January 2021

25Jan

Covid-19 And The Future Of Aging: Technology For Connecting

By Joseph F. Coughlin Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging: What impacts will the Covid-19 pandemic have on development of technologies that enable older adults to connect with their communities and live independently? Joseph F. Coughlin: By April last year, the nation changed overnight. Work commutes, shopping trips, nights out and visits with friends and family were abruptly halted. We retreated into our homes. Both fear and caution locked us inside. Suddenly, all of us were part of...

January 25, 2021
News, Slider, , , ,
Read more...
25Jan

UK. FCA publishes latest data on the defined benefit transfer market

The FCA has published its latest data on the defined benefit (DB) transfers market, covering October 2018 to March 2020. It has noted that there are “signs of improvement” in respect of DB transfer advice; in particular, there has been a significant reduction in conversion rates. This indicates that firms are starting to act more in line with the FCA’s expectations, as advice to transfer out of a DB scheme will not usually be in the client’s best interests....

January 25, 2021
News, Slider, ,
Read more...
25Jan

Singapore. SGX Accelerates Sustainability Drive With Launch Of ESG Derivatives

Suite of four new derivatives a key thrust of SGX FIRST initiative Launch further broadens multi-asset partnership with FTSE Russell Singapore Exchange (SGX) is accelerating its SGX FIRST sustainability agenda with the launch of its pioneering suite of ESG derivatives today. SGX developed the new contracts in partnership with FTSE Russell to offer investors more choice in promoting the integration of Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) factors into institutional investment portfolios on an award-winning market infrastructure. The SGX FIRST...

January 25, 2021
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...
23Jan

Biden team to review Labor Department ESG rule

The Biden administration will review a recent Department of Labor rule stipulating that ERISA plan fiduciaries cannot invest in "non-pecuniary" vehicles that sacrifice investment returns or take on additional risk. In his first few hours in office Wednesday, President Joe Biden signed a flurry of executive orders, including one titled "Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis." Also Read: US. Multiemployer pension plans could soon see relief In the order, Mr. Biden directed all executive...

January 23, 2021
News, ,
Read more...
22Jan

World Bank exposes economic and social impact of coronavirus in South Asia

Governments in South Asia, one of the poorest areas in the world, are ruthlessly imposing the burden of economic devastation created by the coronavirus pandemic onto the working masses. COVID-19 infections continue to wreak havoc, with the number of infections in the region climbing yesterday to a total of 12 million with 176,000 deaths in the region. Also Read: OECD launches MENA Pension Oultook report for the fisrt time Globally, the number of cases has hit 95 million with over...

January 22, 2021
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...
22Jan

US. Multiemployer pension plans could soon see relief

Legislation to help struggling multiemployer pension funds is to be introduced Thursday in the House and could be headed for passage if bundled with a COVID-19 relief measure now before Congress. The proposal also calls for some funding relief for single employer plans through extended amortization periods and pension interest rate smoothing changes. The proposed Emergency Pension Plan Relief Act of 2021 is based on similar multiemployer pension reform legislation proposed in the last session of Congress as part...

January 22, 2021
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...
22Jan

Canadian pension funds hunt for pandemic real estate bargains

Canadian pension funds are seeking to boost their real estate investments, betting the slumping property market will recover as the COVID-19 pandemic recedes and office workers and city dwellers return to downtown properties. Canadian pension funds held $278.7 billion in property assets in 2019, up 4% from 2018, according to the Pension Investment Association of Canada, making them the country’s largest real estate owners. In a world of slower economic growth, very low interest rates, volatility in equity markets,...

January 22, 2021
News, Slider, ,
Read more...
22Jan

Australia. Fresh calls for universal pension after talk of new ‘death tax’

After some talk about drawing money from deceased super estates, one seniors' advocate is recommending a universal pension. Ian Henschke, chief advocate for National Seniors Australia, has renewed calls for a universal pension scheme that isn't means tested. "Review after review complains about older people failing to spend down their capital; they don’t blame the system, they blame the retiree. And then they wonder why no one’s listening," he told Savings.com.au. "By setting income and asset limits which restrict...

January 22, 2021
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...
22Jan

US. Special Report: Why Pennsylvania SERS is Moving Toward a Liability-Driven Benchmark

Seth Kelly, the investment chief at the Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System (SERS), joined the pension fund just half a year ago, but he’s already overseeing some big changes. Board members at the $31.5 billion pension fund last month announced that they are increasing their fixed income allocation in order to move the pension fund toward a liability-driven benchmark. The trustees hope that the changes to the investment policy statement (IPS), including a new 7.8% target for long...

January 22, 2021
News, Slider, , ,
Read more...
21Jan

Digital finance and inclusion in the time of COVID-19

By Niclas Benni The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in severe and protracted disruptions to the livelihoods of people all around the world, both in developing and developed countries. The pervasive effects of this pandemic, which have ended up affecting every aspect of our societies, keep unfolding as the crisis progresses, leaving profound marks on people’s livelihoods and countries’ economies that are expected to last for many years after the pandemic has ended. As part of the global response to...

January 21, 2021
Books, System Sustainability, , , ,
Read more...