July 2025
09Jul

Demand for pension risk transfer deals increases around the world

Morningstar DBRS has taken note of the pension risk transfer (PRT) market globally in a new commentary report published July 7. In it, they discuss the skepticism some plan members in the United States have about the deals (and the resulting lawsuits) and the regulatory attention being paid to such deals in the United Kingdom. In Canada they note a jump in market volumes in 2024, saying they anticipate demand for such deals will remain steady. “With life expectancy trending higher...

July 9, 2025
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08Jul

Germany’s 34.1 billion euros pension gives mandate to China stock fund

A German pension fund has tapped a Chinese firm’s Hong Kong arm to help it invest in local stocks, in a rare move among global allocators that have been cautious about gaining exposure to the nation’s equities. KZVK, which manages 34.1 billion euros (S$51 billion), gave US$50 million to Fullgoal Asset Management (HK) in the second quarter, according to sources with knowledge of the matter. The mandate is to invest in Chinese equities listed in Hong Kong, the mainland and...

July 8, 2025
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04Jul

UK. European insurance giant acquires Pension Insurance Corporation in £5.7bn deal

Pension Insurance Corporation (PIC), the specialist bulk annuity provider, has been acquired by European insurance giant Athora in a deal worth an estimated £5.7bn. It will become the UK insurance business for Athora, which has existing presences in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. The acquisition is a significant boost for Athora as it will increase its assets under management and administration to more than €130bn (£112bn). At the end of 2024, PIC was responsible for almost £51bn of assets and...

July 4, 2025
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03Jul

PLSA rebrands to Pensions UK as part of fresh five-year strategy

The pensions industry’s trade body has rebranded itself as Pensions UK following a detailed review of its strategy, and set out a plan to expand its reach and influence over the next five years. Pensions UK, as the organisation will now be known, was previously the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA), a name it adopted 10 years ago. Announcing the new brand and strategy at an event last night (1 July) in London, Emma Douglas, chair of Pensions UK, said...

July 3, 2025
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03Jul

Ghana. Eleven-member board for National Pensions Regulatory Authority inaugurated

Mr Rashid Pelpuo, the Minister of Labour, Jobs and Employment has inaugurated the new governing board of the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) with the charge to accelerate the expansion of pension coverage to the informal sector. He said the informal sector held a significant share of Ghana’s working population and untapped pension contributors hence innovative policies and tailored products must be developed to harness and protect their hard-earned savings. Mr Pelpuo said their appointment came at a time when Ghana’s...

July 3, 2025
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01Jul

US. California public pension fund, the nation’s largest, faces probe launched by concerned retirees

In recent years, the handling of the nation’s largest public pension fund has caused growing alarm among a group of retirees who rely on it. They have sought an outside audit of California’s $530 billion pension fund, known as the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, or CalPERS. They have also tried to persuade legislators to install an inspector general to monitor its operations. Both efforts went nowhere. Now, they’ve decided to take matters into their own hands. The retired public employees are...

July 1, 2025
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June 2025
30Jun

Canada. 2025 Top 100 Pension Funds Report: What are the latest trends in de-risking as DB plans enter surplus territory?

The Canadian pension risk transfer market reached record-breaking demand in 2024 with $11 billion in deals at the end of the year, eclipsing the $7.8 billion combined total of annuities transactions in 2023 and 2022. Indeed, the fourth quarter of 2024 alone saw $5.2 billion of overall transactions, split between $1.5 billion in buy-ins and $3.5 billion in buyouts, according to a March report by Telus Health. The push to de-risk is expected to grow in strength over the next year, despite...

June 30, 2025
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23Jun

CFOs rethink pensions, now embracing creative plan design and de-risking strategies

Many companies are considering changing their defined benefit (DB) plans this year, with hybrid structures and cash balance arrangements attracting increased attention, according to a recent Mercer survey of CFOs and financial executives. This appears to represent a shift in thinking about DB plans following a record number of plan terminations in recent years. According to the survey, half of CFOs do not plan to end DB plans in the near future, which Mercer said suggests they are taking a strategic approach...

June 23, 2025
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16Jun

Nigeria. ESG reform will reshape pension industry – PenOp

The Chief Executive Officer of the Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria, Oguche Agudah, has said that the standardisation of Environmental, Social, and Governance reporting would be a game-changer for the pension industry. Agudah said this at the High-Level Roundtable in Lagos, a pre-event of the 2025 Africa Impact Summit Study Tour in Nigeria, convened by the Impact Investors Foundation, Impact Investing Ghana, GSG Impact, Alitheia Capital, and Kuramo Capital. The Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria is the trade association...

June 16, 2025
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12Jun

Half of DB Sponsors Plan to Stay in the ‘Pension Ecosystem’

Fewer defined benefit plan sponsors are considering terminating their pension funds as other risk management strategies such as plan design changes or limited risk transfers appear more attractive. Fully half of plan sponsors do not intend to terminate their DB plans, up from 36.7% in 2023 and 28.3% in 2021, according to Mercer’s 2025 CFO Survey, shared in a webinar on Wednesday. The survey is based on responses from 173 chief financial officers and senior finance executives. “A lot of the plans...

June 12, 2025
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