More comment – Page 14
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Opinion PiecesGerman pensions sector backs cost rethink
Applause, which started mildly but ended robustly, suddenly reverberated in a packed Berlin conference room a few weeks ago. An audience of industry experts, pension managers, associations and trade unions clapped at the suggestion that Germany’s BaFin regulator should avoid repeating its exercise on cost reporting for IORPs, initiated by the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA), and implemented in turn by BaFin. The exercise was a disappointment, and an excessive, unnecessary effort for the German pension industry.
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Opinion PiecesDo not blame institutions for taking risks
Alecta, the SEK1.19trn (€105bn) institution that manages the Swedish ITP private-sector pension scheme, is being probed by Swedish regulators for the €1.9bn capital loss it experienced earlier this year, as the three US regional banks it invested in – Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republic Bank – collapsed. The institution reacted by firing its influential CEO Magnus Billing.
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Opinion PiecesCarbon reduction: absolute goals, please
Dutch healthcare scheme PFZW last month reluctantly changed its 50% CO2 reduction target for 2030 from a relative to an absolute target, following in the footsteps of fellow Dutch pension funds ABP and PME. The fund cited the “negative sentiment” around relative targets as a reason for its change of heart.
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Opinion PiecesUS: state enrolment systems gain traction
There are signs that the US state-facilitated retirement savings plans are starting to have a positive impact on both the creation and uptake of private pension plans.
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Opinion PiecesGuest viewpoint: Standardised data on diversity and inclusion will help team development
Promoting inclusiveness and diversity in organisations is key to discovering their human capital potential. But fostering a culture of continuous improvement is critical if this is to be fully realised.
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Opinion PiecesAustralia: volatility stirs valuations debate
As a disconnect in the valuation of listed and unlisted assets widens in today’s volatile markets, the torchlight is again being trained on Australia’s guardians of retirement savings.
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Australian-style reforms can unlock green growth and boost pension performance
Rewriting UK pension rules could unlock green growth, directing much-needed investment into sustainable infrastructure
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Differentiation – the future of professional pension trusteeship
When purchasing professional services, choice is good. Differentiated choice is even better.
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Opinion PiecesLDI lessons: be wary of future traps
After the global financial crisis of 2008-09, world leaders meeting at the Pittsburgh G20 summit mandated central clearing for derivatives. This was to allow for greater supervisory oversight and to mitigate against the unintended build-up of risks of the kind that almost toppled the financial system in the guise of over-the-counter credit default swaps.
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Opinion PiecesBlame will not solve the issues raised by the LDI crisis
The chain of events that led to the UK’s liability-driven investment (LDI) crisis, a high-profile inquiry by the UK Parliament, and a time of anxiety and introspection in the country’s pension industry, started well before then prime minister Liz Truss’s government and its somewhat reckless ‘growth plan’.
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Opinion PiecesCDC: finally off the starting blocks
The Pensions Regulator (TPR) last month approved the Royal Mail Collective Pension Plan as the first registered collective defined contribution (CDC) scheme in the UK
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Opinion PiecesAlecta’s crisis management
It can certainly hurt a pension provider when investments go badly, but an organisation’s next steps in response to disastrous losses are vital.
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Opinion PiecesGuest viewpoint: Pensions and the EU's plans on social protection
Elections for the European Parliament will be held in spring 2024, after which a new European Commission will be formed. Early preparation to collect new ideas is ongoing. The Commission’s high-level group on the future of social protection and of the welfare state published a report in February, taking a wide-angle look at social protection, including pensions.
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Opinion PiecesAustralia: Caps, concessions and class war
The Australian Federal government recently moved to make a “modest” change to the nation’s superannuation system which, it says, will save A$2bn (€1.2bn) a year for its over-stretched budget.
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Opinion PiecesUS: Politics drive ESG debate
Three Republican candidates for the White House are vocal advocates against pension funds adopting environmental, social and governance (ESG) investment practices.
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: A landmark moment for British pensions
What is it the British pension savers want, and until now have been denied in private sector pensions?
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Recent stock story is two steps forward, one step back
Consider everything investors have been through in recent years: a global pandemic, rapid inflation, war in Europe, volatile markets, and, in recent weeks, reminders of weaknesses in parts of the global banking system. It’s reasonable to feel uneasy in the face of so much uncertainty. Now imagine it’s the end ...
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Opinion PiecesA farmer's revolution could upset pension reforms
The new populist Farmers’ Party (called BBB) won Dutch provincial elections in a historic landslide victory in March. Mainly attracting older voters in rural areas, the party rode a wave of public dissatisfaction about the government’s policies.
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Opinion PiecesQuestions BP investors should ask themselves
A lot has happened in sustainable finance since the last AGM season: an energy crisis in Europe, an escalating legal campaign against ESG in the US, a credibility crisis for the world’s biggest net zero investment group, and ground-breaking political agreements to protect the planet’s natural resources and marine ecosystems.
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Opinion PiecesEmerging market investors should take the long view
For institutional investors, investing in emerging markets is a true test of fiduciary duty. The asset class – if it can be defined as such – has enormous potential, yet it is also risky, not just in terms of volatility but also of reputation.
