July 2026
10Jul

Invest in Britain or I’ll force you to, minister tells pension funds

The business secretary, Peter Kyle, has told UK pension funds to “get off their high horses” and invest in Britain or be forced to do so by law. Expressing frustration at the level of investment in British companies after years of government initiatives, Kyle said the UK’s biggest asset managers “should feel a patriotic duty in making Britain a success”. “I don’t think mandation is ideal in any circumstances. But I’ll use it if I have to, because I’m in a rush,”...

July 10, 2026
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08Jul

UK. Gen Z pension investment falls as gold and crypto ownership rises

Gen Z pension investment has fallen over the past six years, despite younger savers increasing their exposure to gold, stocks and crypto, research from GWI has found. The insights company found that gold ownership among Gen Z has increased by 50 per cent over the past six years, while investment in stocks and shares has risen by 45 per cent. Crypto ownership among Gen Z has also increased by 43 per cent over the same period. However, pension investment among the age...

July 8, 2026
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08Jul

Act soon to change ‘unsustainable’ direction of UK debt, OBR warns

Policymakers must act to prevent public debt rising unsustainably in coming decades as the population ages and defence spending rises, the government’s independent economic forecaster has said. In a fresh illustration of the challenges facing the prime minister in waiting, Andy Burnham, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said that without government action “debt would move on to what would be an unsustainable, ever-upward path from around the 2040s”. The OBR said defence spending would have to increase by an additional £28bn a...

July 8, 2026
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07Jul

UK. State pension spending set to reach 9% of GDP in 50 years

State pension spending is projected to rise from 5 per cent of GDP to around 9 per cent of GDP over the next 50 years, according to analysis from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). The OBR’s latest Fiscal risks and sustainability report estimated that state pension spending would rise to around 9 per cent of GDP by 2075/76, driven by population ageing and the cost of triple-lock uprating, calculated using historical inflation and earnings volatility. However, in a scenario where...

July 7, 2026
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06Jul

Simplified asset manager sustainability reporting could hamper green investments

Asset manager reporting exemptions under the finalised ESRS could create a ‘significant blind spot’ for their sustainability performance Asset managers are the latest group to benefit from revisions to sustainability reporting requirements, as EU and UK regulators look to simplify disclosure frameworks. The European Commission has adopted its finalised sustainability reporting standards, which were revised under its first sustainability omnibus package. The new ESRS will reduce the number of mandatory data points by more than 60 per cent and the number of...

July 6, 2026
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02Jul

UK Pension Schemes Act a mixed bag for impact investors

The UK Pensions Scheme Act, which became law in April, seeks to reinforce the consolidation of a fragmented pensions industry to improve outcomes for savers and, potentially, direct more institutional funding into under-invested areas of the economy. That could herald greater institutional investment in impact funds and other impact-related investment vehicles, but it remains unclear how effective the act will be in achieving that. One headline measure is the creation of multi-employer, defined contribution (DC) megafunds of at least £25bn (€28.9bn),...

July 2, 2026
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01Jul

UK. Why Gen Z are planning for life without a state pension

Joel has finally landed his first graduate engineering job after several years of lower‑paid roles. He's in his early 20s, lives with his parents and works in London. But instead of splashing the extra cash, or saving up for holidays or a house deposit, he's decided to squirrel more of it away into his workplace pension. The reason? He doesn't think he'll get any kind of state pension. Like Joel, around half of Gen Z (those born from 1997–2012) say...

July 1, 2026
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June 2026
30Jun

Heatwaves could ruin your pension, according to UK’s Pensions Professionals

Heatwaves are jeopardising retirement as extreme weather events threaten investment returns, the pensions industry has warned. Climate change is becoming a major risk for trillions of pounds in pension savings as increasingly unpredictable weather damages assets, disrupts supply chains and hits productivity, according to a report by the Society of Pension Professionals (SPP). Calum Cooper, the president of the SPP, said: "Put simply, you can't separate the future of pensions from the future of the economy. And you cannot separate the...

June 30, 2026
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26Jun

UK. Health improvements could affect DB liabilities, trustees advised

The majority of defined benefit (DB) pension scheme trustees have not yet been able to factor in how breakthrough health treatments could affect liabilities, despite their potential to reshape future mortality trends, according to Standard Life. The insurer’s analysis, published this week, found 88% of DB trustees have not yet assessed the impact of this uncertainty on scheme liabilities. With 75% of DB schemes in surplus on a low-dependence basis, these positions may come under pressure if mortality improves faster than...

June 26, 2026
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19Jun

AI In Pensions: The Pensions Regulator Sets Out Its Views

The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has published a plan providing guidance on how AI should be used by the pensions industry (the Plan). The Plan also outlines TPR’s role in, and approach to, overseeing the adoption of AI by pension schemes. Further guidance on the responsible adoption of AI is expected to come later in 2026. Trustees and their service providers may be using AI-driven processes in pensions contexts such as member benefits calculations, transfer requests, or communications, as well as internal and...

June 19, 2026
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