August 2026

UK. A dynamic value-based framework for retirement

My mother spent much of her working life as a home-help organiser, helping other people remain independent and supporting families who needed care. When she eventually needed help herself, however, that lifetime of contribution gave her no particular claim on the care she required. She simply had to pay for it. That always struck me as odd. We are very good at recognising, storing and exchanging financial wealth, but much less good at recognising other forms of value that people...

South Korea. Elderly income up 80% in a decade, but pension gap triples

South Korea's elderly are moving away from relying on allowances from their children, with public pensions — the national pension and the basic pension — becoming the primary source of income in old age. Annual income per elderly person rose roughly 80 percent over the past decade driven by public pensions, and the share of seniors receiving both the national pension and the basic pension nearly doubled. Yet the income gap between those receiving the national pension and those dependent solely...

UK. Inflation-proofing retirement income: are clients overlooking a valuable annuity opportunity?

We’ve seen a significant cost of living shock since 2020, with prices rising sharply over the past six years. While there were hopes inflation was easing, geopolitical uncertainty earlier this year has already had knock-on effects, with energy bills rising again this month. After many years of relatively modest price rises, inflationary pressures have been a defining feature of this decade. Prices have risen by 42%1 since 2020, once the cumulative impact of inflation has been considered, according to...

U.S. DC pension plan sponsors enhancing support for members, but gaps remain: survey

The survey, which polled more than 500 DC plan sponsors, found employers are asking their DC plans to deliver more than ever, including enhancing the employee experience (69 per cent) and improving retirement outcomes (63 per cent). Three in four ranked retirement savings as a core or top priority within total rewards. However, the survey found many plans are still measured, governed and delivered for a different era, leaving a gap between what employers expect and what their plans are...

July 2026

Inclusive Pensions for an Aging World: Evidence and Strategies for Engaging Informal Workers

By Clément Joubert, Jessica Meckler, Simrin Makhija & Lili Vessereau This Working Paper reviews how different countries have designed pension schemes for informal workers. It focuses on contributory schemes for the “missing middle”: informal workers who have sufficiently stable incomes to save for old age but lack access to suitable pension options. The paper draws upon public documentation and literature on how to target and scale pension schemes for informal sector workers. The world is experiencing a demographic shift in which populations...

Extending Pension Coverage to the Informal Sector in Africa

By Melis Guven  The coverage of pension systems in the Africa region is limited to the small segment of the population in the formal sector. Coverage is thin partly because traditional contributory pension schemes are not responding to the needs of the informal sector. As a result, a large share of the region’s adult population has no access to contributory pension schemes during their working lives. This means they will not be eligible for a pension. It also means the...

June 2026

Brussels forces open Dutch pensions fortress – but will anyone enter?

The European Commission has persuaded the Netherlands to dismantle a long-standing barrier in one of Europe’s largest pension markets. In theory, the move could open access to more than €1.3 trillion in retirement assets. Yet in practice, the impact of this apparent victory for the EU single market may be very limited. In late May, Dutch Social Affairs Minister Hans Vijlbrief told parliament that the government would change pension legislation after the Commission concluded that current rules unfairly restrict EU...

Council agrees position on increasing the appeal of the pan-EU personal pension product (PEPP)

The Council reached today its negotiating position on a review of the pan-EU personal pension product (PEPP). The review seeks to make the PEPP a more attractive, accessible and simple option for savers. It will remove some existing requirements and design features that have hampered PEPP’s take-up, while continuing to ensure a high level of consumer protection. PEPP is an EU-wide voluntary personal pension product, established in 2019, that can complement existing public and occupational pension systems, as well as national private pension schemes. Strengthening...

The financial well-being of retired professional athletes: debunking the myth about financial irresponsibility

By Grant Laschowski & Norm O'Reilly This research aims to investigate the financial well-being (FWB) of retired male athletes in major professional North American team sports. Framed around Kempson’s (2017) FWB Model, the aim of this research is (1) to identify the key drivers that influence how retired athletes feel about their current financial situations and (2) to assess these findings in the context of how external constituents view the FWB of these athletes. The research addressed two questions: What...

Spain. Pension specialists denounce the short-term approach and demand reforms with a long-term horizon

Several pension specialists have denounced this Tuesday the short-term nature that, in their opinion, has dominated the debate on the future of the system and have urged to face its sustainability with a long-term perspective. In a conference promoted by Funcas and the Association of Journalists of Economic Information (APIE), the professor of Sociology at UNED and researcher at Funcas, Elisa Chuliá, stated that the 2023 pension reform has implied a "paradigm shift" compared to previous modifications. As she explained, while...