News

Opportunities are opening up for institutional investors looking to invest in green bonds as a new certification scheme is due to launch next month, and State Street brings a new green bond fund to market today.

GLOBAL - Opportunities are opening up for institutional investors looking to invest in green bonds as a new certification scheme is due to launch next month, and State Street brings a new green bond fund to market today.

US - Laurence Fink, chairman and chief executive of BlackRock, said billions of assets could flow into perpetual preferred shares issued by European banks looking to recapitalise as they face more stringent capital requirements.

ITALY - BNL/BNP Paribas Employees' Pension Fund has hired State Street Global Advisors to run an €82m ($113m) custom fixed income mandate while the Cariplo Pension Fund renewed a European equity mandate worth $71m.

Complying with auto-enrolment regulations is going to be an "absolute minefield" for certain employers and they must start planning accordingly, delegates heard.

UK/Europe - The European Commission must make sure it does not "mix apples with oranges" and confuse the insurance industry with pension funds.

NETHERLANDS - Dropping interest rates knocked the coverage ratio for Pensioenfonds Zorg & Welzijn (PFZW) down to 91% and Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP's down to 90%.

Labour has pledged to maintain political consensus around pension reform and new pensions spokesman Gregg McClymont aims to remain in post as long as possible.

Labour has called on the government to stick to the schedule for auto-enrolment.

Some of the UK's biggest asset managers have teamed up to create the Defined Contribution Investment Forum in a bid to help DC schemes meet members' investment objectives.