The first billion-pound scheme buyout will take place this year, delegates heard.

THE CHANCELLOR has boosted the budget of the Financial Assistance Scheme from £2bn to £8bn in his budget.

WOMEN would find it easier to get senior roles if flexible working was more widely available, the Equal Opportunities Commission claims.

Consultants and pension providers have renewed pleas to ministers to ensure personal accounts do not lead to a levelling down of pension provision.

THE PENSION Protection Fund's compensation director Alan Duncan will leave the industry safety-net next week at the end of his contract.

SCHEMES would have seen better performance if they had held a proportion of assets in commercial property over the past 20 years, new research shows.

Australia - Peter Dutton, minister for revenue and assistant treasurer, has slammed shadow treasurer Wayne Swan and leader of the opposition Kevin Rudd for giving in to unions and "refusing to rule out restoring the 15% end tax on super payouts".

Kazakhstan - SNC-Lavalin and Capital BearingPoint have been hired by the state-owned accumulation pension fund GNPF to consult on and support preparations for its privatisation under an Institution Building Programme.

BNP PARIBAS Asset Management is set to merge its traditional investment management and its indexed & structured investment management teams.

COMMERZBANK has sold Jupiter Asset Management to a consortium of senior staff and private equity firm TA Associates for £740m.