Larger UK DB schemes prefer to run on but growth assets are off the menu
Upwards of two-thirds of large DB pension schemes are pursuing run-on strategies, but the preference is to use surplus funds to enhance member benefits
Will tokenisation shake-up the world of asset ownership?
The British regulator, the FCA, is moving fast to bring tokenisation to the £16.5tn UK asset management sector. So what impact can this have?
Are index providers the new credit rating agencies?
Several index providers gave Elon Musk’s SpaceX fast track access to their indices, which raises the question of how much power these companies have over the market and what parallels can be drawn
Family offices consider AI outsourcing as they step back from expensive arms race
As large institutional investors increasingly use AI to support investment strategies, family offices may turn to external partnerships due to limited in-house capabilities
How the EU plans to get more pensions invested in stocks
Petra Hielkema, chair of the EU’s pensions regulator Eiopa, wants to address the fact that EU citizens collectively hold around $39tn in savings but around a third of this is sitting in bank deposits - and she hopes reforms to pan-European pension products will help
Middle East family offices in suspense as Shariah rules may change
The Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions - the body which sets and standardises global Shariah rules for financial institutions - is debating a new standard for sukuk which has put Middle Eastern family offices in a state of suspense
Major super funds post near-identical returns but tell different stories
Regulatory settings have nudged some of Australia’s largest superannuation funds into similar listed portfolios, so differentiation now happens in unlisted assets, where disclosures ranged from detailed to silent.
Are asset owners to blame for robot RFP responses?
Asset managers are increasingly turning to AI to craft RFPs as institutional asset owners and consultants demand increasingly customised, data-driven, and time-sensitive responses, according to research by Cerulli Associates.
FundForum Monaco 2026: fund managers must innovate to stay relevant, experts say
Greater diversity in AI-related exchange traded funds and closer engagement with the needs of private wealth clients could help managers compete in an increasingly crowded market, wealth management executives said at FundForum Monaco. Their comments came as industry leaders warned of relentless pressure on margins, given the wide availability of passive ETFs.
Why is everyone copying Sweden’s pension system?
Germany’s pension commission has recently recommended moving to a Swedish pension system, and the Finnish government has appointed an independent expert to explore doing the same thing
Is the UK government’s push for pension consolidation in tension with its other aims?
In the first ever AOX Trends Report video, editor Damian Fantato talks to UK reporter Georgina McNamara about the UK government’s push for greater pension consolidation and whether the drive for bigger pension funds is in conflict with its desire to see pension funds invest ever-greater sums of money in British private equity.
Banco Master’s collapse proves problematic for Brazilian pensions
The Brazilian Central Bank shut down Banco Master in 2025 after months of liquidity stress, rule breaches and a federal fraud investigation. This has kicked off a chain reaction which is causing problems for some of Brazil’s pension funds
Inside Spain’s residential real estate boom, and the appeal for asset owners
Foreign buyers — both institutional and retail — are growing in prominence in Spain, according to Deloitte, representing nearly 14 per cent of all residential transactions last year, purchasing more than 97,000 homes. This is the highest proportion ever seen from international buyers.
AI’s forgotten booms hold real warnings for investors, says ACC CIO
The chief investment officer of New Zealand’s NZ$50.8bn Accident Compensation Corporation says the best parallels for today’s AI boom are the three that came before it.
What, if anything, can we learn from banks’ family office reports?
UBS is one of the many banks which put together reports providing insight into the family office sector, but what can we learn from these reports and do they all back each other up?
Retail redemptions fail to dent asset owner private credit appetite
While several private credit funds have been hit with waves of redemptions from retail investors since the end of last year, asset owners continue to commit to the asset class, according to data collected by AOX sister publication MandateWire.
A brotherly reconciliation worth €10bn
Delfin, the holding company for EssilorLuxottica has been the subject of a legal dispute between two of the heirs to Leonardo Del Vecchio’s eyewear empire. A truce has recently been agreed, but how long will it last?
Generalist private equity managers face a hard time fundraising as investors struggle to exit expensive deals
Private equity fundraising remains muted as the industry grapples with unsold assets acquired at higher valuations. Industry leaders at the recent SuperReturn conference in Berlin said managers who fail to demonstrate value creation will struggle in fresh fundraising rounds as competition drives up asset prices.
Finnish pension centre highlights private equity costs in new report
Analysis by Eläketurvakeskus, the Finnish Centre for Pensions, has highlighted the cost-reward benefits of private equity at a time when governments across the globe push pension funds towards greater investment in the asset class.
The IA conference roundup: trends transforming investment
At the Investment Association's 2026 annual conference, industry experts unpicked the major forces currently driving change in asset management, from AI to the impact of geopolitics. In this video AOX senior reporter Juliet Martin summarises the day's key discussions.