February 2022
23Feb

Danish pension scheme halts Russian investments

Danish pension fund AkademikerPension will immediately halt new investments in Russian assets after President Vladimir Putin recognised Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine as independent, it said on Tuesday. The $23 billion fund said it would stop new investments in Russian government bonds and companies where the Russian state owns stakes of more than 50%. "Putin's formal recognition of the two separatist republics is a violation of Ukraine's sovereignty, which is a violation of international law. And it is also a...

February 23, 2022
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22Feb

UK. Parliament pension fund makes ESG investments

The scheme’s annual report revealed that the fund is integrating environmental, social and governance issues throughout its investment process, while making a number of commitments to ESG-aligned mandates throughout the year to March 2021. Read also UK. DWP confirms GMP revaluation rate reduction First, the scheme invested in the BlackRock Global Renewable Power Infrastructure Fund III, making its first contribution in August 2020, with further capital calls made later in the year. Read also From human rights to recycling bins: how can...

February 22, 2022
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22Feb

One of Top Korean Banks to Launch Crypto Fund

Kookmin Bank, one of the four largest banks ranked by asset value in South Korea, is set to launch its own cryptocurrency investment fund. Read also Canadian Pensions Bankrolling Elder Abuse and Misappropriation of Public Money by French Long-term Care Multinational: CUPE According to an announcement, the so-called Digital Asset Management Committee will work on a crypto exchange-traded fund (ETF). Although the timetable is unclear, the bank said it plans to speed up its efforts after the country gets more clear...

February 22, 2022
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22Feb

United States: Shareholder Activism Or Divestment? The Massachusetts Pension Fund Chooses Activism

The Boston Globe reported yesterday that the Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Management Board approved investment guidelines that would have the Board vote against directors of companies in which the Board invests where the company does not have a plan to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. As the Globe notes, there is something of a debate among climate activists whether it is better to support divestment or the kind of activism represented by the Board's action yesterday. In that...

February 22, 2022
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21Feb

From human rights to recycling bins: how can you define ‘ethical investing’?

Companies are facing increasing consumer and shareholder pressure to ensure the investments they make are ethical. But how do they define what’s ethical? Broadly, ethical investment is on the rise. According to the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA), about $1tn of the $2.24tn in managed funds is classified as responsible. That’s not just because Australians are becoming more aware of the impact their investments can have, but also because responsible or ethical investment is really starting to pay. Sustainable, environmentally...

February 21, 2022
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18Feb

Kenya’s pension industry eyes partnership with Chinese firms to spur investment returns

Kenya's pension industry said Thursday it plans to partner with Chinese firms in order to boost returns on investments. Sundeep Raichura, chairman of Kenya Pension Fund Investment Consortium (KEPFIC), told Xinhua in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, that they are keen to collaborate with foreign firms that have the expertise to undertake viable infrastructure projects such as roads, rail and energy plants. Read also Ghana. GH¢10bn private pensions funds available for investment in GSE securities – Deputy MD "As the Kenyan pension industry,...

February 18, 2022
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17Feb

UK. Pension chiefs encourage company stakeholder engagement

A group of pension executives has challenged companies to engage with their stakeholders and intensify their efforts to reach net zero emissions. The statement came in a letter to the Financial Times, signed by leaders from across the defined benefit and defined contribution spaces, Local Government Pension Scheme funds and private plans who are collectively responsible for more than £675bn in assets. Brunel Pension Partnership’s chief responsible investment officer Faith Ward, Nest’s chief executive Helen Dean and BT Pension Scheme Management’s...

February 17, 2022
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17Feb

New pension changes coming for South Africa before the end of February

The National Treasury will introduce new pension fund regulations for South Africa before the end of February, says deputy finance minister David Masondo. The changes are aimed at ‘unlocking’ new investment in infrastructure by the private sector and form part of the process to amend Regulation 28 of the Pensions Fund Act to enable retirement funds to invest in infrastructure, Masondo said in his State of the Nation debate in parliament this week. “These amendments introduce more effective maximum limits for...

February 17, 2022
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16Feb

Global retirement assets hit $56.6 trillion in 2021 – Thinking Ahead Institute

Global institutional retirement assets set a new record in 2021, reaching $56.6 trillion by the end of the year in the 22 largest markets, according to a study released Wednesday by the Thinking Ahead Institute in London. Read also US. A monumental year pushes assets up 17% In the largest markets, 54% of those assets are in defined contribution funds, the study found. Retirement asset totals by the end of 2021 were up 6.9% from a year earlier, when they first surpassed...

February 16, 2022
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16Feb

Dutch pension fund PFZW to end investment in some fossil fuel companies

PFZW, the Dutch health care workers' pension fund, on Wednesday said it would disinvest from any fossil fuel company by 2024 that doesn't have a "convincing and verifiable" strategy to reach the goals laid out in the Paris Climate Change agreement. The decision by PFZW, with 278 billion euros ($316 billion) in assets, follows similar moves by other asset managers to overhaul the way they invest as part of a global efforts to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Some have...

February 16, 2022
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