NPRA targets to rope in 11 million workers into pension schemes

Mr. Alhassan Yakubu Fuseini, the Tamale Zonal Manager of the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA), says the Authority plans to rope in 11 million workers in the formal sector onto pension schemes. He said as the NPRA works to achieve its target, it would also ensure that coverage for the informal sector was increased from the current three percent to 40 percent by 2026. “In order to meet this goal, it will be critical for the pension sector actors including workers...

October 5, 2021
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05Oct

Germany added to Sanofi pension fund in Belgium cross-border first

Sanofi European Pension Fund has become the first Belgium-based pension fund to begin operating cross-border activity in Germany, with two Hoechst companies coming on board. The development means that the liabilities associated with more than 5,000 pensioners of Hoechst GmbH and Hoechst Trevira Gmbh are being funded via Sanofi European Pension Fund. Hoechst AG was one of the three largest chemical and pharmaceutical companies in Germany before merging with Rhône-Poulenc in 1999 to form Aventis, which was subsequently taken over by...

October 5, 2021
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05Oct

Post-covid pension reforms in Europe should focus on sustainability – leading macroeconomic influencers

The reforms introduced in European pension systems have placed unnecessary burden on younger population. Experts opine that post-Covid reforms should focus on sustainability and equity. Linda Yueh Linda Yueh, economist at the University of Oxford, shared an article on the equity of pension systems in Europe in the post-Covid era. The ageing population in Europe resulted in the implementation of several reforms to ensure the sustainability of the pension system. Major reforms, however, were implemented following the 2007-2008 global financial crisis and...

October 5, 2021
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04Oct

How Technology Can Save the Global Pensions Industry

Technology continues to progress and change almost every aspect of our modern lives. The pensions industry has been subject to a great deal of change due to technological innovations. Interactive portals, modelling tools and blockchain technology mean that pension funds have an overwhelming variety of technology at their disposal. This has allowed individuals a greater level of control and overview of their pensions than ever before. Since technological advancement is showing no signs of slowing down, understanding its impact on...

October 4, 2021
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