March 2026

UK. PMI: Why a new pension system needs a new regulatory approach

The latest of the Pensions Management Institute’s (PMI’s) regular columns says the question is no longer how we regulate schemes, but how we regulate a system. For years, policymakers and the industry have anticipated defined contribution (DC) consolidation. That future has now arrived. Master trusts now dominate both DC membership and assets, smaller schemes continue to exit the market, and the landscape is increasingly shaped by a small number of large providers. Yet our regulatory framework still reflects an earlier,...

Pension and Entrepreneurship: Evidence from Sweden’s Transition from Defined Benefit to Defined Contribution

By Ai Jun Hou, Di Cui, Mingfa Ding, Yikai Han & Xiaoyang Li Sweden's 1999 pension reform-which replaced a defined-benefit (DB) regime with a notional defined-contribution (DC) scheme-changed incentives in ways that affect employees' career choice over the life cycle. We use Swedish administrative data and a difference-indifferences approach to study the impact of this reform on entrepreneurship. We find that entrepreneurial entry increases more after the reform among cohorts with greater exposure to the new DC pension system. The...

February 2026

How to bring gig workers into the pension system

Policymakers should consider successful efforts in other countries to bring “informal” workers into pension saving as part of the effort to address the global adequacy problem, according to major new research. A report by the Coller Pensions Institute and D3P Global has listed 20 recommendations for improving access to pension savings for ‘gig’ workers, who work short-term flexible jobs. The institute’s analysis indicates that “informal” workers – including market traders, taxi drivers, and domestic help workers – now make up more...

January 2026

Pension Economics

By Torben M Andersen A coherent introduction to the economics of pensions is provided to give the reader insights in the many objectives addressed by pension systems and the design possibilities available. The text offers an in-depth overview of the literature and its main insights and conclusions with sufficient rigor to understand the basic mechanisms, but without excessive technical details, focusing on the intuition and implications of the results. The pros and cons of different pension schemes are discussed from...

UK. Scale, support and sustainability to define DC pensions market in 2026

LCP expects 2026 to be a pivotal year for the defined contribution (DC) pensions market, driven by new regulation taking shape, tax reform and evolving member expectations. LCP is urging employers and trustees to act early to stay ahead of the curve. LCP’s five key areas of focus for employers and trustees are: 1. Pension Schemes Bill Royal Assent for the Pension Schemes Bill this year will introduce value-for-money (VfM) requirements, small-pot consolidation and post-retirement defaults. LCP is advising trustees to start benchmarking...

November 2025

Why private pensions can’t fix the ageing problem

Across Europe, politicians increasingly tout private pensions as a cure-all for reviving stagnant stock exchanges, fostering entrepreneurship and curbing ballooning public spending as populations age. But any governments that bet on this solution may be disappointed. A proliferation of individual piggybanks will not solve the deeper challenges that flow from having purchasing power ever-more concentrated in older hands. According to the United Nations, Europe’s population aged 20 to 64 will shrink by 31% between now and 2100, while longer lifespans...

Italy, France and Belgium carry most worrying debts in EU, top bank says

Italy, France and Belgium have the most concerning debt-sustainability outlooks in the EU, according to the latest study published by the National Bank of Belgium. The analysis published today found that Italy, France and Belgium are the most fragile economies in Europe when it comes to government debt. They already carry some of the heaviest debt loads in the European Union, and their problems are made worse by rapid population ageing and rising pension costs. Koen De Leus, chief economist at BNP...

Vanguard Introduces How America Retires, Analyzing America’s Retirement Revolution

Vanguard introduces the inaugural How America Retires report, a companion to How America Saves, that analyzes Vanguard retirement plan data and industry trends, uncovering insights into the behaviors, decisions, and challenges faced by Americans in retirement. As defined contribution (DC) plans continue to dominate the retirement landscape, How America Retires explores income-generation strategies in retirement and the critical role 401(k) plan design plays in shaping retiree outcomes. With more than four million Americans turning 65 this year1 and significant progress...

European pension funds back recommendations for more responsible mining sector

A commission of institutional investors, including the Church of England Pension Fund and the Council of Ethics for the Swedish National Pension Funds, has outlined recommendations for a more socially and environmentally responsible mining sector. The recommendations were made by the Global Investor Commission on Mining 2030, a multi-stakeholder commission supported by global investors managing or advising USD 18trn of assets. The 10-year vision for the mining industry, published just a week before the start of COP 30, is intended to...

October 2025

Is it right to have 25% of DC pensions invested in just seven companies?

Yesterday, Nvidia became the first company in the world to reach a market value of $5trn (£3.8trn). The US chipmaker's valuation growth has been stellar – with it reaching a market value of $1trn (£758bn) for the first time in June 2023 and $4trn (£3.03trn) just three months ago, all on the back of the AI-boom. Nvidia's value is now about half the size of Europe's entire benchmark equities index, the Stoxx 600, and dwarfs all 350 constituents of the FTSE...