October 2024
04Oct

The Sustainable Investment Report 2024

By Dan Wills We are delighted to present the latest in our IFA Annual Report Series; The Sustainable Investment Report 2024. There are many facets of sustainability and companies are having to change their processes and behaviours to work towards our sustainable future. Researched and written by leading Compliance Consultant Tony Catt, this report is intended to provide a snapshot of the current situation and thinking from across the industry, in relation to the matter of sustainability in investment solutions. Get the report...

October 4, 2024
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02Oct

US. Private equity firms ploughing billions into fossil fuels, analysis reveals

Private equity firms are using US public sector workers’ retirement savings to fund fossil fuel projects pumping more than a billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere every year, according to an analysis. They have ploughed more than $1tn (£750bn) into the energy sector since 2010, often buying into old and new fossil fuel projects and, thanks to exemptions from many financial disclosures, operating them outside the public eye, the researchers say. In many cases they are mortgaging workers’...

October 2, 2024
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September 2024
30Sep

UK. Pension funds generating more cash than savers expect, finds research

Pension funds are generating more returns than most Britons expect, according to new research which suggests many savers underestimate how much cash their pension can generate. Industry data shows that leading pension funds have brought average annual returns of 7.72% over the last five years for people who are 30 years away from retirement. The same researchers found in a previous survey that over a third of savers aged 18 to 54 only anticipate returns between 5% and 7%. The findings underline the...

September 30, 2024
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30Sep

Pension investors seek better means to force action on climate

Pension savers across the world are increasingly looking to invest their money in ways that help the climate. And, for those so inclined — whether as an employee with a workplace scheme or someone going it alone with a private pension — there are plenty of options available. Since 2022, UK pension schemes with more than £1bn in assets under management have been legally required to consider and report on climate-related risks and opportunities. Each relevant scheme should have a...

September 30, 2024
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30Sep

Global equities attract more pension investments

It is expected to continue as larger pension plans diversify their equity strategies. Pension funds are increasingly shifting towards global equity mandates as part of their investment strategies, reflecting a growing interest in international equities. According to Lesley-Ann Morgan, Global head of Pensions and Retirement, and Rachel Munnery, Product Strategy director at Schroders, sector flow data revealed a significant trend of positive net sales in global large-cap equities, contrasting with the consistent net outflows from regional equity mandates. Corporate defined benefit (DB) plans,...

September 30, 2024
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27Sep

Pension scheme assets – how they are invested and how and why they change over time

By The Pensions Policy Intitute We know both ‘quite a lot’ and ‘not enough’ about the assets that back current and future retirement incomes. Quite a lot because there are several sources of data that map pension fund assets and the way in which they are invested. Not enough because there are gaps in our knowledge and a multiplicity of data sets that classify assets in slightly different ways. The timing of different reports can also create difficulty mapping assets...

September 27, 2024
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26Sep

Insurance, pensions see 6.2% rise amidst market gains

In 2023, global financial assets rose by 7.6%, reaching $267.68t (EUR239t), recovering from the previous year's decline. Amongst asset classes, insurance and pensions saw a notable increase of 6.2%, driven by rising interest rates and stock market gains, according to Allianz’s 15th edition of its "Global Wealth Report." Households globally shifted away from bank deposits, which saw minimal growth of 4.6%, one of the lowest increases in two decades. Instead, insurance and pensions proved more resilient in attracting savings, with a...

September 26, 2024
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25Sep

Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance unveils milestone emissions cuts

Institutional investors holding a combined $9.5 trillion of assets say they’ve slashed portfolio emissions at a rate that aligns them with the goal of limiting global warming to the critical threshold of 1.5C. The Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance, whose signatories include Allianz and the $519.9 billion California Public Employees’ Retirement System, Sacramento, said in a statement on Sept. 25 that reduction in greenhouse gas emissions registered by its 88 members was at least 6% on average, annually, since 2018. At...

September 25, 2024
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23Sep

Sustainable Investing Pursuing Differentiated Paths

“Sustainable investing” has entered the financial lexicon. More investors have adopted it as the preferred term to describe their approach to incorporating the material impacts of environmental, social and governance factors on their investments. But with the proliferation of diverse sustainable approaches available today, it can mean different things to different participants in the institutional investment world. Thomas Kuh, head of ESG strategy at Morningstar Indexes, broadly defines sustainable investing “as an overarching category that includes climate, ESG and impact....

September 23, 2024
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23Sep

UK pension fund Nest agrees tie-up to invest up to £1bn in build-to-rent

The UK’s state-backed pension scheme has agreed a tie-up with insurer Legal & General and Dutch pension fund manager PGGM to invest up to £1bn in build-to-rent properties, in a deal hailed by the UK government as an example of how the country’s retirement savings can be directed towards its homebuilding effort. The groups are today announcing a partnership with an initial £350mn commitment of combined investment, expected to grow to £1bn in the coming years, to build and manage...

September 23, 2024
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