March 2025
07Mar

US stock market meltdown hits UK pensions as Donald Trump’s tariffs spark panic

US shares have continued to fall as investors fear Donald Trump's trade wars will cause huge damage to the American economy. The decline in the value of US-based businesses will hit millions of people with savings in pension funds in countries such as the UK as well as across America. This is because many funds from across the world are invested at least partly in the US. The NASDAQ market, which has a particular focus on technology stocks, has fallen...

March 7, 2025
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07Mar

Switzerland raises concerns over handing pension fund management to US banks

For all intents and purposes, the funds appear to have been well-placed, yielding a return of 7.33% last year, thanks to positions in bonds, equities, oil and gold. Compenswiss, an independent public body that manages the assets (46.1 billion Swiss francs, or 48.9 billion euros) of Swiss social security insurers, has been pleased. "At the end of 2024, all asset classes were clearly in positive territory," said institution director Eric Breval three weeks ago, while presenting its annual results....

March 7, 2025
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06Mar

Canada’s biggest pension fund calls for economic diversification as tariffs hit

Canada must diversify its economy and position itself as more competitive on the global stage if tariffs promised by U.S. President Donald Trump take effect, Canada's biggest pension fund said on Tuesday. Edwin Cass, chief investment officer of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, said his country's economy was "tied at the hip" to the U.S. after Trump said on Monday 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico would go into effect almost immediately. "One of the things we obviously should have been doing...

March 6, 2025
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04Mar

UK. DB schemes reconsidering long-term strategies amid market changes

Defined benefit (DB) pension schemes may be reconsidering their endgame strategies in light of recent market movements, PwC has said, after its Low Reliance Index continued to show a record surplus position, rising to £180bn in February 2025. PwC’s Buyout Index also recorded a surplus position of £90bn, demonstrating that DB pensions schemes continue to have, on average, sufficient assets to buyout their pension promises. PwC head of investment strategy, Sam Seadon, noted that there has been "something of a roller...

March 4, 2025
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04Mar

UK. The People’s Pension Fund Revamps Investment Strategy

The People’s Pension has pulled more than US$35bn of investments from State Street over sustainability and ESG concerns, passing funds to Amundi & Invesco One of the UK's leading pension funds, the People’s Pension, has made a significant move by withdrawing £28bn (US$35bn) from State Street, as part of its strategic alignment towards enhanced Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals. This reshuffling involves reallocating a substantial £20bn (US$25bn) to Amundi, and another £8bn (US$10bn) to Invesco. Consequently, only £5bn (US$6.2bn) remains under State Street's management, notably reduced...

March 4, 2025
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03Mar

Brookfield eyes UK’s pensions risk deals with insurance spin-off

Brookfield, the North American asset manager, is set to muscle in on a lucrative area of the UK pensions industry dominated by Legal & General, Aviva, Standard Life and other British insurers. The Canadian-American firm will launch Brookfield Wealth Solutions (BWS), its insurance spin-off, as an entrant into the bulk annuity pensions market. This is where private companies with traditional defined-benefit pension schemes seek buy-in or buy-out deals to transfer their risks to insurers and life assurance companies. The UK pension...

March 3, 2025
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03Mar

Taiwan. Record-breaking pension fund earnings distributed

People enrolled in the new Labor Pension Fund received record-breaking boosts to their pensions, as gains made through the fund’s investments were distributed across accounts today, the Bureau of Labor Insurance announced. Investments made by the fund netted record gains of NT$698.97 billion (US$21.25 billion) last year, the bureau said. A total of 12.92 million people enrolled in the fund had their pensions boosted, 200,000 more than the previous year, the bureau said. Bureau of Labor Insurance signage is pictured in Taipei...

March 3, 2025
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February 2025
24Feb

Pension funds boost contributions amid rising risks

Pension funds are bracing for heightened risks in 2025, with 74% of senior executives planning to increase contributions and 73% raising budgets for scenario modelling, according to Ortec Finance, a provider of technology and solutions for risk and return management. Despite 65% of executives reporting an improved funded status, many remain cautious about liquidity and long-term sustainability. The survey, which covered pension funds managing $1.451 trillion in assets across the UK, US, Netherlands, Canada, and Nordics, found that 84% expect...

February 24, 2025
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20Feb

Why trustees must keep ahead of greenwashing risks

‘Greenwashing’ by asset managers and other entities can leave trustees exposed to legal, regulatory and reputational risk, a law firm has warned. It comes after some high-profile campaigns have highlighted investments into fossil fuel companies made by asset managers and pension providers, despite claims of low carbon and sustainable approaches. Most recently, the Make My Money Matter campaign highlighted 12 of the UK’s biggest pension providers and claimed there was a “persistent failure” across the industry to address climate change concerns. Kate Granville Smith,...

February 20, 2025
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19Feb

US. Over 71,000 retirement savers may be victims of cyber breach at The Pension Specialists

More than 71,000 customers of retirement plan administrator The Pension Specialists may have had their personal data breached in a cyber theft that occurred last year, according to a notification filed by The Pension Specialists with the Office of the Maine Attorney General on Feb. 14. The company became aware of the cyber incident on Feb. 24, 2024, when it experienced a network disruption. After initiating an investigation with cybersecurity experts, it determined that certain files may have been accessed...

February 19, 2025
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