As interest in ESG investing continues to grow, schemes are being encouraged to make the concept of socially responsible investment ‘more tangible’ to savers.

Market turbulence, surging funding levels and new regulations look set to dominate defined benefit schemes again this year.

The Department for Work and Pensions has encouraged the Pension Protection Fund’s board and executive to consider seeking authorisation by the Financial Conduct Authority, either for the PPF itself or for a subsidiary.

On the go: The Pensions Regulator has appointed Nausicaa Delfas as its new chief executive, taking over from Charles Counsell, who is due to step down from the role in March 2023.

Welcome to an exhausted Pensions Expert’s roundup of 2022, in a year that saw our journalists flail in a torrent of legislation, consultation and social media defenestration.

On the go: The Pensions Ombudsman has ordered Town Wall Tavern to pay a former employee £1,000 and make up for missing pension contributions.

Respondents to the Pensions Regulator’s first consultation on its imminent defined benefit funding code have told the watchdog of their concerns over schemes “levelling down” to meet its fast-track valuation pathway, as well as noting their fears over a loss of flexibility.

On the go: Almost three-quarters of company reviews of their defined benefit pension schemes resulted in the plans closing to future accrual, according to new research.

While the Pensions Regulator foresees an initial hike in implementation fees followed by reduced costs in the long term, experts have warned that the new defined benefit funding code will be particularly onerous for small schemes.

The Pensions Regulator has pushed back against a suggestion put to the watchdog by MPs that it pressured some pension schemes towards liability-driven investments, when they did not think LDI was appropriate for them.