May 2026
18May

UK. Government-backed Pensions Commission calls for action on gender savings gap

A shake-up of pensions in Britain must involve measures to close the gap in retirement savings between men and women, the revived Pensions Commission is to tell ministers. According to the government-backed body, women approaching retirement have on average half the private pension savings of men, with a median pension wealth of £81,000 versus £156,000. The commission, which is expected to publish its interim report on the long-term future of the retirement system this week, said it would look at how the government...

May 18, 2026
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18May

Jamaica. Pension regulator says micro-pension plan unworkable for informal sector

The Financial Services Commission (FSC) has ruled out a state-administered micro-pension scheme for the more than one million workers currently without retirement coverage. A micro-pension is a retirement savings product designed for low-income and informally employed workers, allowing sporadic or irregular contributions as low as $400. "It was determined that a micro-pensions product would not be feasible for Jamaica," an FSC consultation paper stated. "However, it was stressed that the  Approved Retirement Schemes (ARS) framework could be strengthened for greater accessibility...

May 18, 2026
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15May

US. Mamdani’s counting on pension restructuring to balance the budget. Will the unions let that happen?

Mayor Zohran Mamdani wants to delay certain payments to the city’s pension funds to help close the city’s multibillion dollar funding deficit. The only problem is that he needs municipal labor unions’ approval to change up their retirement accounts, and some unions are mum about the plan while others outright oppose it. While it’s still early, the unions’ apprehension to immediately get on board speaks to the plan’s politically sensitive nature. The pension restructuring proposal is one of the lifelines...

May 15, 2026
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11May

UK government unit targets £99bn of investment from Australian pension funds

A plan to target £99bn of overseas pension investment into key UK projects by 2035 has been announced only weeks after the government struggled to pass its pensions schemes bill. A new “Supers Unit”, led by the Office for Investment, aims to boost collaboration and streamline investment from Australian pension funds into growth sectors, including infrastructure, real estate and private markets. This follows a memorandum of understanding signed at last month’s IMF meetings between UK chancellor Rachel Reeves and Australian treasurer...

May 11, 2026
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07May

UK. TPR outlines vision for megafunds and simplified pensions market by 2036

The Pensions Regulator (TPR) chief executive, Nausicaa Delfas, has said the UK workplace pensions market could look “very different” by 2036, with a smaller number of large pension megafunds, greater consolidation and more scheme-led retirement solutions becoming the norm. Speaking at the Eversheds Sutherland UK Pensions Conference, Delfas said the pensions market was currently undergoing “the biggest changes in pensions since the introduction of auto-enrolment”. Setting out her vision for the future of the UK pensions system, Delfas said she expected to...

May 7, 2026
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06May

UK. Why we won’t see another pensions bill any time soon

The ink has barely dried on the finalised Pension Schemes Bill, but already attention is turning towards the next legislation that may hit the industry. Many of the Pension Schemes Bill’s elements require secondary legislation and industry consultations, which policymakers will be working on over the coming months. But there are other policy issues that could require legislation in the future, including the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) ongoing consultation on trusteeship and administration. Pensions Expert reported last year that the Pensions...

May 6, 2026
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April 2026
30Apr

UK. CDC code of practice laid before parliament as TPR clarifies comms role of trustees

The Pensions Regulator (TPR) may act against trustees if they fail to identify “unclear or misleading” communications in relation to collective defined contribution (CDC) pension schemes. TPR’s code of practice for CDC schemes was laid before parliament this week (29 April), ahead of coming into force around October this year. The regulator also published its response to the CDC code consultation, which closed earlier this year, and stated that it would hold trustees accountable for poor communications. This was an area...

April 30, 2026
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30Apr

Greece. ‘They treat me like a dog’ – 89-year-old opens fire in Athens office over long-running pension dispute

An 89-year-old man opened fire inside a social security office in central Athens and later at a courthouse, injuring five people. According to his own statements, the incident was driven by a long-running dispute over his pension and a sense of injustice. The shootings unfolded on Monday at an office of Greece's main social security body, EFKA, in the Kerameikos area of Athens. Five people were injured, including employees and members of the public, inside the building at the time. None of the injuries...

April 30, 2026
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22Apr

Emma Douglas named chair of UK Pensions Regulator

The UK government has appointed Emma Douglas as the new chair of The Pensions Regulator (TPR). Douglas will take up the role at a time of ongoing change across the UK pensions landscape, with the regulator continuing to focus on protecting savers while supporting innovation and market development, it noted in a statement. Her five-year term begins on 1 July 2026, when current interim chair Kirstin Baker steps down. Announcing the appointment, pensions minister Paul Maynard said: “I am delighted to appoint...

April 22, 2026
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10Apr

Ghana. NPRA moves to prosecute over 11 employers for non-compliance

The National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) is tightening its grip on employers who fail to pay workers’ pension contributions, revealing that some 11 companies have already been taken to court over such violations. According to the Authority, these enforcement have led to the recovery of over GH¢27 million from defaulting employers' money that rightfully belongs to workers planning for life after retirement. But officials say this is only the beginning, warning that even stricter sanctions are on the way for those...

April 10, 2026
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