May 2022
10May

Nigeria. Pension fund assets now worth N13.88tr

Pension fund assets grew by N453.8 billion to a historic N13.88 trillion in the first of quarter of the year ended March 2022 (Q1 2022), and assets under management rose 3.38 per cent above N13.4 billion in December 2021. Data compiled by the National Pension Commission (PenCom) also shows that 12,336 Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) contributors switched their Retirement Savings Accounts (RSAs) between PFAs in Q1 2022. This is 4.2 per cent lower than the 12,874 who switched in Q4 2021...

May 10, 2022
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09May

US. Another crypto issue: Is there really demand?

The big question now for cryptocurrency investing in defined contribution plans is how amenable sponsors, participants and consultants will be to accepting these offerings to augment retirement savings. Even before Fidelity Investments announced a program that would let participants invest up to 20% of their 401(k) accounts in cryptocurrency, NEPC LLC detected a "meaningful increase from clients asking for education on crypto within 401(k) plans," William Ryan, Chicago-based partner and head of defined contribution plan solutions at the investment consultant,...

May 9, 2022
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04May

South Africa. GEPF signs new unlisted Africa investment mandate with PIC

The Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) and the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) have signed a new mandate related to unlisted developmental investments in Africa. The PIC confirmed the new mandate in a short statement on Tuesday, but did not reveal the value of the deal. However, Bloomberg reported that the agreement is worth around $1.6 billion (just over R25 billion If this figure is correct, then it is much lower than the GEPF’s previous unlisted developmental investment mandate with the PIC,...

May 4, 2022
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03May

Millennials Will Make Impact Investing Mainstream

Impact investing will likely become a mainstream investment strategy as millennials attain more wealth, according to a Fidelity Charitable study that found that 61% of millennial investors already practice impact investing, compared with only one-third of all investors. “We find that investors are increasingly interested in aligning their investments with their broader values and desire for social change,” Scott Nance, vice president of impact investing at Fidelity Charitable, said in a statement. “And the trend toward values-based investing will only...

May 3, 2022
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02May

Nigeria. Pension funds now N13.88tn, 61% invested in bonds, T-bills – Report

Total assets under the Contributory Pension Scheme rose by N460bn in three months to N13.88tn in March, according to figures from the National Pension Commission released on Friday. This was contained in the National Pension Commission’s latest report titled, ‘Unaudited report on pension funds industry portfolio for the period ended 31 March 2022; Approved Existing Schemes, Closed Pension Fund Administrators and RSA funds (Including unremitted contributions @CBN & legacy funds).’ The funds, which ended December 31, 2021, at N13.42tn, rose to...

May 2, 2022
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April 2022
29Apr

US. Companies Look to Diversify Their Pension Investments as Funding Levels Soar

Companies are looking for alternative investment options for their pension plan funds—for example, high-quality private credit—as they look to diversify their holdings amid high funding levels. Businesses in recent years have invested a greater proportion of their plans in fixed-income securities, which are considered safer bets than assets such as equities, commodities, private equity and real estate. S&P 1500 companies invested 51% of their plan funds in fixed income in 2021, up from 50% a year earlier and 42% a...

April 29, 2022
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28Apr

Global Pension Finance Watch: First quarter 2022

By Nathan Pavlik & David Finn The sharp increase in discount rates drove positive first quarter pension index results for all regions. Asset returns were negative for all regions except Brazil for the quarter which partially offset the liability gains. Inflationary impact were most pronounced in the UK where plans provide annual pension increases based in inflationary indicators. The overall impact of these changes resulted in positive pension index returns for all markets during the first quarter. While it is always...

April 28, 2022
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28Apr

Q1 Was a Bad Quarter for Pension Investors, Says Willis Towers Watson Report

Pensions around the world had a rough first quarter, according to a new Willis Towers Watson report. The report lists the average returns and liability increases of Brazil, Canada, the Eurozone, Japan, Switzerland, the U.K., and the U.S. U.K. pensions took the biggest hit in Q1, with an average negative investment return of 9.9%. Discount rate benchmarks increased this quarter in all regions. Brazil has the highest average discount rate of 9.87%, followed by the U.S. and Canada with 3.93%...

April 28, 2022
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27Apr

US. New York City Wants to Amp Up Risk in Workers’ Pensions

New York City’s comptroller is the latest public official trying to change laws aimed at limiting risk in pension investments, as U.S. state and local pension funds try to plug shortfalls in a low-return environment. Comptroller Brad Lander, who oversees about $260 billion in retirement money for city police, firefighters, teachers and other public workers, is asking New York lawmakers for more flexibility to invest in private markets, high-yield debt and foreign stocks. The state comptroller’s office, which supervises another...

April 27, 2022
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26Apr

French President Macron’s re-election is muted good news for markets

French President Emmanuel Macron's re-election victory Sunday should see financial markets "breathe a collective sigh of relief," but Russia's invasion of Ukraine has not erased concerns in Europe, said Seema Shah, chief strategist with Principal Global Investors. Having Mr. Macron serve another term "is good news for the euro, French bond spreads and the share prices of French banks, (but) it is hard to see much upside for these assets in the near term given the broader macro outlook in...

April 26, 2022
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