April 2022
26Apr

UK. Aegon investing £3bn in BlackRock ESG range

Aegon is investing £3bn of its default funds into a range of ESG index funds launched by BlackRock. The firms worked together on the iShares range, which includes six ESG equity income index funds which track Morningstar’s regional and country-specific indices. The change means that ESG exposure in the Aegon workplace default fund will double to 60 per cent for investors in the growth stage of their retirement savings, and to 40 per cent for those in retirement. A number of other...

April 26, 2022
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22Apr

US. Amazon faces new activism from pension funds in New York over worker safety

A group of New York city and state pension funds that collectively own more than $5 billion of Amazon.com Inc. stock are urging fellow shareholders to vote against re-election of two board members for what the institutions say are failures to adequately protect worker safety. New York City’s pension fund, which represents the teachers, police department, fire department and other unions, has paired up with New York state’s pension fund and the office of the Illinois state treasurer to vote...

April 22, 2022
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20Apr

What does the future of ESG disclosure look like?

For trustees, the rise of environmental, social and governance factors within the pensions sector has resulted in a shift in agendas, with compliance and regulatory matters growing in prominence. Fifty-three per cent of trustee boards now consider ESG an important agenda item, according to research produced by the Pensions Management Institute and BMO Global Asset Management in 2021. This is up markedly from 2020, when ESG was important for just 29 per cent of trustee boards. With current regulatory shifts and changes...

April 20, 2022
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20Apr

ESG, SRI, Impact Investing: What Are They, How to Get Started, and How Funds Have Performed

What is ESG, SRI, and impact investing, and how have ESG funds performed? ESG, SRI, and impact investing may seem like last decade's buzzwords, but they now have enough capital and data behind them for investors to pay attention to. ESG stands for environmental, social, and (corporate) governance. ESG investors look for companies that lead in those areas in addition to strong financial returns. Broadly speaking, ESG investors, socially responsible investors (SRI), and impact investors invest in companies that are both financial...

April 20, 2022
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13Apr

US. New York pension leaders back calls for less fossil fuel financing

New York pension officials on Monday said they will support shareholder resolutions filed at major banks seeking quick cuts to financing of new fossil fuel development, pushing climate issues to the fore of another springtime shareholder meeting season. Shareholders should support resolutions filed at Bank of America Corp, (BAC.N) Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) and four other banks "in order to mitigate the systemic risks posed by unfettered climate change," according to a statement sent by a representative of New...

April 13, 2022
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Kenya. Pensions raise investments in offshore, private equity
12Apr

Kenya. Pensions raise investments in offshore, private equity

Pension funds have raised their offshore and private equity investments threefold in the past two years, underlining the push for income diversification from equities and property whose returns have contracted. The funds raised their offshore investments from Sh6.32 billion in 2019 to Sh19.4 billion at the end of last year, the latest industry data from the Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA) shows. Private equity (PE) investments meanwhile went up from Sh969 million to Sh2.96 billion in the period. While alternative investment classes...

April 12, 2022
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11Apr

The Danish Pension System: Design, Performance, and Challenges

By Andersen, Hougaard Jensen & Rangvid The need for pension reform is widely discussed against the backdrop of falling fertility rates and rising longevity. These developments challenge pension systems which in many countries already encounter problems with pension adequacy and financial sustainability. In the debate, reference is often made to Denmark as a model for pension system reform. This book offers the first coherent and in-depth description and analysis of the Danish pension system; its structure and performance. As is well-known to...

April 11, 2022
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Russia: Have investment trends shifted irreversibly?
11Apr

Russia: Have investment trends shifted irreversibly?

It has been six weeks since Russia sent troops into Ukraine, beginning what is perhaps the largest ground conflict in Europe since Germany declared war on France in 1940. Already this has changed the world immeasurably, as well as sending shockwaves through the markets. Read also Germany set for bumper pension hike amid inflation surge As the west has grouped together to impose crippling sanctions on the Kremlin’s elite, businesses have turned away from Russia, causing their economy to haemorrhage. The decision to...

April 11, 2022
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US. Conservative Group Wants to Stop State Pensions From Pursuing ESG Initiatives
07Apr

US. Conservative Group Wants to Stop State Pensions From Pursuing ESG Initiatives

State pension funds should be barred from considering social and environmental factors in their investment decisions, a conservative association said in a push for new state legislation that would clash with the financial industry’s efforts to focus on greener investments. American Legislative Exchange Council, an association of state legislators, on Wednesday put forward model legislation that provides states a template for laws to keep pension funds from following so-called environmental, social and governance trends. “Politically motivated investing, by definition, takes rates...

April 7, 2022
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UK. How to think about sustainable investing for the long term
07Apr

UK. How to think about sustainable investing for the long term

Although funds that broadly fit within the environmental, social and governance universe have grown rapidly in recent years – to the point where they now account for around 5 per cent of the total assets of UK retail funds – in a world of exceptional volatility, can an adviser really think long term about sustainable investing? For Kate Elliot, head of ethical, sustainable and impact research at Rathbone Greenbank Investments, the regulatory outlook for providers is unlikely to look radically...

April 7, 2022
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