Europe

EUROPE - ABP pensions director and board member Jaap Maassen will succeed Alan Pickering as the new chair of the European Federation of Retirement Provision (EFRP).

UK - Banking giant Barclays has boosted the number of staff making pension contributions by 70% since introducing its hybrid scheme Afterwork 16 months ago.

UK - Pension funds have returned 1.9% for the third quarter, according to preliminary figures from Russell/Mellon CAPS.

UK - Councillors fear a wave of protests when council tax-payers realise how much may be needed to cover local authority pension shortfalls.

UK/CANADA - Teachers' Private Capital, the private equity arm of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, has partnered with London-based firm Bioscience Managers Limited (BML) to invest in Canadian life science companies.

UK - The National Association of Pension Funds has welcomed a commitment by the work and pensions secretary to consider introducing a citizen's pension.

UK - Scheme wind-up victims have been warned their hopes of compensation may be dashed if a trade union proceeds with its legal action against the government.

UK - The government is planning to reduce means-testing to prevent the Pensions Commission recommending compulsion next year.

UK - Pension Protection Fund chairman Lawrence Churchill is supporting industry calls for a risk-based levy to be introduced ahead of the government's timetable.

UK - Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (MLIM) has launched a portable alpha solution for pension fund clients.