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Latest DB news
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.
Bulk annuities news in association with Canada Life
Construction assessment company insures DB scheme with Aviva
The British Board of Agrément (BBA) has insured its defined benefit (DB) pension scheme through a £20m buy-in with Aviva.
Veterans’ charity secures pension scheme in £16m buy-in
Just Group has completed a £16m buy-in for the defined benefit (DB) pension scheme of a military veterans’ charity, Royal Star & Garter.
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.
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
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.
M&G eyes bulk annuity expansion after crossing £1bn mark in 2025
Bulk annuity providers M&G and Just Group have reported on their new business volumes for 2025 amid increasing competition among insurance companies.
Bulk annuities latest: PIC ties up Dr Martens scheme; PMI seals buyout
Plus: Broadstone reveals five micro deals completed in the second half of 2025 as part of the test of Aviva’s new Clarity service for small schemes.
PMI seeks to upskill offshore pension administration provision
The PMI’s chief customer officer is to visit India to meet with staff from administration providers as part of a plan to “raise professional standards across the UK pensions ecosystem”.
Employer group hits out at Teachers Pension Scheme costs
Failure to address the spiralling cost of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme could lead to “institutional failure and closure” of universities that are mandated to participate, according to the Universities and Colleges Employers Association.
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?