October 2025
21Oct

Britain’s biggest pension funds back regional growth drive

20 of Britain’s largest pension providers and insurers set to launch Sterling 20 group at first-ever Regional Investment Summit on Tuesday. Investment drive kicks off with Legal & General (L&G) and Nest committing billions to build more affordable housing, improve broadband connections in rural areas and provide scale-up finance for growing businesses. Chancellor set to meet providers and Australia’s biggest fund in Birmingham as government ramps up efforts to drive regional growth and put more money into people’s pockets through the...

October 21, 2025
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20Oct

Pensions UK AC 2025: Pensions transfer costs need to be under £10, experts say

The current pensions transfer system isn’t working, is too expensive, and requires providers working together to speed up the process, Smart Pension CEO, Jamie Fiveash, has stated, suggesting that the cost of a pension transfer needs to be cut to less than £10. Speaking at the Pensions UK Annual Conference, Fiveash pointed out that it currently costs £60-£90 to transfer a pension pot, which “is way too high”, arguing instead that the cost of a transfer needs to be less...

October 20, 2025
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17Oct

What could effective pensions engagement look like?

By Pensions Policy Institute This report is primarily focused on the Defined Contribution (DC) landscape, in which engagement and active choice play a greater role, in comparison to Defined Benefit (DB). DC provides an increasing proportion of UK pension provision, with private sector DB provision in decline. As a result, DC savers will make up the majority of future retirees, and even among those with DB entitlement, many will also have some DC savings as a result of increased job...

October 17, 2025
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17Oct

Research and analysis. Lessons on pensions engagement

By Department for Work & Pensions This report summarises research exploring consumer engagement and ways to increase public engagement with private pensions in the UK. It brings together findings from a rapid review of publicly available literature with intelligence from 6 expert interviews across the UK, Western Europe and Israel. This provides new insight and understanding into some of the factors influencing pensions engagement. The research highlights areas for further research and could be expanded in the future by seeking...

October 17, 2025
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16Oct

UK. Savers back pension reforms despite cost-of-living strains

Despite the cost-of-living strain, most savers are continuing to save into their pension, research from Pensions UK has found, with 4 per cent of savers having reduced pension contributions. The research showed that many are struggling, as 44 per cent of people say their financial situation is worse than 12 months ago, up from 34 per cent in 2024. As a result, many are cutting back on everyday spending, including eating out (39 per cent), takeaways (35 per cent), holidays (32...

October 16, 2025
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15Oct

Raising pension contribution levels ‘could boost financial security in the UK’

The UK’s retirement system could be improved by bringing more people, including the self-employed, into private pension schemes and raising the contribution levels required under automatic enrolment, according to a global report. The UK was graded “B” in the 17th annual Mercer CFA Institute global pension index – alongside several other countries such as Canada, New Zealand, France, Mexico, Belgium, Croatia, Germany and Ireland. Countries which received an “A” grade included the Netherlands, Iceland, Denmark, Singapore and Israel. Those rated “B-plus”...

October 15, 2025
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14Oct

UK. Major pension changes expected by 2035; DC concerns remain centre stage

Whilst most Pensions UK members are confident that the pension industry will successfully adapt to any changes over the next decade, many remain concerned over defined contribution (DC) outcomes and political uncertainty. Research from Pensions UK found that nearly half (44 per cent) of its members expect to see a very significant change in the pensions industry by 2035, or sooner, with over a quarter (28 per cent) expecting to see very significant changes within the next five years. Yet most...

October 14, 2025
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08Oct

UK. DB pension surpluses continue to stand at record levels, up £48bn year-on-year in September

XPS Group estimates UK DB pension schemes maintained a £222bn aggregate surplus against long-term funding targets, up £2bn in September 2025 and £48bn year-on-year. Aggregate scheme assets saw a small rise in September 2025, as matching assets rose in value as bond yields decreased. Growth assets such as global equities also displayed positive performance. Aggregate scheme liabilities also increased, driven by a slight reduction in gilt yields. New analysis from XPS Group shows UK pension schemes continued to enjoy...

October 8, 2025
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07Oct

UK. Six key challenges for the revived Pensions Commission

Aon has warned that the government’s revived Pensions Commission will face major structural hurdles if it hopes to deliver meaningful reform to the UK’s pension system. In a new paper exploring the aims of the Pensions Commission, Matthew Arends, head of UK retirement policy at Aon, argued that the commission’s narrow remit may stop it from addressing the root causes of poor retirement adequacy. He warned that by being instructed to “build on the foundation of the state pension” rather than...

October 7, 2025
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07Oct

Reimagining pensions for Gen Z

Two recent Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) reports shed light on the shifting landscape of UK retirement. The concerns of Gen Z explores the financial realities of the youngest working cohort, while the generations deep-dive in the UK Pensions Framework 2025 provides a system-wide assessment of adequacy, sustainability and fairness. Together they reveal that, despite reforms such as automatic enrolment (AE), younger adults face structural obstacles that could leave them with lower retirement incomes than previous generations. Many Gen Z workers begin their...

October 7, 2025
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