Pensioenfederatie, the Dutch Federation of Pension Funds, in February 2026 urged the European Commission to better coordinate public and private investment in climate resilience projects as physical climate risks become increasingly critical for long-term institutional investors. In its response to the Commission’s climate resilience consultation, Pensioenfederatie outlined three key recommendations to mobilize private institutional capital for climate adaptation. The federation called for clearer expectations around private capital’s role in

German employers are offering an average of 6.6 employee benefits per company, yet 82% of HR leaders find the benefits market lacks in transparency and struggle to measure actual impact, according to the 2025 Roland Berger Study, published in February 2025. The comprehensive survey of over 1,700 HR executives reveals a troubling disconnect between benefits investment and strategic outcomes. Companies plan to add another 1.4 benefits in 2025, often

Generali Group and Swiss Life Global Solutions in February 2026 announced they had entered into a long-term commercial partnership under which Generali Employee Benefits (GEB) will acquire Swiss Life Network, subject to regulatory approvals. The transaction will combine the two groups’ global employee benefits networks, creating the largest platform worldwide in terms of geographical reach and premium volume. Once completed, the combined network will manage more than €3 billion

MAXIS GBN announced in February 2026 the appointment of Jayesh Patel as Chief Business Development Officer. Patel will join the Executive Committee and report to CEO Matthieu Rouot.

Dutch financial services giant Achmea in January 2026 appointed Frank Olde Hartman as director of Achmea Pensioenservices (APS), effective February 1, 2026, to oversee the unit’s strategic wind-down by 2030. The appointment comes as APS undergoes a major transition, with the business being phased out due to unprofitability as key clients migrate to the Netherlands’ new pension system. Achmea will continue supporting pension fund clients including Centraal Beheer APF,

MAXIS Global Benefits Network has partnered with LearnLux to strengthen its global financial wellbeing offering, expanding access to structured financial guidance for multinational workforces worldwide.

Generali Employee Benefits (GEB) marks 60 years in global employee benefits, highlighting its 127-country network and a forward agenda focused on digital transformation, analytics, inclusivity and sustainability.

According to the latest report from the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA), published in December 2025, cross-border activity among IORPs across the European Economic Area stayed broadly flat in 2024. EIOPA’s fifth annual Cross-Border IORPs Report 2025 shows that 27 cross-border IORPs were active across the EEA last year—down one from 2023. Zoom out, though, and the bigger picture hasn’t changed. EIOPA confirms what it has been

Utmost Group in December 2025 announced it had agreed to sell its bulk purchase annuity (BPA) business, Utmost Life and Pensions (ULP), to JAB Insurance for an undisclosed sum, subject to regulatory approval. Completion is expected by mid-2026. JAB will acquire the entire business, which holds more than £5bn in assets and employs around 175 people. ULP entered the BPA market in late 2024 and has completed 11 buy-in

MAXIS Global Benefits Network (MAXIS GBN) in November 2025 appointed Jean-David Bridoux as Regional Manager – Western Europe within its global Business Development (BD) team. He has been promoted from his role as Account Executive, replacing Damian Allepuz who was recently appointed as Regional Director – EMEA. In his new position, Jean-David is responsible for outbound business development across Western Europe and will lead the existing regional BD team,

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in October 2025 published its Global Corporate Sustainability Report 2025. Corporate sustainability means integrating  environmental and social considerations into a company’s strategy, operations and disclosure. According to the OECD, “it fosters sound governance and decision-making, while helping investors better understand a company’s long-term risks and opportunities.” The 97-page document provides insights on how companies are implementing the sustainability-related recommendations of the

MAXIS Global Benefits Network (MAXIS GBN) in October 2025 appointed Damian Allepuz as Regional Director – EMEA within its global Business Development (BD) team. Damian has been promoted from his role as Regional Manager for Western Europe, taking over from Aaron Brown who is leaving MAXIS to take on an exciting new opportunity in the E.B. intermediary market. Damian is responsible for all outbound business development across EMEA (Europe,

In August 2025, Germany’s DGUV described occupational health precautions required for work in tropical or subtropical conditions and other overseas locations involving particular climatic or infection hazards under ArbMedVV. The note corroborates the scope of an issue relayed in a December 2023 newsletter. It describes a risk-based requirement, rather than a universal examination for every foreign business trip or a new law introduced in December 2023. Start with the

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has advanced dramatically in recent years, with impacts that are already reshaping society, business, and individual lives. Yet many of these implications remain poorly understood and unevenly shared. Focusing on the economic dimension, the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) published in September 2025 a working paper by Erik Brynjolfsson, Anton Korinek, and Ajay K. Agrawal: “A Research Agenda for the Economics of Transformative AI.”

