Pensions in United Kingdom Report
In-depth reporting and analysis of the pensions sector in the United Kingdom for our pension fund and asset management readers from IPE’s award-winning journalists.
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News
Phoenix Group and Schroders team up to launch private markets firm
Future Growth Capital is first private market investment manager to be established in the UK to promote objectives of Mansion House Compact
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Country Report
Progress report on the UK’s Mansion House capital market reforms
Details of potential changes to the UK’s pension landscape have been thin on the ground
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Country Report
Solvency UK: tweaks likely to bring only marginal gains
The UK’s reforms of the Solvency II framework are unlikely to be enough to usher in a big wave of investment in domestic productive assets by insurers
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Country Report
Bridging the stewardship gap between companies and investors
Findings of research into how well corporates and investors communicate
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Country Report
How consolidation might affect the UK’s local government pension sector
There is political consensus on the need for local government pension schemes to merge, but the question of in-house asset management is less straightforward
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Country Report
Mercer’s upbeat vision for UK pension funds and their investment advisers
James Lewis, UK CIO at Mercer, is optimistic about the future of the UK’s DB and DC industries
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Country Report
UK Country Report 2024: Is buyout still the gold standard for pension funds?
Improved funding positions mean more DB schemes are considering run-on rather than off-loading their liabilities
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Country Report
UK: Is it too soon to reform pension pools?
In his March 2023 Budget, UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt challenged the Local Government Pension Schemes (LGPS) in England and Wales to “move further and faster on consolidating assets”, proposing that LGPS funds transfer all listed assets into their pools by March 2025.
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Country Report
UK: Schemes must prioritise members
Pension funds are encouraged to invest in UK illiquids, but it cannot come at any cost
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Country Report
UK: A review of the LDI debacle
The UK Parliamentary inquiry into the LDI crisis has shed light on its causes, but the debate over the lessons learned for the UK DB industry is far from over
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Country Report
UK: DC investment won't be a panacea for tech and science
The UK government’s March Budget contained plans to boost investment in high-growth industries such as digital, life sciences and advanced manufacturing, so they can start, scale up and remain in the UK.
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Country Report
UK: The case for pooling
Successful pooled schemes such as Border to Coast should be open to other clients because they are good at what they do
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Country Report
UK: Beware the unintended consequences of the DB funding code
Laura McLaren highlights the unintended consequences of TPR’s proposed code, and what can be done to mitigate the risks
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Country Report
UK: to barbell or not to barbell?
In the new world of lower LDI leverage, trustees must choose between maintaining hedging or diversification
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Country Report
UK: Can the country turn a flawed investment ecosytem around?
Decades of complex legislation has fuelled many unanticipated consequences, which has seen pension funds invest less in riskier listed equities and illiquid assets
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Country Report
UK: One way for DC schemes to access private markets
There is much debate about mark-to-model valuation methodologies and whether a material economic downturn will cause these to catch up with public market price falls, but the history books will show that portfolios with allocations to private markets were more robust than those with none in 2022 – the worst year on record for traditional balanced portfolios.
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Country Report
Country Report – Pensions in UK (May 2023)
UK pensions are at a crucial juncture. The UK Parliament’s inquiry into the LDI crisis of September 2022 shed some light on its causes, but the debate on the role of LDI is alive and well. Meanwhile, regulators including The Pensions Regulator and the Financial Conduct Authority have advised pension schemes on how to make LDI strategies more resilient to shocks.
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Country Report
UK: Pension dashboards make slow progress
DWP timeline is met with optimism but complex UK system throws up problems
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Country Report
UK: The long and winding road to consolidation
Brexit, COVID and other factors delay regulation that would enable commercial DB scheme consolidators to operate
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Country Report
UK: Collective defined contribution pensions move up a gear
The first collective defined contribution pension scheme is set to launch after years of stop-start progress. But obstacles remain