November 2022

Planned reforms to UK pensions will open access to PE

Defined contribution schemes in the UK may soon be allowed greater access to private markets following proposals from the Department for Work and Pensions. Under the consultation, published on 6 October, the UK government plans to remove performance fees from the charge cap applied to DC schemes – which are constrained by an annual 0.75 percent charge cap on assets under management and administration. This has acted as a barrier to accessing certain asset classes that charge a performance fee,...

UK regulators call for action on hidden leverage threat to pension funds

Regulators and policymakers are calling for action to address the risks associated with pension funds’ use of derivatives, after key watchdogs admitted last week that they were unprepared for the crisis that hit the industry in September. The meltdown, now the focus of four separate parliamentary probes, revealed regulators did not have a reliable picture of the scale of hidden leverage in liability-driven investment (LDI) strategies, which cover about £1.4tn of the future promises made by UK defined benefit pension...

68% of Brits back pension triple lock

‘Attacking’ it would be a ‘seriously high-risk and deeply unpopular move’ More than two-thirds of UK adults support an inflation-matching increase in the state pension next year, AJ Bell research has found. Of the 4,000 Brits asked if they backed increasing the state pension in line with wage growth, inflation, or not at all, the overwhelming majority (86%) felt the state pension should increase next year. Most (68%) said they backed an inflation-linked increase, while a further 18% said it should be...

UK. Sunak gives strongest hint he will protect pensions triple lock

PM, also under pressure to raise benefits and public sector pay with inflation, claims ‘compassion’ will be at heart of autumn statement Rishi Sunak has given his strongest hint the government will protect the triple lock on pensions, saying pensioners “will always be at the forefront of my mind”. The rule, which applies to UK state pensions, means pensions must rise each year in line with the highest of three possible figures: inflation, average earnings, or 2.5%. Sunak is likely to face...

UK. Pension savers face ‘double’ tax hit as inflation soars

The government’s decision to freeze the lifetime allowance could yield up to £2bn for the Treasury, double the £1bn it previously projected due to a surge in inflation this year. The lifetime allowance, the amount a pension holder can benefit from without having to pay extra tax, was frozen at £1,073,100 in the 2021 Budget by former chancellor and current prime minister, Rishi Sunak. But according to pension consultants LCP, the freeze did not take into account inflation proofing and over...

UK. Ten years of Automatic Enrolment achieves over £114bn pension savings

In 2021, employees across the UK saved £114.6 billion into their pensions. This is a real terms increase of £32.9 billion compared to 2012, when Automatic Enrolment was introduced. The figures reveal how the policy has transformed pensions saving over the last ten years for people from Sterling to Southend, by normalising workplace pension saving, establishing a culture of retirement saving for a new generation, and helping foster a greater sense of security in later life. More than 10.7 million employees...

UK. Insurers face claims threat from pension fund LDI crisis

The events of the past few weeks are likely to result in claims and/or pressure on commercial relationships, particularly when pension schemes conduct their triennial valuations and agree new deficit reduction plans with employers. UK pension scheme managers and their insurers could face claims over their use of liability-driven investment strategies following the turbulence caused by Liz Truss's mini-budget There may be a surge in professional negligence claims against liability-driven investing (LDI) pension funds in the wake of the UK’s mini-budget. Claims...

UK. How Pensions Threatened Financial Stability

Speech By Sarah Breeden, Bank Of England Executive Director, Financial Stability Strategy And Risk, Given At ISDA & AIMA On the afternoon of 28 September, I found myself in a rather unusual position: having to explain to journalists why a part of the pensions industry, unheard of to most of their readers, had posed such a large threat to financial stability that it warranted intervention in the gilt market from the Bank of England. Financial markets globally had been volatile for...

UK expected to raise state pensions, benefits in line with inflation

Britain is expected to increase state pension and welfare payments in line with inflation in next week's budget, the Times newspaper reported. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to announce the increases to ensure that the Nov. 17 budget is seen as fair and compassionate, the report said. The government will set out its fiscal plans in an effort to rebuild investor confidence after a "mini-budget" earlier this year caused borrowing costs to surge. New finance minister Jeremy Hunt will seek...

Climate change poses a threat to health equality in the UK: The Longevity Science Panel report

The Longevity Science Panel, in collaboration with L&G, today publish a report analysing the current and future impacts of climate change on the UK's health. The research reveals that climate change will be experienced unevenly across different sections of the UK population, and may deepen health inequalities in physical and mental health in the UK. The report titled, The Effects of Climate Change on Health in the UK, shows that the most economically deprived and those who are already frail...