Technology company Fluidata has said simplicity and transparency of pension arrangements and fees are key to smaller employers navigating auto-enrolment successfully, as it struggled to see value in private providers.

Local government scheme members are rushing to take their entire additional voluntary contributions as tax-free cash after widespread communication campaigns, before the option is expected to expire as LGPS reforms come into effect tomorrow.

Schemes that default members into annuity brokerage services are considering the implications of last week’s Budget announcement, with calls for the rules around income drawdown to be simplified.

Scheme managers hope a new pensions modeller will stop members opting out as result of local government pension scheme changes by showing them how their benefits will be affected by the reforms.

Demand for insurance-linked securities such as catastrophe bonds has been rising even as yields have been decreasing, as consultants expect Solvency II to increase supply.

F2 Chemicals has become the latest employer to question the need for external advice and has offered staff a new defined contribution scheme paying in more than the statutory minimum, ahead of its 2015 staging date.

News analysis: Consultants have urged employers auto-enrolling this year to ensure they are dedicating enough resources to the process, with the Pensions Regulator raising concerns about non-compliance.

NAPF Investment Conference 2014: Pension trustee boards can provide a governance training ground for mid-level executives looking to get onto company boards, but diversity efforts have stumbled among member-nominated trustees, experts have said.