The OECD in July 2018 released its Annual Survey of Investment Regulations of Pension Funds 2018, which describes the main quantitative investment regulations that pension funds are subject to in OECD and a selection of IOPS member countries. It covers all types of pension plans, and concerns all forms of quantitative portfolio restrictions applied to pension funds at different legal levels. The 356-page survey’s findings conclude, in part, that:

It’s a globalized world, and corporations are increasingly multinational, with multiple locations and ever-more-mobile employees. As pension burdens increasingly weigh on public finances, retirement is not only the responsibility of the state, but also of employers. The time has come for a more global HR policy on pensions.

The conference on pan-European pension plans organized by asset manager Amundi and insurer LaLux on 5 February 2018 in Luxembourg announced its final agenda. Introduction by Claudia Chalmes-Coumont, LaLux Vie, Director Keynote speaker, H.E. Mr Pierre Gramegna, Luxembourg Ministry of Finance 2017 Annual Pension Survey, key findings, by Prof. Amin Rajan, CEO Create Research Panel on the Pan-European Pensions Regulatory framework – where do we stand? Panel moderator: Sophie

As the growth of pan-European pension plans is reported to accelerate, asset manager Amundi and insurer LaLux jointly organize a topical half-day conference on 5 February 2018 in Luxembourg. Featured speakers include: Luxembourg Minister of Finance, Pierre Gramegna European Commission head of the insurance and pensions unit, Nathalie Berger PensionsEurope CEO, Matti Leppala EIOPA Executive Director, Fausto Parente Create Research CEO, Prof. Amin Rajan Group head of compensation &

Principal Financial in October 2017 bought MetLife’s pension fund management business in Mexico, MetLife Afore, adding a larger distribution network to Principal Afore’s current business in the country and the fifth largest player in the Mexican mandatory pension, voluntary long-term savings, and mutual funds competitive space. The transaction is expected to complete in early 2018.

GBV magazine publishes this 14-page, in-depth article which discusses alternative investments and their suitability for life insurance in general and pension liabilities in particular. By and large, alternative investments are investments in assets other than equities, bonds and cash. They include real estate, commodities such as oil, cocoa and gold, capital goods such as ships and aircraft, and even more exotic categories: hedge funds, private equity, project finance, venture