United Kingdom

UK - Flexible benefits technology provider Vebnet has revealed a 98% jump in turnover on the back of growing demand from the UK market.

UK - Employers are dumping newly-established defined contribution plans in favour of stakeholder and group personal pensions, industry leaders warn.

UK - Over half of FTSE350 firms have plans to integrate their pension schemes into a wider flexible benefits programme, a new survey shows.

UK - Emerging market debt will provide long-term investors with welcome returns despite suffering a recent dip in performance, Axa Investment Managers claims.

UK - Fund management giant Fidelity Investments is looking to expand its presence beyond the occupational pensions market and into group personal arrangements.

UK - Hewitt Bacon & Woodrow's parent, Hewitt Associate, has acquired human resource business process outsourcing services provider Exult, in an all-share deal.

UK - The Compliance Register - an international organisation for compliance professionals and senior financial services industry managers - is launching its first annual awards.

UK - US companies that provide property/casualty insurance will provide a lucrative investment opportunity for institutional investors, Hiscox Investment Management predicts.

UK - Hedge funds - as measured by the MSCI Hedge Fund Composite Index - returned -0.6% at the end of May, lagging behind bond and equity returns.

UK - Improved training, communication and management policies can cut the "significant" costs to business of sickness absence, employee benefit specialist John Scott & Partners claims.