All Investment articles – Page 35
-
NewsKeeping ahead of regulation curve vital to private market success
On the go: Private markets offer schemes access to transactions that will facilitate the transition to a green economy, but staying ahead of the regulatory curve is vital to achieving success within the space, the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association’s annual conference has heard.
-
NewsSanofi scheme agrees £760m buy-in with L&G
On the go: The £3.1bn Sanofi Pension Scheme has agreed a £760m buy-in with Legal & General Assurance. Separately, the scheme terminated an emerging market manager and replaced it with two new managers during 2020.
-
NewsPPF 7800 surplus jumps £25bn in September
On the go: The latest update of the PPF 7800 Index shows the aggregate surplus of the 5,318 defined benefit schemes measured jumped by more than £25bn to £108.8bn at the end of September, up from £83.2bn at the end of August.
-
News‘Greenium’ concerns remain around second green gilts issuance
On the go: The second issuance of the government’s green gilts is expected on October 18. While the first issuance was significantly oversubscribed, concerns about the “greenium” have deterred some pension schemes from investing.
-
NewsNew index fund aims to help schemes build Paris-aligned portfolios
On the go: Willis Towers Watson has teamed up with index provider Qontigo to launch the Stoxx Willis Towers Watson Climate Transition Indices, which they say will enable investors to address climate risks in their portfolios with a forward-looking evaluation of Paris-aligned equity valuations.
-
PodcastsPodcast: Mandating net zero could ‘cut straight through’ fiduciary duties
Podcast: The government mandating default funds be aligned with ‘net zero’ would be a way around concerns about fiduciary responsibility, but there are questions about what this would mean in practice. Stuart O’Brien, partner at Sackers, and Gareth Stears, pensions technical consultant at Aries Insight, discuss environmental, social and governance issues, social housing, and the Pensions Regulator’s controversial criminal powers.
-
NewsWates Pension Fund appoints fiduciary manager
On the go: The £333.9m Wates Pension Fund has appointed Russell Investments as fiduciary manager for its £300m defined benefit section.
-
NewsPPF to appoint specialist panel to assist with overfunded schemes
On the go: The Pension Protection Fund is looking to appoint four new specialist companies to provide transaction advice to schemes in assessment that are overfunded on a PPF basis.
-
NewsGovernments should consider green investing incentives, says IMF
Policymakers should consider providing a financial incentive for sustainable funds as existing capital is “too limited in size and scope” to have a major impact on climate change, the International Monetary Fund has warned.
-
NewsTfL, Avon Pension Fund and Phoenix Group commit to net zero
ESG spotlight: A roundup of the latest news on environmental, social and governance initiatives, with the Transport for London Pension Fund committing to net-zero carbon emissions by 2045, Avon Pension Fund shifting £780m into a Paris-aligned benchmark, and Phoenix Group setting a carbon emission-reduction target of 50 per cent by 2030.
-
FeaturesAre schemes ready to mitigate carbon through their investments?
COP26 guidelines dictate four main ways for the world to become net-zero by 2030 through the mitigation of carbon production. The challenge for pension funds is getting to grips with how these can be aligned with their investment process.
-
NewsFCA opts for softer approach to charges comparison in DC schemes
The Financial Conduct Authority is taking a softer approach to cost and charges comparison requirements in defined contribution schemes after listening to industry feedback on its proposed rules.
-
NewsMPs urge government to make green pensions industry world-leading
MPs have urged the government to seize upon the opportunities COP26 presents to the pensions industry and have called for more consensus on tackling climate change.
-
NewsGovernance burden does not translate into value, industry says
On the go: Pensions professionals have said the burden of the increased level of scheme governance is not worth the value it brings, a survey from XPS Pensions Group has found.
-
NewsFCA to introduce ‘synthetic’ Libor to ease rate wind-down
On the go: The Financial Conduct Authority has announced that some key Libor panels will publish ‘synthetic’ rates to safeguard an “orderly wind-down” of the benchmark interest rates.
-
NewsBorder to Coast commits to net zero
On the go: The Border to Coast Pensions Partnership, which handles the assets of 11 Local Government Pension Scheme funds worth a collective £55bn, has committed to achieve net zero across its entire investment portfolio by 2050 or sooner in recognition of the urgent need to tackle climate change.
-
NewsCapita pension scheme appoints fiduciary manager
On the go: The £1.5bn Capita Pension & Life Assurance Scheme has selected Russell Investments as its fiduciary manager after the scheme trustees’ decided to move to an improved investment governance model.
-
NewsShould regulators take the lead on ESG in pensions?
The extent to which financial regulators should get involved in setting environmental, social and governance requirements is a hot topic, with some experts arguing that involvement could stifle innovation.
-
PodcastsPodcast: Understanding green and sustainable bonds
Podcast: The green bond market is forecast to hit $500bn (£366bn) by the end of this year, according to the Climate Bonds Initiative, while the UK government has just raised £10bn from its debut green bond issue. However, high demand and limited supply raises questions over pricing and yield, while the availability of suitable projects has ignited concerns over greenwashing. In this podcast, Arthur Leijgraaff, senior treasury officer at the Dutch development bank FMO, and Rik Klerkx, senior portfolio manager at Cardano, explain what goes into a green bond issuance, and what trustees need to ask of their asset managers and issuers.
-
NewsPoor engagement hampers asset managers’ ESG commitments
On the go: Asset managers are not living up to their environmental, social and governance commitments, research from Redington has found, with shortcomings in stewardship and engagement prominent.