Latest from IPE Magazine – Page 72
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Special ReportPensions regulation in The Netherlands
Developments in the pensions landscape in The Netherlands
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Opinion PiecesEditor's letter: Could CDC provide a solution to the pension income problem?
This month sees the close of a consultation in the UK on a new code of practice for authorisation and supervision of collective defined contribution (CDC) pensions schemes. Trustees will be able to apply to set one up from August this year.
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Opinion PiecesNews Notes: Private investing ‘levels up’ playing field
The UK’s recent government white paper – ‘Levelling up the United Kingdom’ – forcefully pushes for private investing. In it, Prime Minister Boris Johnson claims he is determined to “break that link between geography and destiny, so that it makes good business sense for the private sector to invest in areas that have for too long felt left behind”.
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InterviewsOn the record: Emerging markets
Despite the current volatility and geopolitical tensions, European pension funds continue to actively seek returns from emerging market investments.
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InterviewsHow we run our money: Church Commissioners for England
Church Commissioners for England CIO, Tom Joy, tells Susanna Rust about the fund’s pursuit of genuine diversification and responsible investment.
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Special ReportPensions regulation in Switzerland
Developments in the pensions landscape in Switzerland
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Greenwashing needs to be pinned down
On 10 March 2022, the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) turns one. In terms of how it was drafted and how it has been implemented, it hasn’t exactly covered itself in glory, although it was high time regulators got involved to try to bring some order into ESG-land.
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Opinion PiecesNotes from the Netherlands: Inflation could bolster pension reforms
The Dutch pension agreement, paving the way for a change from a defined benefit to defined contribution-type system, was concluded in the pre-COVID summer of 2019. But it is still waiting to be implemented, with the delay blamed on the protracted negotiations following Dutch parliamentary elections in March 2021.
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Opinion PiecesLetter from Australia: Global firms circle last bank-owned super fund
Several global firms, including private equity giant KKR and asset manager Vanguard, have thrown their hat in the ring to buy one of the last Australian bank-owned superannuation businesses.
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Opinion PiecesLetter from US: ESG faces backlash in some US states over fossil fuels
Is there a backlash against the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing movement?
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FeaturesJoseph Mariathasan: India’s NPS reaches $100bn in assets
India’s state-run voluntary defined contribution New Pension Scheme (NPS) has reached a milestone of $100bn (€88bn) in assets and is likely to double in size every five years, according to renowned economist Ajay Shah. There are many lessons to be learnt from the success of the NPS, particularly for developing countries seeking to create pension safety nets for their populations from scratch.
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FeaturesAccounting: DB sponsors at a crossroads
If a decade ago the talk was of defined-benefit (DB) scheme sponsors locked in an infernal struggle against the dizzying gravity of spiralling accounting deficits, thoughts now are turning to the end game.
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FeaturesPerspective – Liability-driven investing: DIY LDI
A multi-decade trend of falling interest rates, the increased complexity of financial markets and the growing burden of regulation have conspired to turn pension provision into an extremely sophisticated activity. This is especially true for defined benefit pension funds, which may be facing a gradual decline in number, but remain a key source of retirement income.
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Opinion PiecesGuest Viewpoint – Nicholas Benes: The stock exchange of the future
In 2060, the world may look back at decades of convulsive changes in equity markets, guided by optimism that civilisation might just make it. People might remember that at some point during the second decade of the 21st century the earth suddenly exceeded 1.5°C of warming over pre-industrial times, sparking mass protests and turbocharging activism, focusing even more on ESG themes and ‘shareholder democracy’. Global movements will have been propelled by strange weather phenomena and the participation of young people, who had gained deeper understanding of equity markets than ever before.
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Opinion Pieces‘Levelling up’ white paper targets LGPS funds to support local areas
The UK government’s long-awaited ‘Levelling Up the United Kingdom’ white paper, published last month, includes several bold missions to help achieve greater equality. One is to call on Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) funds to publish plans for increasing local investment.
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Book ReviewBooks – Demographics Unravelled: A broad and granular understanding of demographics
Amlan Roy’s contention in his new book Demographics Unravelled is that a wider and more holistic approach to demographics is necessary. An academic by background and a long-standing former head of global demographics and pensions research at Credit Suisse, Roy’s choice of focus in his book underlines his views.
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FeaturesBriefing: High yield off to a rough start to the year
High yield did not have a good start to the year. Rising inflation and a more hawkish central bank tone in the US and UK triggered panic selling in January. However, as the dust settles and bad news is priced in, the asset class looks more appealing than other fixed-income segments. Easy pickings may be gone, though, and opportunities will have to be selected carefully.
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FeaturesBriefing: Now is not the time to give up on emerging markets
“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!” This classic Al Pacino line has applied to many emerging market investors in recent years. Like Michael Corleone, drawn by the potential offered by bold business opportunities, they have accepted to take higher levels of risks in a quest to obtain better results. However, similarly to the family at the heart of The Godfather saga, the outcome of such bets has often caused a lot of pain.
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FeaturesStrategically speaking – WTW: Democratising private markets
WTW’s ill-fated merger with Aon, announced at the outset of the pandemic in early March 2020, would have shaken up the corporate insurance brokerage market. It would also have created an outsourced CIO (OCIO) giant to compete with Mercer in terms of delegated assets under management (AUM).
