February 2021

Major UK pensions bill becomes law

The UK’s Pension Schemes Bill became law today upon receiving Royal Assent, with the government describing the event as confirming “the biggest shake-up of UK pensions for decades”. Introduced in the House of Lords in January 2020, the bill completed its passage through parliament last month after the government gave reassurances in relation to proposed funding rules. Read also UK roundup: £1trn of DB pension risk to be insured by 2031, says Hymans Guy Opperman, minister for pensions, said the Royal Asset...

Chile. AFP apuestan por inversiones verdes y activos alternativos en la búsqueda de mejores retornos

La crisis económica generada por la pandemia no sólo ha afectado la capacidad de ahorrar para la pensión, -producto de la pérdida de empleos-, sino que también ha traído incertidumbre en los mercados financieros, factor que ha reconfigurado el escenario de inversión para los fondos de pensiones. Bajo este contexto, cinco Administradoras de Fondos de Pensiones (AFP) entregan su visión respecto a los desafíos y apuestas que identifican para este año. Desde AFP Capital, el gerente de inversiones, Francisco Guzmán, detalla que ve dos tendencias. Una...

China. Green finance gets newfound incentivization

China will make it easier for international investors to access the country's green finance market by promoting the harmonization of domestic and global green standards as part of its efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060, central bank officials said on Tuesday. Read also Asia needs pension reforms for sustainable growth The green finance industry in China needs to learn from the asset management experiences of foreign investors, such as multinational pension funds and insurance companies. Large capital injections are also...

Debt for Climate: Green Bonds and Other Instruments

By Paul Rose This chapter, prepared for the Edward Elgar Research Handbook on Climate Finance and Investment Law (2020, Michael Mehling and Harro van Asselt (eds.)), examines the rise of green bonds, climate bonds, and other green financial instruments. Although climate finance has enjoyed positive momentum in recent years, this momentum is at risk—with the possibility of reversal—if climate markets fail to provide competitive risk-adjusted returns. For climate finance to compete effectively, governments, issuers, and investors must resolve a...

Canada. Pension plans focusing on streamlining ESG strategies in 2021

Pension plans in Canada now factor environmental, social and governance monitoring in their investment process, and in the absence of national guidance, plan managers are using various tools and methods to analyze ESG risk, noted panelists of a roundtable recently hosted by The Association of Canadian Pension Management. “Considering ESG requires a balance of the investment opportunities with the risks, I think we’re still in an evolving situation right now where lack of data is a challenge to assessing...

Debt for Climate: Green Bonds and Other Instruments

By Paul Rose This chapter, prepared for the Edward Elgar Research Handbook on Climate Finance and Investment Law (2020, Michael Mehling and Harro van Asselt (eds.)), examines the rise of green bonds, climate bonds, and other green financial instruments. Although climate finance has enjoyed positive momentum in recent years, this momentum is at risk—with the possibility of reversal—if climate markets fail to provide competitive risk-adjusted returns. For climate finance to compete effectively, governments, issuers, and investors must resolve a...

UK. Smart Pension commit to move away from fossil fuel investments

Smart Pension has today (February 1) committed to halving its scheme emissions before 2030.  The prominent UK master trust has signed up Make My Money Matter, a campaign which is fighting for a world where we all know where our pension money goes. There is currently over £3 trillion in UK pensions, and this money which is owned by all of us is invested to build our savings for the future. But many of us do not know where this money...

January 2021

US. Biden May Have to Move Quickly to Reverse Anti-ESG Rule

The clock is ticking for the Biden administration to nullify Donald Trump’s restrictions on retirement plan fiduciaries, rules by which the Republican sought to limit their ability to direct money into environmental, social and governance funds. Trump’s Department of Labor moved earlier this month to adjust the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to require those overseeing pension and 401(k) plans to always put economic interests ahead of so-called non-pecuniary goals. It was seen as a direct...

UK pension schemes face new climate risk reporting rules

The UK’s largest workplace pension schemes must comply with new mandatory requirements to take action on climate change under government measures that will also pile pressure on the fund management industry. Read also UK. Pension Minister Urges Treasury For Retirement Changes But The Self-Employed May Miss Out | Personal Finance | Finance From October, trustees of pension plans with more than £5bn in assets will have a legal duty to report on the financial risks of climate change within their...

US. NYC pension funds vote to divest $4 bln from fossil fuels

Two New York City pension funds voted to divest their portfolios of some $4 billion worth of fossil fuel company securities, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Comptroller Scott Stringer, and fund trustees said https://on.nyc.gov/39ejxHM. "Fossil fuels are not only bad for our planet and our frontline communities, they are a bad investment,” said de Blasio in a statement on Monday. New York was among a dozen big cities worldwide that pledged to shift their money out of the fossil fuel...