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Court ruling on VBL’s disclosure obligations leaves scope for interpretation


By Natalie Tuck

A German court ruling has clarified, but not conclusively determined, the extent to which the Versorgungsanstalt des Bundes und der Länder (VBL) must disclose details of its investment portfolio.

In a first-instance decision, the Administrative Court of Karlsruhe found that VBL is obliged to provide information on individual capital investments under certain conditions, granting the plaintiff a restricted right to information for the years 2020 and 2021


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Early buyout of UK DB schemes risks £3bn loss for FTSE 350 firms

With trillions of pounds in UK defined benefit (DB) pension assets expected to transfer to insurers in the coming years, FTSE 350 firms could miss out on billions in surplus value if they buy out too early, according to analysis from Barnett Waddingham (BW)
Taxpayer funding covers majority of Dutch state pension for first time

More than half of the Netherlands’ state pension (AOW) was, for the first time, financed through general tax revenues rather than social insurance premiums in 2024, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS)

France’s FRR backs CMU as it enters high-rated securities market

France's Fonds de Réserve Pour les Retraites (FRR) has shown its support for the Capital Markets Union (CMU) with its first investment in high-rated securitised assets
News in brief: 18 July

The latest news in brief and mandates from the past seven days

Annuity providers invested £10.9bn in UK productive assets in 2024, says ABI

Across 2024, £10.9bn has been invested from annuity business directly into UK-focused productive assets, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has reported
Institutional investors flock to infrastructure debt as Macquarie closes €1.2bn fund

Macquarie Asset Management has closed its inaugural Macquarie European Infrastructure Debt Fund (MEID) with €1.2bn raised, alongside €2.3bn secured through separately managed accounts, reflecting increasing institutional investor appetite for infrastructure debt as a stable, long-term asset class


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Reform in bloom?

Big changes are coming – slowly – to the Netherlands' celebrated pensions system, as demographics and economics have made reform necessary. David Adams reports on the challenges still to be overcome

The gloves are off

Rising trade tensions and aggressive tariff policies from the US are forcing European pension funds to reassess their exposure to American equities. As market dynamics shift, pension fund CIOs are weighing up whether it’s time to reduce their reliance on the long-dominant US market or adapt their strategies to navigate the new landscape. Giovanni Legorano reports

The talent relay

The European pensions sector is struggling to recruit talented individuals to take the baton as older workers retire. How can an industry, often perceived as slow moving, attract and retain the right talent? Pete Carvill reports

Investing with impact

ERAFP CEO, Régis Pelissier, chats to Natalie Tuck about how RAFP’s investment strategy has evolved, its strong ESG ethos and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead

PEPP: The next step

The news of a second pan-European personal pension product (PEPP) could mean

big things for the future of pension provision in Europe. LifeGoals Financial Services executive director, Panayiotis Mavromichalis, and Cross Border Benefits Alliance-Europe secretary general, Dr. Francesco Briganti, explore the implications

Lessons in leadership

Veritas CIO, Laura Wickström, chats to Natalie Tuck about her career history, not being scared to take risks and taking on the mantle of CIO at one of Finland’s key pension players

Class Actions Focus: Rebalancing the scales

RGRD co-founder, Mark Solomon, sits down with Natalie Tuck to discuss European pension funds’ changing attitude to securities litigation, its governance benefits and the fear of finding out, while RGRD senior advisor, Melissa McDonald, outlines 10 emerging themes for institutional investors and explains why they are important

Tackling 2025

PensionsEurope secretary general and CEO, Matti Leppälä, looks back on an eventful year to date and outlines the key issues shaping the association’s agenda for the coming months

Going against the crowd

Auto-enrolment (AE) has been hailed as a great success for encouraging greater pension saving rates, but challenges are being seen in some AE systems, with Lithuania recently announcing plans to move away from AE in favour of a voluntary system. Sophie Smith reports

A longer path ahead

As people live longer, the workforce is moving away from the traditional notion of retirement to a more flexible way of thinking. But how far has flexible retirement been implemented at a policy level and is this working? Paige Perrin reports

ESG: Hot or not

While increased regulatory clarity and growing investor demand have driven progress, political pushback and inconsistent implementation continue to challenge the integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles. European Pensions takes the temperature on a complex and evolving landscape. Written by Callum Conway

Regulation, reform and refinement

Following another year of economic challenges and geopolitical shifts, Europe’s pension sector is preparing for a transformative 2025. Callum Conway takes a look at the developments expected in the pensions landscape this year

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Podcast: Stepping up to the challenge
In the latest European Pensions podcast, Natalie Tuck talks to PensionsEurope chair, Jerry Moriarty, about his new role and the European pension policy agenda

Podcast: The benefits of private equity in pension fund portfolios
The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, in which stock markets have seen increased volatility, combined with global low interest rates has led to alternative asset classes rising in popularity. Private equity is one of the top runners in this category, and for good reason.

In this podcast, Munich Private Equity Partners Managing Director, Christopher Bär, chats to European Pensions Editor, Natalie Tuck, about the benefits private equity investments can bring to pension fund portfolios and the best approach to take.

Mitigating risk
BNP Paribas Asset Management’s head of pension solutions, Julien Halfon, discusses equity hedging with Laura Blows

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