November 2021
08Nov

UK. More than 130 MPs call for parliament pension fund to divest from fossil fuels

More than 130 MPs, including over half of the parliamentary Labour party, have signed a cross-party letter to their pension fund calling on it to divest from fossil fuel companies to “ensure that our pensions are not funding climate disaster”. The letter, to be delivered on Monday to trustees of the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund (PCPF), applauds recent reductions in investments in fossil fuels, but adds: “We believe you must go a step further, divesting from the fossil fuel industry...

November 8, 2021
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04Nov

Can ethical investing really help in the fight against climate change?

By Ralph Benson What links climate change, the Black Lives Matter movement and the Facebook whistleblowing controversy? They’re all impossible to ignore when it comes to investing your money ethically. As global leaders and climate activists gather in Glasgow this week for COP26, in the face of the threat of climate catastrophe, the term ‘ethical’ will be bandied about in relation to all topics, from government finances to corporate responsibility. We, as potential pension investors, can play our part in this by...

November 4, 2021
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03Nov

Knowing the difference between ethical, responsible and impact investing

Climate change awareness and environmental concerns have never been more important, and over the past few years these issues have been spoken about in abundance when describing financial investments. Three phrases in particular have been commonly used to describe investment products and strategies, but there is still confusion as to their exact meaning. Mike Appleby, investment manager on the Liontrust Sustainable Investment team, outlined the difference between ethical investing, responsible practices and impact investing. “Ethical investing looks to avoid controversial industries such...

November 3, 2021
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01Nov

South Africa Pension Funds To Exclude Non-CBDC Crypto Assets

South Africa Restricts Non-CBDC Crypto The South African government, in an effort to push its CBDCs, has introduced legislation that restricts non-CBDC crypto from being invested in pension funds. The new regulations are in sharp contrast to the older regulations that allowed portfolio managers to invest around 2.5% of funds into the category of “other assets,” which also included crypto assets. The new rules, however, exclude cryptocurrencies, citing a lack of protection. The Fairfax County Police Officers Retirement System in the...

November 1, 2021
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October 2021
29Oct

Pensions Should Stop ‘Hibernating’ Investments, JPMorgan Says

Equities, hedge funds, real estate and emerging-markets sovereign debt are among the investment categories that can help pensions “fine-tune the level of risk relative to the expected return,” the asset manager said Thursday in its report. Defined-benefit employee retirement plans have leaned on long-duration fixed-income securities for too long, according to the report. Pensions should change the de-risking strategies they’ve pursued since the 2008 financial crisis to embrace a wider array of investments, JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s asset-management unit said...

October 29, 2021
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28Oct

UK pension schemes are funding more emissions than the entire UK’s carbon footprint

The analysis suggests pension schemes invest an estimated £112 billion in fossil fuels. That means for every £1,000 invested around £60 supports the fossil fuel industry. Richard Curtis, Co-Founder at Make My Money Matter, commented: “While we’ve seen green shoots of progress with voluntary net zero commitments, £2 trillion remains in schemes which have failed to act, undermining the UK government’s own net zero targets.” Last week, new research found that almost 70% of leading UK schemes have not made robust net...

October 28, 2021
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27Oct

South Korean pension fund to invest in Bitcoin ETF: Report

South Korea’s public pension fund, the Korean Teachers’ Credit Union (KTCU), is reportedly looking to gain exposure to Bitcoin (BTC) via a crypto exchange-traded fund (ETF). Read also UK. PensionBee Partners with Plaid to Leverage Open Banking KTCU, one of the largest institutional investors in South Korea, is considering investing in a pure Bitcoin ETF or Bitcoin-linked ETFs in the first half of 2022, local news agency The Korea Economic Daily reported Monday. Read also US Public Pension Fund Invests In Bitcoin...

October 27, 2021
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26Oct

UK. Pension funds invest £128 billion in fossil fuel businesses, according to new information.

Pension funds should use their huge financial power to help the fight against climate change, a Cabinet minister will say tomorrow. In a speech to the Policy Exchange think tank, Work and Pensions Secretary Thérèse Coffey is to argue the multi-trillion pound retirement savings across the world can become a global “superpower” in the battle for a greener planet. Her address will coincide with the Government setting out plans to align UK pension rules with the 2015 Paris Accord goal to...

October 26, 2021
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26Oct

Dutch pension giant spurns fossil fuels as funds shift before COP26

Dutch pension fund ABP will divest 15 billion euros ($17.5 billion) of investments in fossil fuel producers by 2023, it said on Tuesday, as many of the world's biggest investors set out new climate policies ahead of next week's COP26 summit. Read also UK pension schemes are funding more emissions than the entire UK’s carbon footprint With policymakers gearing up for the talks aimed at accelerating action on global warming, financial firms from across the world are announcing new steps to...

October 26, 2021
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26Oct

Canada. LifeWorks releases the results of its Performance Universe of Pension Managers’ Pooled Funds

LifeWorks (TSX: LWRK) has released the results of its Performance Universe of Pension Managers’ Pooled Funds for the third quarter of 2021. Read also UK. FCA creates LTAF, a new investment fund for pension schemes and specialized investors According to the report, in the third quarter of 2021, diversified pooled fund managers posted a median return of 0.7 per cent before management fees and 8.0 per cent since the beginning of the year. Read also Pandemic Offers This Silver Lining For Retirement...

October 26, 2021
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