June 2026

UK. Pension saving plummets when employees move into self-employment

Currently, only around one-in-five self-employed workers save into a private pension, compared with around four-in-five employees. There is widespread agreement that there is an urgent need for policies addressing low pension participation among the self-employed, as recently highlighted by the Second Pensions Commission. A key potential moment for such policies is the point when employees move into self-employment. Currently, even among employees consistently saving in a pension, more than three-quarters stop saving in a pension once they start being self-employed. This...

UK. Smart Pension surpasses £10bn AUM

Smart Pension has surpassed £10bn in assets under management (AUM), meeting the government’s first ‘scale test’ ahead of the 2030 timeframe. The pension provider manages the pensions of two million members and 100,000 employers across the UK, and described the £10bn AUM mark as a “major milestone”. It is on track to meet the future mandatory scale thresholds, as set out in the Pension Schemes Act, having now surpassed the government’s initial £10bn AUM threshold ahead of the 2030 deadline and...

The war on Iran could send UK pensions up in smoke

As a barrage of Iranian missiles rained down on the Fujairah oil terminal, the explosion was deafening and the destruction dramatic: a brutal fire, thick black smoke stretching into the sky – and untold damage to one of the region’s crucial pieces of fossil fuel infrastructure. The Fujairah terminal is part of the UAE’s key oil export route because it bypasses the Strait of Hormuz, loading up ships with about 1.7 million barrels per day. The attack on 4 May...

Pensions UK backs action on adequacy as retirement living costs increase

The latest Retirement Living Standards (RLS) update from Pensions UK has highlighted the scale of the retirement savings challenge facing UK workers, as the Pensions Commission considers whether minimum automatic enrolment contribution rates should rise in future. The annual standards, calculated by the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University, show that a minimum retirement lifestyle now costs £13,900 (€16,000) a year for a single-person household and £22,500 for a two-person household. A ‘moderate’ lifestyle costs £32,700 and...

UK. Around one in eight young adults feel pension engagement is ‘pointless’

Around one in eight (12 per cent) young adults, equivalent to approximately 2.2 million people, feel engaging with their pension is pointless because they will never be able to retire, research from People’s Pension has shown. It described this group as ‘Nerds’ – the Never Ever Retiring Demographic – and warned the industry was failing to connect with them. The research found that 47 per cent of young adults aged 18 to 27 were not engaged with their pension, and 12...

Later parenthood and weak pensions put Gen X at risk

Later parenthood and weak pensions put Gen X at risk Why timing matters: Later parenthood can mean child costs overlap with prime pension-saving years, delaying retirement readiness. Property no safe bet: Gen X’s higher property ownership offers less security as house price growth lags behind inflation and market returns. Pension gaps widen: Missing out on generous past schemes and starting saving late leaves many Gen Xers exposed to future income shortfalls. Generation X entry into workforce after defined benefit pension schemes ended Generation X began their working...

May 2026

Jamie Fiveash appointed as Pensions UK chair

Pensions UK has appointed Smart UK chief executive, Jamie Fiveash, as the new chair of the association. Fiveash will start a three-year term on 1 July 2026. He succeeds Emma Douglas, who is stepping down to take up her new position as chair of The Pensions Regulator. Fiveash has over 30 years of experience across financial services and over 15 years of c-suite and board-level leadership. As chief executive of Smart UK, Fiveash leads the £9.5bn Smart Pension master trust with two...

UK. Almost two thirds of adults fear running out of money in retirement

Nearly two thirds (63 per cent) of adults are worried about running out of money in retirement, as the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that people are living longer, research by LV= has shown. The ONS data showed that a woman aged 66 can expect, on average, to live to around 90, while a man of the same age is expected to live to approximately 87. The LV= research found that 62 per cent of UK...

UK. Triple lock row intensifies as major pension reforms take effect

Triple lock under threat as new pension law comes into force The Pensions Schemes Act 2026, now law, aims to simplify and strengthen pension provision through measures like automatic consolidation of small pots, creation of large-scale 'megafunds', a standardised value-for-money framework, and legal duties for retirement advice. Ministers argue these changes could add up to £29,000 to the average pension pot and benefit more than 20 million workers, with some provisions phased in over several years. However, former pensions minister...

CDC pensions approaching ‘pivotal moment’ in the UK

Collective defined contribution (CDC) pensions are approaching a “pivotal moment” in the UK, according to Aon, as the consultancy predicted they could “revolutionise pensions” for both employers and savers. In its new report, CDC Pensions: Everything You Need to Know in 2026, Aon noted that multi-employer CDC arrangements are expected to begin operating from 2027, following the finalisation of regulations for whole-life unconnected multi-employer CDC schemes. Last week, the Pensions Regulator’s (TPR) updated code of practice for CDC schemes was laid before parliament, bringing multi‑employer...