July 2026

Simplified asset manager sustainability reporting could hamper green investments

Asset manager reporting exemptions under the finalised ESRS could create a ‘significant blind spot’ for their sustainability performance Asset managers are the latest group to benefit from revisions to sustainability reporting requirements, as EU and UK regulators look to simplify disclosure frameworks. The European Commission has adopted its finalised sustainability reporting standards, which were revised under its first sustainability omnibus package. The new ESRS will reduce the number of mandatory data points by more than 60 per cent and the number of...

How Rational Is AI Investment Advice? Risk-Return Relevance in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Investments

By Nanying Lin, Oscar Gilbert & Tianxiang Chu Textbook finance theories indicate that investors demand risk premia from risky assets as compensation for risk and for hedging against future unfavorable economic states. We design a comprehensive study to examine whether investment advice generated by artificial intelligence (AI) reflects a coherent risk–return pattern in investment decision-making. We find that AI advises investors to increase stock investments when return increases and reduce stock allocations when stock volatility increases. However, AI ignores the...

UK Pension Schemes Act a mixed bag for impact investors

The UK Pensions Scheme Act, which became law in April, seeks to reinforce the consolidation of a fragmented pensions industry to improve outcomes for savers and, potentially, direct more institutional funding into under-invested areas of the economy. That could herald greater institutional investment in impact funds and other impact-related investment vehicles, but it remains unclear how effective the act will be in achieving that. One headline measure is the creation of multi-employer, defined contribution (DC) megafunds of at least £25bn (€28.9bn),...

Danish fund cuts US exposure in fossil fuel investment revamp

Danish pension fund Sampension is set to exclude seven American upstream companies in a bid to revamp its fossil fuel investment plans. While company names were not disclosed, Sampension has said it will simultaneously maintain exposure to seven European majors – Aker BP, BP, Eni, Equinor, OMV, Repsol and Shell. Additional exclusions also apply to two undisclosed companies, one Chinese and another European. The fund says the war in Iran contributed to its decision. “As we see it, the Iran war...

June 2026

US. An Opportunity Hiding In Plain Sight: Developing An Aging Investing Roadmap

Adults over 50 represent one of the most powerful economic forces of our time, driving more than 50% of U.S. consumer spending and projected to command $65 trillion in global spending by 2030. By 2053, a third of Europe, a quarter of America, and nearly two billion people globally will be over 65. “The numbers are clear,” says Peter Kaldes, Esq., President and CEO of Next50. “The population is aging, and the market hasn’t caught up to meet the opportunity....

South Korean Lawmaker Proposes Counting Crypto, Overseas Assets in Basic Pension Eligibility

A bill has been proposed in South Korea to include virtual assets, or cryptocurrencies, and overseas financial assets in property assessments used to determine eligibility for the basic pension. Pinpoint News reported on June 29 that Rep. Seo Young-seok of the Democratic Party, a member of the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, introduced an amendment to the Basic Pension Act. The bill would add cryptocurrencies and overseas financial assets above a set threshold to the assets used in calculating...

Pension funds and insurers manage $100 trillion dollars — can they use it to help solve global problems?

Over the past century, finance has become increasingly disconnected from the physical world it depends on. Every day, trillions of dollars move through financial markets as stocks, bonds and derivatives. Much of that money never reaches the businesses, infrastructure and systems that power the real economy. The scale of this shift is striking. In 2024, around $149 trillion worth of shares were traded on global stock markets. Yet, companies raised only $741 billion in new capital through those same markets. So, for...

Making pensions more inclusive for LGBTQ+ members

Research by Scottish Widows shows almost half (49%) of LGBTQ+ people are on track for less than a minimum retirement lifestyle, compared with 38% of non-LGBTQ+ people. More than half (54%) aren't confident managing their retirement savings, compared with 37% of the wider population, while 30% are not saving for retirement at all. These figures highlight that retirement outcomes are shaped by much more than pension contributions alone. Family circumstances, health, financial confidence, workplace experiences and access to support can all...

South Africa. Government invested R18 billion in pension funds in 23 companies and lost 100% of its money

The Public Investment Corporation’s (PIC) Isibaya Fund invested more than R18.2 billion in 23 companies, which ultimately recorded an internal rate of return (IRR) of -100%, meaning the investments lost all their value. The losses came to light through a parliamentary reply to questions from DA MP Andrew Bateman to the Minister of Finance regarding the PIC’s unlisted investment portfolio. The PIC is South Africa’s state-owned asset manager and invests money on behalf of public sector clients, including the Government Employees Pension Fund...

South Korea. Robotics ETFs Draw 3 Trillion Won as ‘100-Year Growth’ Sector Rises

“Pension investors, just memorize this. These are the ETFs that will make you smile in the end if you consistently accumulate them: U.S. representative index ETFs, robotics and automation ETFs, and monthly dividend ETFs. Most pension investments end within these categories.” This is the investment advice gaining attention in pre-retiree communities these days. The so-called “pension trio” strategy positions U.S. representative index ETFs as a solid foundation, supplemented by robotics ETFs targeting growth potential and monthly dividend ETFs that provide...