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Latest DB news
DB schemes end Q1 with stronger funding ratio despite asset volatility
The conflict in Iran has not hurt the overall funding levels of DB schemes so far this year, although aggregate assets have fallen slightly since the end of 2025.
Low dependency overtakes buyout as DB schemes rethink endgame
Improving funding levels are giving defined benefit schemes more endgame options, but many have yet to put clear governance frameworks in place for surplus and long-term decision-making.
Can in-specie transfers smooth the path to buy-in?
New research from Standard Life indicates that many defined benefit (DB) trustee boards are considering in-specie transfers of illiquid assets to aid their preparation for bulk annuity transactions.
How geopolitics could hurt your scheme’s covenant
As the US-Iran conflict takes another turn, consultancy group LCP has warned that pension scheme trustees need to be aware of the potential impact of geopolitical issues on sponsor covenants.
Bulk annuities news in association with Canada Life
Bulk annuities update: Aviva insures vehicle manufacturer’s DB scheme
The latest headlines from the bulk annuities sector, including deals for Aviva, M&G, and Canada Life, as well as details of Just Group’s recent acquisition by Brookfield Wealth Solutions.
DB trustees eyeing surplus release as part of endgame plan, says L&G
Bulk annuities remain a key element of most defined benefit pension schemes’ endgame planning, but running on and accessing surplus is becoming a more popular option.
Small scheme insurance boom drives record number of buy-in deals in 2025
Legal & General dominated 2025’s pension insurance market in terms of new business volumes, but data from LCP shows that sub-£100m transactions are driving competition and “exceptional” pricing.
Bulk annuities latest: Rothesay reports on 2025; PIC parent to relocate to London
Plus: Just Group ties up a £32m full scheme buy-in with the Reebok UK Retirement Benefits Scheme, insuring the benefits of 452 members.
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
Virgin Media ruling: TPR says work can start now on remediation
Trustees do not need to wait for the Pension Schemes Bill to become law before instructing actuaries to begin work on section 37 remediation, the regulator has said.
Bulk annuities update: Buy-ins for Panasonic and Essentra schemes
M&G reports on £140m Panasonic scheme deal, while Aviva ties up a £104m buy-in with Essentra.
Bulk annuities latest: Brookfield approved for Just acquisition
Plus: Canada Life insures a pharmaceutical distribution company’s defined benefit pension scheme for £30m.
Insurer competition means more work for small DB schemes, Hymans warns
Defined benefit pension schemes as small as £5m are now attracting interest from multiple insurers, according to Hymans Robertson’s latest annual report on the bulk annuity sector.
DB liabilities set to rise as life expectancy climbs
Defined benefit pension schemes could see their liabilities rise by around 0.5% depending on demographics after new mortality data was released.
Bulk annuities roundup: Athora completes PIC acquisition
Plus: Aviva and Royal London release 2025 business results; Canada Life’s £80m buy-in with Safeway Pension Scheme.
Industry wants formal processes for pro trustee appointments
Safeguards are needed for sole trustee appointments and to address conflicts of interest where professional trustee firms offer additional services such as administration or investment advice.
TPR’s predictions for the DB run-on market
The regulator has published a major forecasting exercise exploring the potential evolution of the DB sector under different scenarios, including growing appetite for run-on approaches and a successful superfund market.
Vigilance needed as geopolitical tensions drive DB sponsor profit warnings
More than a quarter of UK-listed companies with a DB scheme have issued at least one profit warning in the past 12 months, according to new analysis by EY.
‘Landmark moment’ as PPF confirms zero levy for 2026-27
The vast majority of the almost 5,000 DB schemes eligible for PPF protection won’t pay a conventional levy next year – the second year in a row this has happened.
Comment & opinion
ABI: A more productive conversation about investment and DB endgames
‘Don’t call us lay trustees’: AMNT on why member reps must be taken seriously
TPR: We need the marketplace to innovate to deliver in the new pensions era
AMNT: Looking to the past for the future of trusteeship
Is running on DB schemes a bridge to stronger DC outcomes?