Aegon

Aegon has embedded ESG criteria across its in-house workplace default funds through a partnership with HSBC Global Asset Management.

Some £20.1bn of defined benefit (DB) pensions were advised to transfer between 2018 and 2020, while £10.2bn were recommended not to transfer, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) data reveals.

The carbon emissions in Aegon UK’s default pension funds will be slashed in half by 2030 under a longer-term plan to reach a net-zero position by the middle of the century.

Defined contribution (DC) contributions were scaled back by 11% in the second quarter of 2020 as the impact of the pandemic set in, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Around 5,000 Thermo Fisher Scientific UK pension scheme members have joined Aegon Master Trust, with £120m of assets transferred.

The Aegon Master Trust will move from an affiliate board structure to fully independent, recruiting a further trustee as part of the process.

Opportunities for defined benefit (DB) schemes to pursue investment approaches that help repair the UK’s economy cannot stand in the way of improving member outcomes, Aegon says.

Aegon has launched a digital hub for employers to assist with the roll-out of their new pension scheme to employees.

The £2.3bn withdrawn flexibly from pensions in Q3 represents a 2% year-on-year decrease from monies withdrawn during the same months in 2019, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) figures show.

The Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) consultation on improving defined contribution (DC) outcomes has garnered support from the industry, but many have warned of potential unintended consequences.