May 2021

The transition of financial services to ESG and green finance

As we tackle one of the biggest global crises of our time, green and sustainable issues are becoming more critical than ever for business leaders in the financial services sector. Julian Wells, director and financial services & FinTech lead at Whitecap Consulting, shares some perspectives. Sustainability in business has tended to be primarily associated with long-term commercial performance issues such as with balance sheet strength, brand reputation, and enterprise value. Now, there is an additional movement gaining significant momentum and...

China population: state pension fund under pressure from ‘unprecedented challenge’ as nation gets older

This is the fifth in a series of stories about China’s once-a-decade census conducted in 2020. The world’s most populous nation released its national demographic data on Tuesday, and the figures will have far-reaching social policy and economic implications. Zhao Baidong, a 28-year-old property agent in Beijing, would like to travel when he retires, but with China and its state pension system facing a “challenge unprecedented in human history” as its population gets older, he is concerned he might be...

Can green fintechs solve the polluting pension problem?

Fintechs have seen green, launching apps that help us track the carbon emissions of our shopping habits, play the stock market in a planet-friendly way and even fight plastic pollution with our debit cards. These offerings are nudging consumers towards better behaviours, but there is one far bigger and far less sexy financial problem this crop of startups now wants to tackle. Pensions. A new survey from YouGov and Money Matter found that 44% of people would switch over to a...

NFTs And Your Retirement Account

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have been a hot asset class in 2021. Through the end of March, the combined market cap of major NFT projects was up 1,785%, year to date. As the name suggests, a non-fungible asset is meant to be a unique asset that is non-fungible. This means an NFT cannot be interchanged with other assets of the same type. This is what is particularly exciting about them for many investors. Each NFT is made up of information that...

España. Escrivá eleva la edad para la jubilación forzosa a los 68 años y cede con los convenios ya aprobados

Por Beatriz Torija Esperemos que los cuchillos no vuelen en la mesa del diálogo social en la que Gobierno, patronal y sindicatos están negociando la reforma de las pensiones. Lo que sí es seguro es que están encontrando alguna piedra en el camino que dificulta la negociación. Y una de ellas ha sido, sin duda, la jubilación forzosa. El Gobierno pretendía eliminarla, pero tanto sindicatos como, especialmente la CEOE, se oponen. Pero el asunto es prioritario y, de hecho, en el...

Perú. Fondos de AFP: SBS publicará el 19 de mayo reglas para retirar S/ 17,600

La Superintendencia de Banca, Seguros y AFP (SBS) publicará el 19 de mayo el procedimiento operativo que permitirá a los afiliados del Sistema Privado de Pensiones (SPP) el retiro de hasta 17,600 soles o cuatro unidades impositivas tributarias (UIT) de los fondos pensionarios, dispuesto por Ley 31192, informó el superintendente adjunto de AFP de la SBS, Elío Sánchez. Leer también Análisis comparativo de la rentabilidad y liquidez en las administradoras de fondos de pensiones, Perú “La SBS siempre ha publicado los...

Australia Considers Paying Pensions on Parental Leave Program

Australia could chip into the pension funds of eligible workers who take up its 18 weeks of paid parental leave, just not yet, amid criticism the government isn’t doing enough to ensure women are financially secure in retirement. The policy was changed last year to also pay fathers to take time out of the workforce to help raise kids, however it hasn’t yet had time to “manifest,” Jane Hume, minister for superannuation and newly-installed minister for women’s economic security, told...

Chileans drain $10 bln more from pension funds as pandemic drives withdrawals

Chileans flocked for a third time to withdraw money from their retirement funds this week, draining nearly $10 billion from the country’s privatized pension system in a move some billed as a lifeline amid a fierce second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Read also Chicago Boys’ Free-Market Pension Model Is Unraveling in Chile Chile’s Congress in late April approved a bill allowing citizens a third opportunity to withdraw 10% of savings held in privately held pension funds. Many Chileans have already...

South Africa: Green light for infrastructure investment by retirement funds?

In South Africa, the draft Amendments to Regulation 28 of the Pension Funds Act were published by National Treasury earlier this month. These amendments will allow retirement funds to invest up to 45% of their assets in infrastructure. This is set to open a huge potential source of funding for domestic infrastructure projects, but there has been some debate around whether this will be enough to help bridge the country’s infrastructure gap. Draft Amendments to Regulation 28 of the Pension...

US. Biden’s $86 Billion Pension Rescue Set to Boost Corporate Bonds

U.S. President Joe Biden’s pension bailout might do more than just support troubled retirement plans. It could also spur tens of billions of dollars in demand for corporate bonds with the lowest investment-grade ratings, according to Citigroup Inc. Struggling multi-employer pensions, which are often tied to unions, will be able to apply for special financial assistance, thanks to the $1.9 trillion pandemic-relief bill signed into law in March. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp., which insurers the plans, will make a single...