Global

Wales' Powys County Council Pension Fund is on the verge of reviewing its investment managers.

The Institute of Financial Services (IFS) in the UK has introduced prometric electronic testing for the Certificate of Financial Advisors (CeFA) papers one and two.

Daniel Lass, formerly Pareto Partners' managing director and head of Europe and Middle East Marketing has become Pareto Partners' head of global marketing, based in New York.

Danish pension fund Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension (ATP) may tender equities mandates worth up to $1bn following dissatisfaction with current managers.

Mutual funds have become more attractive following new German pension reforms, according to the Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Ageing.

Deutsche Asset Management (DeAM) has strengthened its global fixed income capabilities, with the relocation of some key fixed income professionals.

Swedish investment house Skandia has launched a new multi-manager UK equity fund.

Global asset managers Barclays Global Investors (BGI) has posted stable 1H results, with total assets under management falling slightly - less than 1% - to £548bn, compared with £550m during the same period last year.

Bath & North East Somerset Council (Avon Pension Fund) has been overwhelmed by the response it has received for four mandates it has put out to tender, covering the entire assets of the scheme.

Austria's EUR295m Verbund Pensionskasse has abandoned its search for a specialist manager and decided to merge itself with a multi-employer fund.