Willis Towers Watson (WTW) in August 2025 published the 2025 edition its annual “2025 Global Benefits Financing Matrix and Poolable Coverages” table. An indispensable tool of the trade for global employee benefits practitioners, it is available for download as a PDF. For the first time, WTW requires prior registration. The matrix “provides a complete listing of the eight global benefits networks, and their affiliated insurers and their offshore (i.e. third-country national

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in September 2025 issued its Economic Outlook Interim Report, subtitled “Finding the Right Balance in Uncertain Times”. According to the report, global growth was more resilient than anticipated in the first half of 2025, particularly in many emerging-market economies. Industrial production and trade benefited from front-loading ahead of higher tariffs. In the United States, strong investment linked to artificial intelligence boosted

MAXIS Global Benefits Network (MAXIS GBN) in September 2025 launched MAXIS+, an enhanced suite of health data insights and wellness services for its multinational clients. The MAXIS+ services have been designed to help multinationals drill deeper into their claims and truly understand their employee health. The new range of services includes a sophisticated new medical claims dashboard that has the most up-to-date data, allowing multinationals to generate bespoke reports and create

MAXIS Global Benefits Network (MAXIS GBN) in August 2025 announced the appointment of Alexandre Rizk and Nannecy Dulin to Director positions within its global Business Development team. Alexandre Rizk has been promoted to Director – Global Relationship Management, effective 1 August 2025. He moves on from his role as Account Executive in MAXIS GBN’s Western Europe, Middle East and Africa (WEMEA) inbound Business Development team. In his new role, Alexandre will

In July 2025, EU authorities approved a progressive rollout of the Entry/Exit System and set 12 October 2025 as its start date. For travel and mobility teams, the two decisions belonged in one implementation record: the rollout framework explained the transition, while the later decision supplied the launch date. Read the dated development The framework provided for a progressive 180-day rollout. EES records entries and exits for specified non-EU

MAXIS Global Benefits Network (MAXIS GBN) in July 2025 announced it is working with Care Plus, the largest premium healthcare provider in Brazil. Care Plus will offer medical coverage to MAXIS GBN’s captive clients across Brazil. Care Plus was founded in 1992 and was later acquired by Bupa in 2016. It provides healthcare solutions to more than 1,000 companies, covering 600,000 members across Brazil. It has more than 15

The UK’s HC 997 immigration-rule changes, published on 1 July 2025, altered important assumptions for sponsored recruitment. The principal changes were scheduled for 22 July. Employers reviewing international hires needed to check the occupation, salary and transition provisions together rather than rely on one headline threshold. Read the dated development The changes raised the general Skilled Worker salary threshold to GBP41,700 and generally returned the skill threshold to degree-level

SHRM’s June 2025 employee-benefits analysis offers a benchmark for healthcare priorities and benefit design. It also illustrates why employers need to read survey questions and sample descriptions before turning a headline percentage into a market trend or a recommendation to change their own programme. Read the dated development The survey covered 3,969 HR professionals. Healthcare benefits were rated very or extremely important by 88%, and 97% reported organisational health

Generali Employee Benefits (GEB) network in June 2025 announced a new strategic partnership with AI-benefits innovator Euphoric. Euphoric has developed an AI-powered, all-in-one benefits management platform providing cutting-edge global benefits analytics for Global HR leaders and their employees. It is designed to help employees and employers navigate the complexities of corporate benefit plans. For employers, Euphoric has developed a Global Analytics Platform (GAP), providing one centralized view of the

Zurich and Further Group in May 2025 announced they would offer a new employee benefit – called Critical Care – designed to help those needing treatment for serious illnesses. Critical Care can provide life-changing well-being benefits for employees who have cancer, heart or neurological conditions, are in need of organ transplants, or require specialist treatment abroad at leading hospitals. It can be added to any Zurich International Group Life

Poland’s Office for Foreigners announced EU Blue Card framework changes on 27 May 2025, with principal changes beginning on 1 June. For employers transferring highly qualified employees, the development required a fresh look at the actual immigration route rather than an assumption that an existing card permitted any local employment. Read the dated development The announcement described recognition of specified professional experience and provisions for short- and long-term mobility

G20 merchandise trade increased in Q1 2025 with exports and imports rising by 2.0% and 3.1%, respectively, compared with Q4 2024; the latest statistics show a mixed picture in services, with exports decreasing by 0.7% and imports increasing by 1.0%.

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), its provisional estimates released in May 2025 show that gross domestic product (GDP) across the OECD area rose by just 0.1 % quarter-on-quarter in the first quarter (Q1) 2025, down markedly from 0.5 % in the previous quarter. This breaks the pattern of relatively strong and stable growth seen in the OECD area over the past two years. G7