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Latest Investment news
UK has an ‘investability problem’, not a pension capital problem
Policymakers must focus on creating attractive investment opportunities rather than setting allocation targets if they want to unlock pension capital for UK private markets, according to PMI chair Ruston Smith.
Fiduciary duty: Trustees urged to make best decisions, not ‘least challengeable’
Proposed guidance will not replace or alter the underlying principles of trustees’ fiduciary duty but will instead give trustees more clarity on what they can take into account when making investment decisions.
Retirees ‘could lose out’ through guided retirement without strong defaults
As policymakers continue to develop legislation around guided retirement and default solutions, behavioural research indicates that care must be taken in product design.
Lack of opportunities still an issue in private markets, says TPR
Stakeholders surveyed by the regulator identified a lack of investable UK opportunities with the right characteristics as a critical barrier to delivering the ambitions of the Mansion House Accord.
Pension schemes seek to tell the ‘stories’ behind infrastructure investing
More than four in five (82%) investors want to know more about how their pension was invested in infrastructure, according to research commissioned by Nest, Border to Coast, and IFM Investors.
XPS urges fiduciary manager reviews as more DB schemes consider run-on
Improved funding levels and changing DB endgames are altering what schemes need from their fiduciary managers, according to XPS Group.
Investment latest: USS acquires rail company; Insight nets £1bn mandate
USS has agreed to take over a rail freight company, while Insight is to help facilitate surplus sharing through a £1bn mandate with an unnamed DB pension scheme.
Private markets latest
UK has an ‘investability problem’, not a pension capital problem
Policymakers must focus on creating attractive investment opportunities rather than setting allocation targets if they want to unlock pension capital for UK private markets, according to PMI chair Ruston Smith.
Lack of opportunities still an issue in private markets, says TPR
Stakeholders surveyed by the regulator identified a lack of investable UK opportunities with the right characteristics as a critical barrier to delivering the ambitions of the Mansion House Accord.
Railpen: The UK has the ideas, now it has the capital to back UK scale-up businesses
Railpen’s Anna Rule explains how the industry-wide pension scheme and other institutions plan to invest in UK scale-up businesses following the announcement of a dedicated fund backed by the British Business Bank.
Climate, liquidity, AI: What investment committees should be thinking about
With two-thirds of 2026 behind us, Pensions Expert asks investment consultants for the key risks and opportunities that should be on trustees’ agendas going into the autumn.
ESG and sustainability
Fiduciary duty: Trustees urged to make best decisions, not ‘least challengeable’
Proposed guidance will not replace or alter the underlying principles of trustees’ fiduciary duty but will instead give trustees more clarity on what they can take into account when making investment decisions.
Climate, liquidity, AI: What investment committees should be thinking about
With two-thirds of 2026 behind us, Pensions Expert asks investment consultants for the key risks and opportunities that should be on trustees’ agendas going into the autumn.
Brunel’s Faith Ward joins LPPI as strategic adviser
She has also launched ‘Faith In RI’, a consultancy service that is also seeking to preserve Brunel’s work on climate and sustainable investment.
Trustees and consultants to collaborate on sustainability issues
The Investment Consultants Sustainability Working Group and the Trustee Sustainability Working Group have pledged to work together on shared sustainability challenges.
Railpen: Focused engagement strategies key to stewardship success
At a recent industry conference, Matt Lomas from the industry-wide pension scheme set out how his team has adapted and honed its stewardship and engagement activities.
Nest backs climate tech through £200m commitment to IFM mandate
The UK master trust has put more money to work through its partnership with IFM Investors, seeding an infrastructure credit fund with a focus on climate technologies.
Artificial intelligence news
In Depth: How trustees can manage AI risks in their schemes
The Pensions Regulator has set out six core principles for AI governance ahead of detailed guidance to be published later this year. Nick Reeve explores what these are and what they mean for governance processes.
Members still need a ‘human in the loop’ amid AI surge
Pension scheme members should be sceptical when using AI
Individuals losing confidence in retirement savings, research shows
Many individuals expect to rely increasingly on their own investments and are losing confidence in retirement savings, according to international research by Amundi.
Consultants news
Special report: Which companies are driving bulk annuity activity?
Pensions Expert analysis shows which law firms, professional trustees and consultants are most active in the bulk annuity market.
Trustees and consultants to collaborate on sustainability issues
The Investment Consultants Sustainability Working Group and the Trustee Sustainability Working Group have pledged to work together on shared sustainability challenges.
Sustainability and climate expectations rising for investment consultants
The Investment Consultants Sustainability Working Group (ICSWG) has found that climate-related advisory capabilities, which were once viewed as aspirational, are now considered standard practice across the investment consulting industry.