Regions

EUROPE - The European Commission will adopt a proposed Pension Portability Directive no later than April of this year, according to an official from the Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Directorate.

EUROPE - F&C Asset Management is looking to expand its SRI offering in Continental Europe following increased demand from European pension funds.

EUROPE - UBS Global Asset Management is to buy a 51% stake in the real estate funds business of Siemens for an undisclosed amount in a bid to expand its business in Germany.

GLOBAL - EDS and Towers Perrin are to launch a new HR outsourcing business to reach more than 400 organisations and 33m employees worldwide.

EUROPE - Growth disappointment and falling inflation levels in the Euro zone make the region a bond friendly environment in 2005, according to Schroders.

EUROPE - Europe-based multinationals are showing increasing interest in pension pooling with the majority seeking to pool equity and bond investments and some considering hedge funds, according to consulting firm Deloitte.

GLOBAL - Watson Wyatt will merge its principal subsidiary in the US with its UK-based alliance partner to form a global organisation with combined revenues of approximately US$1.1bn.

GLOBAL - Hedge funds are moving out of the realm of the ‘alternative' asset class and into the mainstream, according to the latest report by Greenwich Associates.

EUROPE - The Committee of European Insurers (CEA) has criticised a proposal by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) that they say would limit the fair value option in IAS 39.

EUROPE - ChevronTexaco has appointed State Street Corporation to provide financial services for its pension plans in Britain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Belgium.