April 2025
04Apr

Oil spills, scandals of the past embolden ESG stance of U.N. pension fund CEO

A plastic water bottle might not prompt most people to engage in lighthearted employee ribbing, but for Pedro Guazo, the CEO of the office of investment management at the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, it did. As he watched the office's communications officer, Pilar Lagos, pull a mini water bottle out of her bag during a meeting, he remarked: “Is that,” he asked playfully, “a single-use plastic water bottle?” Sitting on top of the large conference room table was a...

April 4, 2025
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03Apr

Pension investors told not to panic amid market turbulence from Trump’s tariffs

Pension investors should remain calm despite market turbulence caused by US President, Donald Trump's tariffs, Hargreaves Lansdown head of retirement analysis, Helen Morrissey, has said. Trump announced yesterday (2 April 2025) ​a 10 per cent tariff on all UK imports to the US tariffs, with higher "reciprocal" tariffs for the countries branded the "worst offenders". However, Morrissey emphasised that pensions are a long-term game, warning that making “knee jerk reactions”, such as changing investment strategy or cutting back on contributions, can...

April 3, 2025
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March 2025
31Mar

US. Pension Funds Push Forward on Climate Goals Despite Backlash

In the past few months, some of the largest banks and asset managers in the United States have quit net zero networks, the climate groups that encourage their members to set ambitious carbon reduction targets and collaborate internationally on sustainability efforts. But the week after Donald J. Trump won re-election in November, NYCERS, a pension fund for New York City employees, went in the opposite direction. It joined a United Nations-affiliated climate action group for long-term investors, the Net Zero Asset...

March 31, 2025
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31Mar

Japan’s $1.7 Trillion Pension Fund Offers New Backing to ESG

Japan’s $1.7 trillion Government Pension Investment Fund issued new guidelines backing sustainability-related investments as crucial to long-term returns. The fund, one of the world’s largest pensions, sees managing environmental and social issues as fundamental to its strategy, GPIF said Monday in a new policy document — rejecting the shift by other asset managers to downgrade or remove green commitments. Read more @

March 31, 2025
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28Mar

Considerations on ESG Investment Implementation

By Laura T. Starks Although interest in investing according to environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) standards is widespread, investment managers face a number of basic considerations with their portfolio choices. In this article, I give a high-level overview of these considerations within the context of the investor motivation: ESG values, ESG value, or both. These considerations include whether investors should exclude certain firms or use a positive tilt; how they could integrate ESG into an investment approach; the role...

March 28, 2025
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21Mar

UK. Two-thirds of employers embrace responsible pensions; less than half have it as their default

More than two-thirds (69 per cent) of employers in the UK now offer a responsibly invested company pension, but less than half (44 per cent) have it as their default option, research from Scottish Widows has revealed. The firm said this put the onus on employees to take action if they want to switch. However, its Responsibly Invested Pensions report showed that nearly two-thirds (61 per cent) of employees had “no idea” how to change their default, highlighting a growing need for employers...

March 21, 2025
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20Mar

South Korea approves reforms to shore up $830 bln state pension fund

South Korea's parliament on Thursday passed a bill to reform the country's $830 billion pension fund and delay the depletion of the state fund that has been on track to run out by the mid-2050s due to a rapidly ageing population. The bill's passage marks the first time parliament has agreed to a major shake-up in the state pension fund in 18 years and could delay depletion by 15 years. Under the legislative amendment, contributions and payouts will rise, the former...

March 20, 2025
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19Mar

European Pension Funds Shift from US To European Markets

European pension companies are shifting from US to European stocks, with investors withdrawing $2.8 billion from US stock funds and redirecting $5 billion into European equities last week. Danish pension fund PensionDanmark was among these investors, shifting DKK 14 billion ($2 billion) from the US to the European market, which is equivalent to 10% of its total portfolio. Meanwhile, Finnish firm Veritas has also reduced its exposure to US-listed equities, dropping from 46.2% at the end of 2024 to 24.1% currently. Instead, it...

March 19, 2025
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19Mar

How to grow employee pension savings while shaping a more sustainable future

Climate change, social inequality and the transition to a low-carbon economy are among the most pressing challenges of our time. These issues are not abstract concerns for future generations — they are reshaping the world we live in today. And for employees, one of the levers they have to make a positive impact, while also building a more secure financial future, is their pension. Recent Scottish Widows’ research reveals that 72 per cent of employees now expect their employers to offer a...

March 19, 2025
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18Mar

PLSA IC 25: UK pension funds urged to take more risk

UK pension funds are not taking "anywhere near enough risk", particularly given efforts to reach net zero, National Wealth Fund head of banking and investment, Ian Brown, has said, emphasising the need for more investment in key UK assets. Speaking at the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) Investment Conference 2025, Brown urged pension scheme trustees to "please take some more risk". "Please take some more risk - do it in a considered way by all means," he stated. "Do it...

March 18, 2025
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