Podcast: Ian Neale, director at Aries Insight, and Sara Protheroe, chief customer officer at the Pension Protection Fund, discuss the court ruling which determined that the PPF cap is age discrimination, the interim regime for superfunds, and the implications of the new insolvency bill for pension schemes.

Podcast: Irwin Mitchell’s pensions partner Penny Cogher and independent consultant Malcolm McLean join us to discuss innovative endgame deals, new insolvency laws, and some morally dubious LGPS investments. 

From fears over a ‘massive hit’ to portfolios as the US takes aim at Chinese businesses, to the Australian financial regulator being urged to probe the country’s superfunds industry. Read our round-up of pensions and finance news from the FT’s global outlets.

Podcast: The challenges posed by Covid-19 will accelerate the move towards professional trusteeship, according to Mercer’s chief actuary Charles Cowling, who argues that the responsibilities in this area post-coronavirus will be too much for lay trustees to handle alone. He and Catherine McFadyen, head of public sector actuarial, benefits and governance at Hymans Robertson, discuss LGPS funding, the impact of mortality rates, and give their predictions about the post-crisis world.

Podcast: The UK master trust market is still lacking the scale needed to provide the best outcomes for members, argues Gregg McClymont, director of policy at The People’s Pension. He and Pat Sharman, managing director at Caceis, discuss concerns from the Pensions Regulator regarding the investment strategies pursued by some of the UK’s authorised master trusts, among other topics.