January 2022

Germans see pandemic, pensions as biggest topics for 2022-poll

Germans want their new government to focus on fighting the coronavirus pandemic and safeguarding pensions in 2022, with fewer people wanting them to prioritise the climate crisis, an opinion poll showed on Sunday. The survey by pollsters Insa for the Bild am Sonntag newspaper showed that 61% of the 2,004 people questioned think combating the pandemic is the most important task of the government, followed by securing pensions. Germans also want the government to deal with a shortage of staff...

December 2021

Nigeria. FG still owes over N90.1bn pension liabilities — PTAD

The Federal Government still owes over N90.1 billion pension inherited unfunded liabilities to redundant agencies and parastatals, the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate, PTAD, has said. The Directorate disclosed this at the training workshop it organised for pension correspondents in Abuja. Deputy Director of Parastatals, Pension Department, PaPD, of PTAD, Yusuf Umar, who disclosed this, said the outstanding revealed that the defunct Nigeria Telecommunications Nitel/Mtel had the largest with N73 billion unfunded liability, translating to 81 per cent.Umar said others were Delta...

Spain. The IMF warns of the ‘Escrivá plan’ for pensions: the reform will raise spending by 42,000 million

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warns the Government of Spain about the pension reform, which will make the System more unsustainable if complementary measures are not taken on spending and income. In this way, it disfigures the cabinet led by the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations, José Luis Escrivá, that “the pension reform has prioritized social acceptability and sufficiency, but concerns remain about sustainability in the event that no additional measures are implemented “. The agency assures...

US. Record Returns Not Enough to Ensure Public Pension Stability

Despite logging average returns of 27.5% during fiscal year 2021, state pension plans still face a large funding shortfall and might have billions more in unfunded liabilities not yet recognized on their books, according to a recent report from nonprofit Equable Institute. “This past year has been an incredibly helpful boost to state pension funds that spent a decade mired in mediocrity,” Equable Institute Executive Director Anthony Randazzo said in a statement. “But even a nearly $400 billion improvement in...

IMF warns that Chile’s $173bn pension industry is at risk

A joint investigation by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank has found that Chile’s AFP pension fund industry is facing long-term structural issues as a result of a policy allowing pensioners to withdraw large portions of cash from their accounts. The Financial Sector Stability Assessment conducted by the global financial institutions found that the AFP system was ‘under threat due in part to a series of withdrawals’, and its executive board recommended that continued withdrawals and life...

Pensions protected during COVID-19 pandemic but ageing challenges persist, says OECD

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll among elderly people although retirees have seen their pension payments well protected across OECD countries. Future pension entitlements have also been well protected thanks to the exceptional policy response to the crisis, according to a new OECD report. Pensions at a Glance 2021 says however that the long-term financial pressure from ageing persists. Pension finances deteriorated during the pandemic due to lost contributions, and shortfalls have been mainly covered by state budgets....

Low Pension Savings in Ukraine: Ahead of Reform?

Low Pension Savings in Ukraine: Ahead of Reform?

Ukraine took the penultimate place in the ranking of pension savings among the countries of the world. Despite the work of non-state pension funds in the country, people are reluctant to use their services. There are several quite simple reasons for this. But the low place of Ukraine in the rating can accelerate the introduction of a mandatory funded pension. Poverty and Mistrust According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Ukraine is ranked second to last in terms...

US. Most Kentucky pension plans face billions in debts, but not the one for legislators

Despite many billions in public pension debts, Kentucky has a state pension fund that is literally overflowing with cash — the one reserved for legislators. Last week, lawmakers in Frankfort were briefed on the Fiscal Year 2021 performance of their Legislators Retirement Plan, which provides them with state-subsidized pensions and health insurance. Their $79 million pension plan has a funding level of 108.9 percent, which is up from 106.3 percent in 2020. Their retiree health insurance plan is 362 percent funded. By...

November 2021

Pension funds and institutional investors set to increase focus on ESG, says new study

Some 14 per cent said they expect their focus here to increase ‘dramatically’ between now and 2024, with just 7 per cent claiming it will decrease. Read also Longevity, the uncertainty and managing the risks When considering what impact ESG will have on their investment activities, 43 per cent of the institutional investors surveyed said the environmental factor is the most important one for them. Nearly one in three (31 per cent) said social factors are, and 26 per cent selected...

​Three foreign pension lessons for the UK – PPI report

The Pensions Policy Institute’s (PPI) latest report looks at what the UK can learn from other countries to improve value for money for pension savers. Such contries, among others, include Sweden, Australia and the Netherlands. When Sweden introduced its defined contribution (DC)-based premium pension system in the 1990s, it launched a campaign to encourage workers to make an active, considerate choice between the six available investment funds. With remarkable success, as two thirds of workers did indeed make an active choice...