Regions

ASIA - HSBC Securities Services (HSS) has launched a fund administration infrastructure and operating model in Asia to help pension funds and other clients increase transparency in light of volatile markets and regulatory scrutiny.

EUROPE - The UK government is understood to be prepared to shoot down proposals for a financial transaction tax being mooted by Germany and France.

GLOBAL - Asian shares rose for a third day but closed lower than expected as European leaders failed to reveal specific plans to tackle the debt crisis after a meeting yesterday.

GLOBAL - The increasing visibility of retirement and benefit programmes at senior level within multinational companies has started a trend towards global oversight, said Mercer.

EUROPE - The corporate defined contribution (DC) market in Europe is set to grow by 11.5% per year to 2014, research by Cerulli predicts.

UK/EUROPE - The European Commission has failed to make its case for a revised IORP directive and planned changes should be abandoned, the National Association of Pension Funds says.

State Street Global Advisors; Texas TRS; Deloitte; F&C Investments; RCM; The National Association of Pension Funds

US - Pension funds in Virginia and Florida have become the latest to point a finger at Bank of New York Mellon for overcharging for foreign currency trades and both states filed lawsuits against the bank yesterday.

GLOBAL - Have you missed the biggest stories in pensions this week? Find out below, as we list the top 10 most popular stories on www.globalpensions.com over the past seven.

EUROPE - France, Italy, Spain and Belgium have temporarily banned short-selling of financial stocks in response to sharp share price falls across Europe.