March 2024

Japan’s GPIF under spotlight following plans to expand manager pool

In a pivotal moment for Japan’s financial landscape, plans by the Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF)  to widen its scope of asset managers have reverberated through domestic markets. With GPIF president Masataka Miyazono’s announcement at the forefront, the world’s largest pension fund embarks on a strategic journey, challenging traditional selection criteria and signaling a shift in investment strategy as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida aims to elevate the standard of the country’s asset owners. Comments by Miyazono, the president of the...

Pension Funds Market to Reach $109.1 trillion, Globally, by 2032 at 5.5% CAGR: Allied Market Research

The demographic shifts, regulatory shifts, and the growing emphasis on sustainable and responsible investing, driven by increasing awareness of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors are expanding the market reach of pension funds. Prime determinants of growth As populations age globally, the demand for pension products rises, compelling funds to adapt their investment strategies for long-term sustainability. Regulatory changes, aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability within the pension industry, push funds to adopt more sophisticated risk management practices. However, economic uncertainties...

Retirement industry shows mixed response to U.K. budget proposals

The U.K. retirement industry has urged caution over announcements in the nation's spring budget statement by Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt, with proposals including the establishment of a unifying "pot for life" and a move to mandate disclosures of how much of a portfolio is invested in the U.K. Hunt confirmed that the U.K. government was to continue with its retirement "pot for life" concept — allowing participants to request that new employers contribute into an existing retirement plan...

Expert panel: How DC plan members can hedge longevity risk for more effective decumulation

Retiring baby boomers are in an era of decumulation anxiety, as they convert their pension assets into income that they fear won’t hold up over the entirety of their retirement. The decumulation problem is complex for defined contribution pension plan sponsors because it involves transferring lump sum pension assets to retirees who may lack investment expertise and who may not know how to distribute their savings to cover their entire retirement horizon. It’s not obvious how to calibrate between having the desired...

U.K. pension funds to disclose domestic investment as London stock market falters

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt on Saturday said U.K. pensions will have to disclose how much they have invested domestically, in a move meant to boost the faltering U.K. stock market. Under the plan, defined contribution funds by 2027 will have to disclose their level of investment in British businesses, as well as their costs and net investment returns. Hunt said the proposal will first be reviewed by the Financial Conduct Authority. Pension funds also will have to disclose how they performed against...

Final report: Engaging with Pensions at timely moments

By Department for Work & Pensions The research achieves this by exploring people’s attitudes and behaviour with regards to pensions, saving, and retirement planning; identifying whether specific life events might be useful prompts to help people engage with their pensions; and looking at how the government and the pensions industry could best support people at these times. Get the report here

February 2024

Global pension assets recover to pass US$55trn

Global pension assets rose by 11 per cent on aggregate to US$55.7bn in 2023, according to the Thinking Ahead Institute’s (TAI) latest Global Pension Assets Study. Its previous 2022 study measured the largest annual fall in global pension assets since the global financial crisis following a decade of uninterrupted growth. At the end of 2022, global pension assets stood at US$50.2trn. The UK overtook Canada to become the third largest pension market by total assets, which stood at US$3.2trn at the end of 2023. The...

US. Public retirement systems’ investment management expenses dip to 4-year low

Public retirement systems saw their investment management expenses drop significantly in fiscal 2023 from the prior year, reaching a four-year low, according to an annual study by the National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems. In fiscal 2023, surveyed retirement systems averaged investment management expenses of 39 basis points, down from 49 basis points the year before, while administrative expenses remained steady, according to the study. A Feb. 12 news release revealing the results of the study said the four-year low...

Ghana. SSNIT supports pensioners’ healthcare with GHC1million

The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has presented a cheque for GHS 1 million to the National Pensioners Association’s (NPA) medical scheme. The contribution is in fulfilment of a commitment by SSNIT’s management made in 2017 to prioritise the well-being of pensioners under the SSNIT Scheme in the country. Dr John Ofori-Tenkorang, Director-General of SSNIT, speaking at the ceremony in Accra, reaffirmed the Trust’s support for the activities and welfare of the Association. The commitment, he stressed, demonstrated the Trust’s...

AI’s impact can’t be overstated – BlackRock and Invesco execs

By COURTNEY DEGEN   Artificial intelligence will have a tremendous impact on the economy, healthcare and other industries, executives from BlackRock and Invesco said Feb. 12 at the Exchange ETF conference in Miami Beach, Fla. "It's hard to overstate the impact of AI on the economy (and) on different industries," said Jay Jacobs, U.S. head of thematics and active equity ETFs at BlackRock. AI is what Jacobs called a "platform technology," meaning "it is going to bring other industries into the fold that maybe don't even exist...