Belgium
BAPI appoints Van Gutte as secretary general
Karel Van Gutte has been named as secretary general of the Belgian Association of Pension Institutions (BAPI).
Judge expresses 'serious reservations' about Bonas contribution notice
UK/BELGIUM - The Upper Tribunal expressed "serious reservations" about the amount The Pensions Regulator is chasing in its contribution notice against Michel Van De Wiele NV.
Dutch and Belgian investors plan to sue Lehman counterparties
NETHERLANDS/BELGIUM - A group of Dutch and Belgian investors is planning to sue ABN Amro and KBC who acted as counterparties in trades with Lehman Brothers and Ernst & Young who audited the bank's accounts.
European cross-border pensions on the rise
EUROPE - Multinationals are increasingly looking at creating cross-border pension funds for their employees, industry figures said.
Belgian funds fall
BELGIUM - Pension funds lost an average of 15.5% over the year up to September, and shifted allocations from equities to bonds, research by Mercer reveals.
Belgian employers over-estimate DC benefits
BELGIUM - Belgian employers are grossly overestimating the level of benefits provided by their defined contribution (DC) pension plans, Watson Wyatt has warned.
Small scale pension funds, large scale vision
Andrew Sheen travels to Belgium and discovers this country of predominately small pension funds is labouring with the implementation of OFP reforms and harbouring dreams of becoming Europe's cross-border pension hub
Belgium pushes cross-border pensions
BELGIUM - Creating a robust cross-border pension market is a priority for the Belgian government, the Belgian Pensions Regulator (BPR) has said.
Nestlé decision may trigger Belgium pension fund influx
BELGIUM - Belgium could have an influx of pan-European companies looking to create pension funds in the country if Nestlé's decision to test new laws is successful.
Multi-nationals move funds to Belgium
EUROPE - Multi-national companies have begun moving their pan-European pension funds to Belgium following legislative changes brought in at the beginning of 2007, according to Deloitte.
Pension debacle Belgium and the Netherlands
BELGIUM - The Dutch ministry of social affairs and employment has denied there is a hostile row between Belgium and the Netherlands because of Belgium's status as the sole host for pan-European pension funds.
New Belgian fund sought
BELGIUM - The Belgian municipality of Brecht has tendered a €2.4m (£1.8m) mandate for a new pension fund.
KBC Pension Fund adopts LDI
BELGIUM - The KBC pension fund has adopted a liability driven investment (LDI) solution provided by its parent KBC Asset Management.
Hewitt builds system for builders
BELGIUM - Hewitt Associates has been contracted by the Belgian construction sector to develop an administration system for its pension scheme, pensioB.
Belgian pension returns down
BELGIUM - Belgian pension fund returns fell by 6.2% to 8.76% over 2006, compared to their 2005 performance of 14.96%.
Funds reject Antwerp scheme
BELGIUM - Pension funds have reacted with scepticism to a suggestion by the Belgian Association of Pension Institutions (ABIP) chairman that they invest in the multi-billion euro transportation works in Antwerp, citing a hesitance to be tied down long...
SICAVs to spark competition
BELGIUM - The arrival of the institutional SICAV (société d'investissement à capital variable) vehicle in Belgium could see pension funds and asset managers competing directly against one another.
ABIP critical of Belgian 'herd mentality'
BELGIUM - Herd mentality is a significant problem in the Belgian pension fund industry and it is essential that liability streams be used as the basis for asset allocation, said Philip Neyt, chairman of the Belgian Association of Pensions Institution...
KBC to launch LDI product - exclusive
BELGIUM - KBC Asset Management is to launch an LDI product "around February" that will target Belgian and Dutch pension funds.
Fortis head predicts big SRI growth
BELGIUM - Pension fund demand for SRI is set to increase significantly in Belgium despite the fact they have thus far failed to convert their words into action, said Peter de Proft, CEO for Belgium at Fortis Investments.
Belgian funds still cool on LDI
BELGIUM - The demand for Liability Driven Investments (LDI) is unlikely to pick up in Belgium given its unsuitability to local pension funds, industry players have agreed.
BlackRock MLIM adds to Benelux team
BENELUX - BlackRock Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (BlackRock MLIM) has appointed Mark Schipper as marketing manager for the Benelux region.
Fortis AuM up 10%
BELGIUM - Fortis Investments' assets under management (AuM) are up 10% from December 2005, totalling €116bn at the end of the third quarter.
Belgian pension funds return 4.4%
BELGIUM - Pension funds managed by Degroof Institutional Asset Management (DiAM) have delivered a median net performance of 4.4% since the beginning of the year.
