All illiquid assets articles – Page 5

  • News on the go
    News

    Cost Transparency Initiative sees 23% spike in schemes’ uptake

    2021-05-12T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The Cost Transparency Initiative has recorded a 23 per cent increase in uptake during the past year, with 79 per cent of pension schemes now making use of its framework.

  • News on the go
    News

    FCA proposes new illiquid fund structure for DC schemes

    2021-05-07T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The Financial Conduct Authority is proposing a new category of fund that will allow defined contribution schemes to invest in illiquid assets.

  • Pexels
    News

    TPR, PPF propose tiered approach in asset information reform

    2021-04-29T00:00:00Z

    The Pensions Regulator and the Pension Protection Fund have issued a joint consultation into proposals to change the asset class information TPR collects via the scheme return.

  • Podcasts
    Podcasts

    Podcast: Illiquids not necessarily the answer for DC

    2021-04-29T00:00:00Z

    Podcast: Illiquid asset classes might seem attractive in theory, but there would be difficulties establishing them in a defined contribution pension portfolio, even if all the regulatory burdens were removed. Brian Henderson, partner and director of consulting at Mercer, is joined by Shola Salako, professional trustee at Dalriada, to discuss alternatives, putting the S in ESG, and fixing the problems with chair’s statements.

  • Lester and Blakstad
    Opinion

    Forex risk – forgotten factor in private capital performance?

    2021-04-08T00:00:00Z

    Kevin Lester and Haakon Blakstad, chief executive and chief commercial officer of Validus Risk Management, detail how schemes’ currency risk has grown over the past years with the rush to alternative assets, and how it can have a big impact on investment performance.

  • News

    Nest looks to allocate 5% of assets to private equity

    2021-04-06T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Government-backed master trust Nest is looking to work with private equity managers who are prepared to cut fees in return for a regular capital stream from the UK’s largest workplace pension scheme. 

  • News

    Smart Pension invests in private market illiquids

    2021-03-24T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The £1.5bn Smart Pension master trust has introduced private market illiquids into its default fund after developing a solution in partnership with Natixis Investment Managers.

  • News

    DWP consults on removing charge cap DC investment barrier

    2021-03-19T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The Department for Work and Pensions on Friday opened a consultation into whether the charge cap acts as a barrier to defined contribution scheme investments in a range of alternatives, such as venture capital, illiquids and growth assets.

  • News

    Asset managers bullish about renewable infrastructure returns

    2021-03-15T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Institutional investors’ appetite for renewable energy infrastructure remains strong, and asset managers have not reduced return expectations despite an increasingly competitive marketplace, according to a new report by Bfinance.

  • News

    Opperman: Charge cap has room for illiquid investments

    2021-03-09T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The pensions minister has suggested that defined contribution schemes currently have room to invest in illiquids within the charge cap.

  • David Brooks
    Opinion

    Lifetime allowance freeze reopens debate on its relevance

    2021-03-05T00:00:00Z

    Broadstone technical director David Brooks analyses the pension announcements made by chancellor Rishi Sunak in the Budget, and questions what is the purpose of the lifetime allowance.

  • Podcasts

    Podcast: Budget 2021 - ‘Reckless conservatism’ in DB landscape

    2021-03-04T00:00:00Z

    Podcast: Wednesday’s budget did not go far enough to counter the “reckless conservatism” in the defined benefit landscape when it comes to risk and growth assets, hampering the government’s drive to unleash pensions on the post-pandemic recovery, according to Conservative party peer baroness Ros Altmann. She is joined by Isio partner Mike Smedley, in a discussion that also includes the lifetime allowance freeze and what was missing from the chancellor’s statement.

  • News

    Net-zero targets present £350bn investment opportunity

    2021-03-02T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Hitting the government’s net-zero climate change targets will present a £350bn investment opportunity over the next 30 years, according to an estimate by LCP.

  • UK houses
    News

    Can UK councils rent their own streets to fund pensions?

    2021-02-23T00:00:00Z

    Several US public schemes have embraced unusual means of securing funding, including renting property to themselves. Although these tactics cannot be used across the Atlantic, the post-Covid landscape could see a variety of new strategies being deployed in the UK.

  • News

    Post-Brexit Solvency II reform an opportunity to free up capital

    2021-02-23T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Brexit affords the UK an opportunity to revisit and reform Solvency II legislation, freeing up capital that can then be used to further the post-Covid economic recovery.

  • News

    Schemes’ industry investments lag behind climate targets

    2021-02-17T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Pension schemes with investments in heavy industry like steel, cement, aluminium and paper are likely to find them lagging behind the Paris agreement’s targets, with 86 per cent failing to align with a pathway to “2C or below by 2050”.

  • News

    Schemes should not ‘mindlessly chase’ illiquidity premium

    2021-02-15T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The chief investment officer of the £19bn Local Pensions Partnership has criticised asset managers promising unrealistic returns from illiquid assets, arguing that they no longer provide the same premium they once did.

  • Getty Images
    News

    Border to Coast expands green infrastructure investment

    2021-02-10T00:00:00Z

    Several pension funds, including the Local Government Pension Scheme pool Border to Coast, have provided the majority of the funding for a new €1.6bn (£1.4bn) renewable energy investment fund launched by the Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets.

  • Data crunch
    News

    Master trust competition hots up despite consolidation

    2021-02-02T00:00:00Z

    Data crunch: The majority of master trusts are targeting defined contribution schemes in a bid to boost their assets under management, leading to heightened competition in a marketplace where there is scepticism about acquiring rivals.

  • News

    How schemes can navigate the post-Covid recovery

    2021-01-21T00:00:00Z

    Defined benefit schemes should use the post-Covid recovery to conduct a thorough postmortem of the effects of 2020’s events on their portfolios and strategies, according to Barnett Waddingham.