January 2026
21Jan

The FCA Is Overhauling UK Pensions Advice, But Will Savers Benefit?

New rules will allow pension and investment providers to make “targeted support” recommendations to certain groups of customers. The rules come into effect from April 6 as a solution to the so-called “advice gap”. Some commentators are concerned about the risk to consumers as the government pushes to get more people investing. 2026 will be the year that “once-in-a-generation” regulatory changes transform UK retirement planning and enhance people’s ability to make long-term decisions about their pensions—or so the Financial...

January 21, 2026
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19Jan

UK. DWP says thousands missing out on extra £80 per week

Recent figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) reveal that almost a million pensioner households may be failing to claim an average of £4,300 a year - or around £80 a week - in benefit income to which they are entitled. As many as 910,000 households eligible for Pension Credit failed to claim the benefit, resulting in approximately £2.5 billion remaining unclaimed. In an effort to help more individuals above State Pension age obtain additional financial assistance in the...

January 19, 2026
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15Jan

UK. Pensions administration to become ‘core’ governance function by 2030

Pensions administration is set to move from a back-office operation to a core element of scheme governance by the end of the decade, driven by regulatory pressure, technological change, and heightened risk awareness, LCP has predicted. Writing in a blog post, LCP senior consultant, Ella Holloway, said the revised administration guidance from The Pensions Regulator (TPR) had clarified expectations for trustees and signalled a shift in how administration should be viewed, placing it firmly at the centre of effective governance rather than...

January 15, 2026
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15Jan

Romania adopts new law on payments of private pensions

Romania’s newly passed Law 2/2026 on Payment of Private Pensions was published in the Official Gazette of Romania. This law, which will enter into force one year after its publication. provides a mechanism for payment of private pensions aligned with international standards and brings Romania closer to its goal of membership in the OECD. Context for the adoption of Law 2/2026 In June 2024, the OECD's Working Party on Private Pensions welcomed parts of Romania's private pension system but issued a...

January 15, 2026
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13Jan

UK. DWP pension error leaves thousands at risk of Universal Credit underpayments

A Department for Work and Pensions administrative error may have left many thousands of Universal Credit recipients out of pocket, with those affected potentially entitled to both increased payments and backdated arrears. The blunder, brought to light by pensions expert Steve Webb, centres on claimants who contribute to pension schemes while receiving Universal Credit.   Multiple benefit recipients came forward after discovering that DWP staff had incorrectly declined to subtract their pension payments from earnings when calculating their Universal Credit entitlement. Under the...

January 13, 2026
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09Jan

UK. DWP told to introduce state pension ‘means test’ to ‘guarantee its survival’

The Department for Work and Pensions has been told to "means test" the state pension to "guarantee" its survival. Craig Mackinlay, writing in the Telegraph, called on the Labour Party government and the DWP to make changes. Mackinlay of Richborough is a member of the House of Lords. He was previously the MP for South Thanet and served on the DWP and Public Accounts Select Committees. He is also a chartered accountant and tax adviser. He explained: "My solution was a...

January 9, 2026
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09Jan

Chile. Senate Advances Bill to Prevent Convicted Individuals from Receiving Survivor Pensions for Femicide and Domestic Violence

The Senate’s Commission on Women and Gender Equity has unanimously approved a project that amends Article 5 bis of Decree Law No. 3,500 of 1980. This change aims to ensure that individuals convicted of crimes such as femicide and domestic violence do not benefit from the survivor pension of their victims. This initiative, currently in its second legislative process, seeks to establish a legal framework for the correct application and full functionality of the law, according to the Senate’s bulletin. The...

January 9, 2026
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06Jan

2026 marks beginning of ‘decade of pensions transformation’

UK pension schemes enter 2026 in a robust position with strong funding levels, but the year ahead is expected to mark the start of significant structural change for the system, Penfold has stated. The digital pensions provider noted that defined benefit (DB) pension schemes were collectively running an estimated £223bn surplus, with assets exceeding long-term liabilities by around 24-25 per cent. Meanwhile, defined contribution (DC) assets under management have continued to grow, reaching around £650bn - an increase of roughly 40...

January 6, 2026
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December 2025
23Dec

UK. A Christmas wishlist for the pensions industry

By Nick Reeve With the festive break upon us, it’s time to find out what the pensions industry really wants for Christmas this year. Pensions Expert asked representatives of 21 organisations from across the UK retirement industry to come up with one ‘Christmas wish’ – something they would like to see over the next 12 months. From a smooth passage for the Pension Schemes Bill to collective defined contribution (CDC) schemes becoming a reality, from defined benefit (DB) endgames to the Pensions...

December 23, 2025
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19Dec

Heterogeneous Institutional Investor Response to Firm Environmental Regulatory Risk

By Chunxiao Lu, Yuyang Zhang & Linxiang Ma This paper investigates whether institutional investors incorporate firm-level environmental regulatory risk into their portfolio decisions. We document substantial heterogeneity across investor types in their responses to changes in firm-level environmental regulatory risk. Long-horizon investors, such as banks, insurance companies, and pension funds, tend to tilt their portfolios toward stocks with higher environmental regulatory risk. In contrast, short-horizon investors, including investment advisors and mutual funds, reduce their holdings of these firms. These opposing...

December 19, 2025
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