Denmark’s Sampension achieved an overall profit of DKK 318bn in 2023, according to its full-year results.

In addition, Sampension customer and community member numbers increased to around 3,500, amounting to 343,000 overall. Customer contributions also increased over the year, with growth of 2.5 per cent to DKK 12.5bn. The pension scheme manager’s return on investment was DKK 21.4bn last year, compared to DKK -34bn in 2022.

"In recent years, we have strengthened our position in the corporate pension market and continue to gain more and more corporate customers. This shows that we are increasingly seen as a competitive player, and that our value proposition with good long-term returns, low costs, and a high level of service appeals to many companies," said Sampension CEO, Hasse Jørgensen.

"After a tough 2022 in terms of investments, 2023 was uplifting. The year ended up exceeding most people's expectations and generally offered really good returns, not least as a result of a terrific final rally in the stock markets in November and December. This is also reflected in the fact that pension savers generally received good returns last year, which also applies to our customers.

"The development in 2023 - and also in the beginning of 2024, where the tailwinds in the markets have continued – means that the lost return from 2022 has now more than been made up. This is, of course, positive, and also a reminder that it's important to view pension savings as long-term savings.

“While it's never fun to experience years with negative returns, fortunately, they are rare. On the contrary, markets tend to recover quickly, and in the longer term, pension savings will generally grow over the years," concluded Hasse Jørgensen.

At the end of last year, the company acquired DLBR, an advisory collaboration owned by Danish farmers, as their largest pension customer in history, and now provides 3,000 DLBR consultancy companies' employees with pensions.

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