March 2026

Mortality Risk Valuation in Policy Assessment. A Global Meta-Analysis of Value of Statistical Life Studies

By OECD Policymakers are often faced with decisions affecting human health and mortality risk. For example, new vehicle fuel efficiency standards may lead to higher costs for consumers but could also save lives by improving air quality in urban areas, thus creating a trade-off between economic costs and the value of reducing mortality risk. Yet, too often, these economic trade-offs are not assessed in a systematic manner using a consistent methodology. This report aims to equip policymakers with the methodologies and economic...

2025 Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance Impact Report

By Climate Policy Initiative The 2025 Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance (the Lab) Impact Report highlights how innovative financial solutions are helping mobilize private investment for climate action in emerging markets. From 2014 to 2025, the Lab incubated 87 climate finance instruments designed to address barriers to investment in sectors such as renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, nature-based solutions, and climate resilience. Together, these solutions have mobilized USD 4.4 billion in climate investment, with USD 1.83 billion from private investors. The report...

UK pension fund to vote against boards backpedaling on climate

UK pension giant Nest will now vote against board chairs where the company they oversee has materially scaled back its climate commitments without explanation. Updating its voting policy, Nest said where adjustments are made to transition strategies, boards are expected to provide clear and evidence-based reasoning to shareholders. It said it will now be more explicit in its voting approach to support constructive dialogue with companies. Nest director of responsible investment Diandra Soobiah said the update builds on the existing approach...

Is ESG investing in the best interests of pension scheme members?

Pension funds can do more to mitigate climate change and should feel empowered to do so, according to Caroline Lucas, former leader of the Green Party. Debating whether environmental, social and governance (ESG) investment strategies have a future, in a session at the Pensions UK Investment Conference in Edinburgh yesterday (11 March), Lucas said that investing in opportunities that build a resilient future is looking after member interests. “Environmental policy and pension policy are still seen too much as separate domains,...

How the UK’s largest pension schemes have navigated recent volatility

Leading pension scheme investment bosses have highlighted the importance of appropriate governance processes to help navigate periods of volatility. On a panel discussion at the Pensions UK Investment Conference in Edinburgh this week, senior representatives from three of the UK’s largest pension managers explained that clear delegation and communication were key to successfully navigating volatility. Joe McDonnell, chief investment officer at Border to Coast Pensions Partnership, said his asset allocation committee had been meeting “more frequently” in recent weeks to assess...

AI-driven investment strategies could help boost pension schemes’ risk-adjusted returns

Artificial intelligence (AI)-driven investment strategies could help pension schemes improve risk-adjusted returns without increasing portfolio risk, according to SmartWealth Asset Management AG CEO, Dr Miro Mitev. Speaking to Pensions Age, Mitev argued that systematic, AI-based portfolio construction could reduce human bias in investment decision-making while improving the efficiency of portfolio optimisation. “At the end, what success means is actually the performance for a client,” he stated. “If you implement these kinds of tools correctly and properly, and you are following the rules without...

Hong Kong Regulators Widen GenA.I. Sandbox Across Financial Services

Hong Kong’s financial regulators have widened a regulatory sandbox for generative artificial intelligence, extending the programme beyond banking to cover securities, asset and wealth management, insurance, pensions and stored-value facilities as authorities push to position the city as a hub for responsible AI use in finance. The new initiative, called GenA.I. Sandbox++, was launched on March 5 by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the Securities and Futures Commission, the Insurance Authority and the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority, in collaboration with Cyberport. It builds on the original GenA.I....

US. Pension freezes threaten retirement security again

A growing number of employers, including major healthcare systems like Intermountain Health, are freezing pensions, signaling a renewed shift away from guaranteed retirement income. Rising costs, longer life spans, and market volatility are driving companies toward defined contribution plans that transfer investment risk to employees. Workers now face the challenge of replacing lost pension value through higher personal savings, revised portfolio strategies, and alternative retirement products. Intermountain Health freezes pension plan for many employees Intermountain Health, a major nonprofit health system...

Canada’s largest pension funds joining Australian peers to increase investments in both countries

Canada’s largest pension funds are joining an initiative that aims to boost pension investments between Canada and Australia. The Canadian-Australian Pension Funds Investment Initiative, announced Wednesday during Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to Australia, will create a framework for pension funds in the two countries to discuss policy barriers and associated solutions to improve the current business environment. The agreement includes participation from the Alberta Investment Management Corp., the British Columbia Investment Management Corp., the Caisse de dépôt et placement du...

UK. Government urged to withdraw mandation from Pensions Bill

Pensions UK is calling on the Government to withdraw the power that would allow it to direct how pension schemes invest UK workers’ retirement savings from the Pension Schemes Bill. As drafted, the reserve power extends significantly beyond the Government’s stated intention of supporting the Mansion House Accord, a voluntary commitment by 17 of the largest workplace pension providers to invest at least 10% of their defined contribution (DC) default funds in private markets by 2030, with 5% of the...