News

As corporate culture and business structure at asset management firms come under increasing scrutiny, "boutique" seems to have become a byword for best practice. Jenny Blinch reports

UK - The aggregate funding position of pension funds improved by £23.1bn (US$45.6bn) in May but was still down on the same time last year.

SWITZERLAND - The Federal Department of Finance (FDF) has called for speedy policy reform to prevent a trebling of the national debt as the baby boomer generation retires.

GERMANY - The €864m (£679m) German pension protection fund, Pensions-Sicherungs-Verein VVaG, is now 37% funded after receiving €706m, according to MandateWire.

THE Pension Protection Fund has appointed ExactVAL to carry out pension liability calculations.

SOUTH AFRICA - Watson Wyatt has completed its acquisition of a 20% stake in consulting firm Fifth Quadrant, as revealed exclusively by Global Pensions in December ( www.globalpensions.com , 3 December 2007).

Personal accounts a ‘scandal in the making'; Workers fear personal accounts will cost too much; Technology aid for safer pensions landing; Fiduciary management to be introduced in UK

CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE - Employee benefits across Central and Eastern European countries are not homogenous, according to new reports published by Watson Wyatt.

UK - The selection of currency managers based on past performance has led to a clash of opinions between a leading consultancy and fund management firm.

With defined benefit on its way out, Andrew Sheen looks at what the future holds for the remaining DB schemes