May 2025
29May

EU. Hundreds of ESG funds renamed as ESMA guidelines kick in

Nearly 700 investment funds have had their names changed to avoid falling foul of new sustainability rules from the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). NGOs Finanzwende, Urgewald and Facing Finance have found that 674 funds were rebranded to stay on the right side of the EU supervisor’s fund-naming guidelines, which came into force fully last week. The rules require funds that use language associated with six themes (transition, environment, social, governance, impact and sustainability) to invest at least 80% of their...

May 29, 2025
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28May

Hong Kong regulator prods pension funds on US rating downgrade implications

Hong Kong's pensions regulator has told the city's pension funds they may need to adjust their investment portfolios to reflect the impact of a downgrade to the U.S. sovereign credit rating, according to a statement. Ratings agency Moody's cut America's pristine sovereign credit rating by one notch earlier this month, the last of the major ratings agencies to downgrade the country, citing concerns about the nation's growing $36 trillion debt pile. Pension funds regulated by Hong Kong's Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) Schemes...

May 28, 2025
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26May

Why a retirement age of 70 is a bad idea, according to science

If you are counting the years until you can retire, then don’t move to Denmark. The country has just passed a law nudging the official retirement age up to 70, which will take effect in 2040, for people born in 1971 or later. But Denmark is not the only place with this idea. The UK state pension age used to be 60 for women and 65 for men. It is currently 66 for everyone, but it will increase – in stages – up...

May 26, 2025
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23May

Decoding Pension Funds: Sustainability Indicators for Annual Report Analysis

By Leticia Martins Medeiros, Clea Beatriz Macagnan & Rosane Seibert Pension funds' growth highlights the need to emphasize fiduciary duty and investment sustainability, considering the current and future participants' interests (priority stakeholders) and systemic risk reduction (environmental, social, economic, and governance effects). Therefore, this study builds sustainability indicators based on the interests of pension fund stakeholders. The methodology comprised five stages: the first consisted of analyzing Annual Information Reports to create a preliminary list of indicators; the second involved examining...

May 23, 2025
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23May

US. House passes reconciliation bill that cuts federal employee retirement benefits

The House voted 215-214 along party lines early Thursday morning to pass its budget reconciliation package that includes a slimmer range proposed cuts to federal workers’ retirement benefits. The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration. Last month, the House Oversight and Reform Committee advanced its portion of the bill, which would cut federal spending to partially pay for tax cuts for the wealthy and increased immigration enforcement. The measure included provisions requiring employees previously exempted from higher Federal Employees...

May 23, 2025
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21May

Donald Trump considers order to open US retirement plans to private equity

Donald Trump’s administration is debating an executive order that could open the nearly $9tn US retirement market to private capital groups focused on corporate takeovers, property and other high-octane deals. The order would instruct agencies such as the departments of labour and Treasury and the Securities and Exchange Commission to study the feasibility of opening 401k plans, a primary vehicle for US retirement savings, to the private funds, according to four sources familiar with the talks. Trump opened the door for...

May 21, 2025
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19May

UK. State pensioners must obey DWP holiday rule or face ‘being taken to court’

State pensioners are being warned to obey a little-known Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) rule if they're heading out on holiday this year. Pension Credit claimants may not realise they need to inform the DWP if they plan to holiday outside mainland UK for any duration this year. A question in the DWP FAQ online asks: "Can I leave Great Britain and keep getting Pension Credit?" The DWP states: "We may pay Pension Credit for up to 4 weeks while...

May 19, 2025
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April 2025
30Apr

Kenyan retirees win big as govt exempts pension from tax

How Kenyan retirees will benefit In a statement on Tuesday, April 29, the State House revealed the Cabinet had approved the bill that will benefit retirees in the public and private sectors. By removing pension taxes, the government intends to improve the financial stability of retirees, allowing them to enjoy their post-work years without worrying about additional tax deductions on their pension income. "Retirees will benefit significantly as all gratuity payments, whether in public or private pension schemes, will now be fully...

April 30, 2025
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29Apr

UK pension system is at a tipping point

The UK faces a pensions time bomb that could detonate within a generation. Unlike all good suspense movies, there is not going to be a cutting of the red or blue wire in the final seconds of a digital countdown; solutions are complex, multi-faceted and wide reaching. For decades, the UK pension system has been regarded as a stable safety net, ensuring workers can retire with dignity. But beneath this illusion of security lies a crisis in the making. The combined pressures of...

April 29, 2025
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25Apr

The role of CEOs in the sustainability of defined benefit pension plans

By Joanne Horton, Paraskevi Vicky Kiosse, Maria Koumenta & Evisa Mitrou The future of defined benefit (DB) pensions is a hotly debated topic in reward management. Drawing on agency and managerial power theories, the conditions under which CEOs can affect their sustainability have been examined. We show that when the CEO is a member of the same DB plan as their employees or when the CEO is both a member and a trustee of the plan, this affects the agency and power...

April 25, 2025
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