All risk articles – Page 7
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NewsBT agrees £2bn asset-backed funding arrangement to plug deficit
On the go: BT and the trustee of the BT Pension Scheme have agreed to plug £2bn of the scheme’s £7.9bn deficit through an asset-backed funding arrangement secured against the company’s EE business.
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PodcastsPodcast: Pension schemes’ under-allocation to China is ‘anachronistic’
Podcast: UK pension schemes are too often under-allocated to China and missing out on the significant opportunities presented by its continued growth and development. There are, however, lingering environmental, social and governance concerns around investing in the “nominally communist” state, says RisCura investment consultant Lars Hagenbuch. He is joined by SEI Investments director Cyprian Njamma in an episode also covering Covid-19 mortality data and the Pensions Regulator’s proposed asset information reform.
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NewsProfit warnings down but half of DB sponsors remain on life support
Profit warnings from listed companies with defined benefit schemes have dropped by two-thirds in the past six months, but more than half remain in the insolvency “danger zone”, according to figures from EY.
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NewsCould FSCS cope with a major bulk annuity provider default?
As sponsors offload their pension schemes to insurers, industry experts fear that an ever-increasing concentration of assets with a small group of players could lead to compensation schemes being overwhelmed in a major downturn.
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NewsUK pension schemes under-allocated to Chinese equities
UK pension schemes’ allocation to China as a percentage of global equities is generally inadequate, but there is no consensus as to how big the allocation should be, according to participants at Camradata’s Investing in China roundtable.
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NewsMPs demand Sunak addresses mineworkers’ scheme issues
On the go: The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee has called on the government to bring its approach to the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme into line with its “levelling up” agenda, branding the current arrangement “antithetical” to that policy.
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OpinionLong-term funding: Are we on the right track?
River and Mercantile’s co-head of solutions, Ajeet Manjrekar, details a three-step plan that allows schemes to have a derisking framework consistent with regulatory expectations, while enabling effective decisions.
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NewsPASA to launch DC transfers working group
On the go: The Pensions Administration and Standards Association announced on Tuesday more details about its forthcoming defined contribution transfers working group, which has the goal to speed up and lower the risk of transfers between trust and contract-based DC schemes.
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News£6bn swap shows insurers’ appetite for longevity risk
On the go: A £6bn longevity swap by an unnamed UK pension scheme and the Prudential Insurance Company of America suggests that insurers’ appetite for longevity risk has not diminished, despite the uncertainty around the long-term impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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News
Govt should boost CDC pensions to rebalance consumer risk
The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries has proposed a number of measures to tackle the so-called ‘great risk transfer’, among which is a call on the government to emphasise the benefits of collective defined contribution schemes as an alternative to traditional DC pension arrangements.
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NewsEnvironment Agency to go net-zero, LGPS pool backs ESG framework
ESG spotlight: A roundup of the latest news on environmental, social and governance initiatives, with the Environment Agency Pension Fund targeting net-zero carbon emissions, and the Border to Coast pool supporting a framework for standards in alternative assets.
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OpinionHow do pension schemes meet TCFD obligations?
As momentum behind action on climate change and the journey to net-zero builds into COP26 this autumn, UK pension funds have a critical role to play in driving long-term sustainability across the investment value chain.
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OpinionSchemes to pay more attention to social factors in ESG strategies
It is now widely recognised that environmental, social and governance factors are an essential part of investment strategies for long-term investors such as pension funds.
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NewsAon criticises USS valuation assumptions as ‘overly prudent’
Aon has criticised the methodology and assumptions underlying the Universities Superannuation Scheme trustee’s response to the USS valuation, accusing it of being overly prudent and failing to properly justify several of its assumptions.
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OpinionForex risk – forgotten factor in private capital performance?
It is no secret that pension funds are allocating more capital to private investments, such as private equity, private credit and other illiquid assets, either directly or more commonly via dedicated fund managers.
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NewsTPR to beef up schemes’ climate change disclosure demands
The Pensions Regulator will demand that trustees add more climate change information to their scheme returns, and has promised enforcement action where pension funds do not comply with basic requirements.
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Experts dismiss national pension fund proposal
Analysis: Experts have largely poured scorn on a highly controversial proposal to create a gigantic national sovereign fund by merging public schemes and then mopping up private plans as well.
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OpinionSystemic issues won't be addressed until regulator thinks systemically
The Pensions Regulator’s recently launched consultation on a new consolidated code of practice asks trustees to “identify and account for the systemic risk of climate change in decisions made about the scheme’s investment and funding”.
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News
Merchant Navy plans to insure all liabilities by 2025
On the go: The £4.1bn Merchant Navy Officers Pension Fund plans to insure all of its remaining liabilities by 2025, as it is set to undergo its next triennial actuarial valuation at the end of the quarter.
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NewsPensions dashboards’ 2023 target ‘under threat’
The target date of 2023 for the introduction of the pensions dashboards is under threat from a lack of clarity in several key areas, the Society of Pension Professionals has warned.