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Latest DB news
Cosmetics company insures DB scheme with M&G in £235m deal
Avon Cosmetics has secured its defined benefit pension scheme through a £235m buy-in with M&G, covering more than 3,000 members.
DC expansion driving pension growth worldwide, study shows
The Thinking Ahead Institute’s latest study of global pension assets shows the UK to have slipped down the rankings in terms of assets under management.
Bulk annuities roundup: Trio of deals announced insuring 3,600 members
Rothesay, PIC and Just Group announce buy-ins worth a combined £407m as the competitive de-risking market continues to offer options to trustees.
Standard Life targets full buyout in four months for £700m Deloitte scheme
The insurance company has agreed to take on GMP equalisation work as part of efforts to meet a buyout deadline of April 2026.
Bulk annuities news in association with Canada Life
Harwich docks scheme with £45m Royal London buy-in
Royal London has insured the Harwich Haven Authority Pension Fund through a £45m full scheme buy-in covering all 170 members.
Schroders lands £3bn fiduciary mandate from E.ON scheme
Schroders will take on the management of the portfolio for the £3bn E.ON UK Group pension fund, which is part of the £29bn Electricity Supply Pension Scheme.
Maritime company anchors DB scheme with £55m buy-in
The deal covers 667 members of the Bibby Line Group Ltd Pension Scheme, sponsored by Liverpool-based financial services and maritime company Bibby Line Group.
DB members confident in pensions but unsettled by buyout, research finds
Standard Life’s latest research suggests that members may need greater reassurance when their pension scheme is going through a bulk annuity transaction.
Features and analysis
A Christmas wishlist for the pensions industry
With the festive break upon us, it’s time to find out what the pensions industry really wants for Christmas this year. Pensions Expert asked representatives of 21 organisations from across the UK retirement industry to come up with one ‘Christmas wish’ – something they would like to see over the next 12 months.
Outlook 2026: The changing face of DB endgame options
Defined benefit experts give their views on the challenges and opportunities presented by the Pension Schemes Bill and other industry developments.
The unknown cost of pre-97 indexation to DB schemes
Potential changes to the way the PPF’s compensation is calculated and paid could have an impact on its 7800 index and some schemes in its assessment period, as Nick Reeve reports.
The PPF Purple Book: Six key charts for the corporate DB sector
The 20th edition of the Pension Protection Fund’s Purple Book shows a gradual but consistent decline in the number of defined benefit (DB) pension schemes. But below the surface, the sector remains dynamic with millions of people’s retirements at stake.
Five Questions For… Morten Nilsson, Brightwell
Pensions Expert spoke to Brightwell chief executive Morten Nilsson about the government’s surplus release plans, and how he envisages sharing the BT Pension Scheme’s experiences with the wider market.
A Christmas wishlist for the pensions industry
Outlook 2026: The changing face of DB endgame options
The unknown cost of pre-97 indexation to DB schemes
The PPF Purple Book: Six key charts for the corporate DB sector
Five Questions For… Morten Nilsson, Brightwell
More defined benefit news
Construction assessment company insures DB scheme with Aviva
The British Board of Agrément has insured its defined benefit pension scheme through a £20m buy-in with Aviva, covering 39 deferred and 82 pensioner members.
Veterans’ charity secures pension scheme in £16m buy-in
Just Group has completed a £16m buy-in for the defined benefit pension scheme of a military veterans’ charity, Royal Star & Garter, which runs care homes and services for veterans and their partners living with disability or dementia.
Cabinet Office to provide hardship loans to Civil Service pensioners, union says [updated]
The Cabinet Office plans to support some Civil Service pensioners as administration provider Capita struggles to cope with a backlog of tens of thousands of cases.
ABI launches bulk annuity board in governance shake-up
The new Pension Insurance and Investment Board will be chaired by Just’s David Richardson and is one of four product committees that will report to the trade body’s main board.
VLK wins £2.5bn fiduciary mandate from engineering company schemes
Van Lanschot Kempen will oversee the investment of £2.5bn across the Lafarge UK Pension Plan and the Aggregate Industries Pension Plan, both sponsored by Swiss company Holcim.
Bulk annuities latest: Isio launches small scheme service
Plus: Cheesemaker Primula spreads pension risk through £6.6m buy-in with Pension Insurance Corporation.
First Actuarial offers financial wellbeing tool to charities
In a recent survey of the charity sector, the consultancy highlighted contrasting fortunes among non-profit groups’ pension schemes – something it aims to address through a renewed partnership.
Finnair lands buyout deal for DB scheme in record time
Finland’s largest airline has insured its UK defined benefit pension scheme, completing the journey from buy-in to buyout in less than two months.
Royal London insures Oxford Instruments scheme in £213m buy-in
The deal marks the insurer’s second biggest buy-in to date and secures the benefits of more than 1,600 pension scheme members.
Small scheme buy-ins driving bulk annuity market as streamlined services thrive
More than 350 bulk annuity transactions were completed in 2025, according to a new estimate, as streamlined processes have opened up the market to smaller pension schemes.
Comment & opinion
AMNT: When is your pension like a Mars bar?
SPP: Pre-1997 indexation is a complex issue to be handled with care
Superfunds stepping into the spotlight through Pension Schemes Bill
Why pensions administration is having a ‘Cinderella moment’
SPP: Is tail risk starting to wag the dog?