June 2026
18Jun

South Korea. Robotics ETFs Draw 3 Trillion Won as ‘100-Year Growth’ Sector Rises

“Pension investors, just memorize this. These are the ETFs that will make you smile in the end if you consistently accumulate them: U.S. representative index ETFs, robotics and automation ETFs, and monthly dividend ETFs. Most pension investments end within these categories.” This is the investment advice gaining attention in pre-retiree communities these days. The so-called “pension trio” strategy positions U.S. representative index ETFs as a solid foundation, supplemented by robotics ETFs targeting growth potential and monthly dividend ETFs that provide...

June 18, 2026
News, ,
Read more...
02Jun

South Korea. [Retirement Pension Investment Strategy] “During Booms, Focus on Indexes… Systematic Investing Is Key to Beating Volatility”

Last year, for the first time ever, the accumulated amount of retirement pension funds in Korea surpassed 500 trillion won, illustrating the continuous growth of the domestic retirement pension market. In addition, the Korean stock market has been experiencing a record-breaking bull run, and the domestic exchange-traded fund (ETF) market has also expanded to 500 trillion won, leading to greater public interest in financial investment than ever before. However, despite this rapid growth, the polarization of returns among retirement...

June 2, 2026
News, ,
Read more...

May 2026
13May

Longevity risk at the individual level

Wellthspan Advisory’s Nadine Esposito explains why living longer does not automatically mean living securely. We celebrate longer lives. In the EU, life expectancy has climbed above 81 years, and reaching 90 is no longer exceptional. Yet beneath this achievement lies an uncomfortable reality: longevity extends time, and time increases exposure. Exposure to health shocks. Exposure to career disruption. Exposure to caregiving demands. Exposure to systems under strain. The dominant narrative frames longevity as a financial challenge: save more, invest better, delay retirement....

May 13, 2026
News,
Read more...
12May

S. Korean civic groups call for family-centered approach to low birth rate

More than 170 South Korean civic organizations called for a fundamental overhaul of the country's low birth rate policies, arguing that restoring family-centered values - rather than expanding cash subsidies - is key to reversing demographic decline. The appeal came during a civic forum and joint declaration event held Wednesday at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul ahead of next year's local elections. The event, titled "Citizen Forum and Joint Declaration on Family-Centered Low Birth Rate and Population Policies," brought...

May 12, 2026
News,
Read more...

March 2026
09Mar

South Korea. Six in Ten Incheon Districts Enter Super-Aged Society

Incheon is transforming from a "young city" into a "rapidly aging city." The Incheon Social Service Agency released results of its 6th Community Welfare Survey on the 9th, warning that demand for care, medical services, and mobility support could surge within the next five to ten years. Incheon's elderly dependency ratio growth rate stands at 38.4%, which is 5.6 percentage points higher than the national average of 32.8%. Six of the city's ten districts have already entered super-aged society status:...

March 9, 2026
News, ,
Read more...
04Mar

How South Korea nudged its birth rate back up – and what Singapore can learn

As Singapore's birth rate hits a historic low, South Korea's modest but notable rebound offers a ray of hope and possible lessons, experts said. Singapore's total fertility rate (TFR) fell to 0.87 in 2025, parliament was told on Thursday (Feb 26), continuing a slide that first pushed the country below 1.0 in 2023. A TFR below one means the average woman has less than one child in her lifetime – far below the 2.1 replacement rate needed to keep the population from...

March 4, 2026
News, ,
Read more...

February 2026
27Feb

South Korea. Pension service posts record investment gains of $161B on local bourse rally

The National Pension Service (NPS) posted record investment gains of 231.6 trillion won ($161 billion) in 2025, boosted by a sharp rally in Korean stocks that sent the local market soaring. NPS Investment Management lifted the fund’s total assets to 1.46 quadrillion won, according to the service's management arm. The NPS fund’s assets rose from 1.21 quadrillion won in 2024 to 1.46 quadrillion in 2025, while the annual return reached 18.82 percent. Since the fund was established in 1988, its cumulative return...

February 27, 2026
News
Read more...
19Feb

South Korean National Pension Service Crypto Holdings Plunge 28% in Q4 2025 Amid Market Turmoil

The National Pension Service of South Korea, the world’s third-largest pension fund, reported a significant 28% decline in its cryptocurrency-related stock portfolio during the fourth quarter of 2025. This substantial decrease marks the first downward movement for the fund’s digital asset investments since mid-2023, reflecting broader market turbulence that began in October. Consequently, the value of these holdings dropped from approximately 880 billion won to 640 billion won ($437.86 million), according to recent regulatory filings. South Korean National Pension Service...

February 19, 2026
News, , ,
Read more...
09Feb

South Korea. Seniors Drive 80% of Employment Insurance Growth as Youth Subscribers Decline

Last month, the majority of new subscribers to employment insurance were seniors aged 60 and older, according to statistics. While the rapid increase in working seniors drove the growth in new subscribers, the number of young people aged 29 and younger enrolled in employment insurance actually decreased. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s report, “Labor Market Trends Based on Employment Administration Statistics,” released on the 9th, the number of regular employment insurance subscribers as of the end of...

February 9, 2026
News, ,
Read more...
05Feb

UK. Industry warns against ‘giving up’ on saver engagement at retirement

The pensions industry should maintain engagement and not rely too heavily on default solutions at retirement, industry experts have stated. Speaking during an ABI Annual Conference session on personal pensions, Fidelity International head of platform policy and oversight, James Carter, emphasised a “fundamental difference” between individuals who actively opened a personal pension and those who were automatically enrolled into a workplace scheme. He cautioned against assuming that all savers were inherently passive and warned that the industry had increasingly accepted disengagement...

February 5, 2026
News,
Read more...