November 2025

South Africa. Military veterans pension “collapsing”

South Africa’s military veterans were promised dignity, stability, and financial relief through the Military Veterans Pension. Instead, thousands remain trapped in poverty and uncertainty as the Department of Military Veterans (DMV) and the Government Pensions Administration Agency (GPAA) preside over one of the most dysfunctional benefit rollouts in post-apartheid history, according to the Amalgamated Veterans of South Africa (AVSA). Ernest Lintnaar, CEO of AVSA, said what was meant to uplift veterans has become a crisis of unlawful deductions, lost files,...

Belgium braced for three-day national strike over budget cuts

Belgium on Monday braced for three days of nationwide strikes called by unions to protest the government's proposed budget cuts and reforms to the pension system. The strikes are taking place in three waves. Trains and public transport begin striking Monday, with national railroad company SNCB expecting to run two out of three trains, or just one out of three on some lines. Several Eurostars linking Brussels to Paris have been cancelled. On Tuesday, public services such as schools, creches, and hospitals join the...

October 2025

Japan’s GPIF underlines impact shift in sustainability report

Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF), the world’s largest pension fund with ¥260trn (€1.5trn) in assets under management, has taken a further step towards adoption of a more impact-oriented investment strategy with the publication of its latest ‘Sustainability Investment’ report. The name change for an annual publication previously known as an ESG report seeks to entrench GPIF’s move towards a more sustainability-linked investment strategy that considered social and environmental impact in addition to ESG-related measures. The shift in thinking was signalled in policies...

Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index 2025

By Tim Jenkins, Nicola Mc Garel & Sarah Hudson The Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index benchmarks 52 retirement income systems worldwide, spotlighting both challenges and opportunities for policymakers and investors. This year’s index expands with Kuwait, Namibia, Oman, and Panama added, incorporates updated OECD data, and introduces new integrity measures for sharper insights. Systems are assessed across three pillars, adequacy, sustainability, and integrity, using more than 50 indicators. In 2025, the Netherlands, Iceland, Denmark, Singapore and Israel all achieved...

Investments, loans, insurance or pensions with a sustainable focus: what you need to know?

By European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority Through the choices we make, we all play a part in shaping our future. Are you interested in contributing to a more sustainable future? Learn more about how your financial choices can support the environment and society, and keep in mind a few tips! You may, for example, make a financial decision in a sustainable way if you put your money in an investment fund that invests in companies that recycle household waste, or in...

Pension schemes should consider societal and environmental impact

A new poll of industry professionals shows resounding support for responsible retirement investments, without forsaking financial returns  100 members of the Society of Pension Professionals were asked if funds should take into consideration the long-term implications of investments for society and our planet. 84% believed there was a need for more responsibility in terms of the vehicles being used to safeguard people’s retirements. In contrast, just 9% said there was no need to think about impact on planet or people, and...

Tier 2 pension crisis threatens retirement security for millions of Ghanaian workers

When Ghana’s stakeholders describe their Tier 2 pension situation as a “ticking time bomb,” they’re identifying something far more serious than routine performance disappointment. Over 70 percent of pension contributions sitting idle in low-yielding government instruments signals a systemic failure in the institutional architecture designed specifically to prevent this outcome. Workers across Ghana are losing millions in potential retirement savings not because markets performed poorly, but because fund managers are refusing to invest contributions where returns could actually accumulate. The...

Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index 2025 released.

The retirement systems of the Netherlands, Iceland and Denmark once again are the top three systems worldwide, according to the 2025 Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index. The same three topped Mercer’s 2024 report. For the first time in the 17-year history of the index, Singapore’s retirement system also received an A, the only country in Asia to achieve a rating at that level and the No. 5 system overall. Israel ranked fourth for the second consecutive year. A-grade countries offer...

2025 Global Retirement Index

By Dave Goodsell Norway has regained the top position in the 2025 Natixis Global Retirement Index, driven by its strong performance in health outcomes, low unemployment and high-income equality. Ireland surges to second place, thanks to improvements in inflation and an economic environment that supports retirement security. Since its launch in 2012, the Natixis Global Retirement Index has offered a comparative assessment of retirement security in 44 developed countries. The index evaluated 18 key indicators grouped into four subindexes: Finances in...

Later retirement expected in 2026 budget as Malaysia tackles economic pressures

Malaysians may be asked to retire five years later at 65 but should be spared any sharp tax rises in Friday’s budget, economists say, as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim faces an economy hampered by an ageing population, high youth joblessness and surging living costs at the halfway point of his administration. About 8 per cent of Malaysia’s 34 million population are aged 65 and older, according to government data, firmly placing the Southeast Asian nation in the ageing nation category. At the same time,...