Regions

KENYA - British American Insurance Company (Britak) has launched an Umbrella Retirement Benefits Fund which will target small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country.

KENYA - President Mwai Kibaki has announced plans to increase the minimum pension for retired public servants by 400%.

GLOBAL - Credit Suisse and US-based firm GE Infrastructure have unveiled plans to form a US$1bn joint venture to invest in global infrastructure assets.

GLOBAL - Institutional investors, including pension funds, are hesitating to venture into sectors like water and premium brands because of the lack of benchmarks, according to Pictet Asset Management.

GLOBAL - Diversity in equity portfolios through global exposure should be complemented with investment in other asset classes, said Roger Urwin, global head of investment consulting at Watson Wyatt.

GLOBAL - Fortis Investments saw assets under management increase 7.4% in the first quarter to e112.7bn.

GLOBAL- Dutch insurer Aegon and US insurer AIG Life have announced plans to enter the burgeoning UK bulk annuities market later this year, with a focus on small to mid-market deals.

EUROPE - Liability driven investment (LDI) and interest rate hedging strategies are on the rise with European pension funds, according to Mercer Investment Consulting.

EUROPE - Pension funds will continue to find high value in core European markets, Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (MLIM) said today.

GLOBAL - Investec Asset Management has joined the Enhanced Analytics Initiative (EAI) as a full member.