How this Canadian university fund learnt to box with the Maple Eight
University of British Columbia Investment Management, which is responsible for about $5.4bn in pension and endowment assets, has figured out how to access opportunities which its scale might not otherwise allow it
US pension funds write to London Stock Exchange Group over SpaceX fast-tracking
Pension funds worth around $600bn have written to FTSE Russell’s parent company expressing concerns about the relaxing of rules which allow SpaceX to get fast track access into its indices — and therefore into passive funds
What do asset managers think is the biggest growth opportunity?
Germany is in the midst of radically reforming its pension system, which asset managers across Europe believe to be “one of the most significant structural growth opportunities” for years
UK local authority pension schemes rethink active equities after prolonged underperformance
Some UK institutional investors are reconsidering their UK equity exposures in light of continuing underperformance, including funds in the $534bn Local Government Pension Scheme
How has the ‘Your Future, Your Super’ test changed Australia’s pension funds?
In the latest AOX Trends Report video, editor Damian Fantato talks to APAC deputy editor Stefan Kostarelis about the ‘Your Future, Your Super’ performance test, how it has changed Australia’s pension funds and what the other countries considering similar processes should bear in mind.
Should asset owners ditch their US Treasury holdings?
Several asset owners have ditched their US Treasury holdings recently as yields rise despite Scott Bessent’s interventions, but despite these assets losing some of their predictability for many they remain “the safest of a bad bunch of places”.
How are South Africa’s pension funds handling their domestic market’s concentration?
South Africa’s pension funds are required to invest more than half their assets in their domestic market, but over the past 10 years the number of listings on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange has fallen by half. How are they addressing this?
Congress puts brakes on investors piling up family homes
The 21st Century Road to Housing Act has limited the amount of single-family homes which institutional investors can buy. How are they responding to these new rules?
Pension funds come round to VC managers’ thinking on fees and fund-of-funds
Discussions around performance fees "have moved forward significantly over the last 12 months" and are "much more acceptable" to large pension funds, according to Stephen Budge of LCP
German pension funds face bill of up to $870mn over cum-ex scandal
A survey by Germany’s financial regulator Bafin found 21 insurance companies and pension schemes were affected by at least one transaction in the scandal which involved tax loopholes on dividend payments
Are Australia’s pension funds stuck in a performance testing loop?
Australia’s pension system has managed to weed out underperforming funds and consolidated its system around fewer, higher-performing MySuper products - but has it found itself stuck in a loop it can’t escape?
How should asset owners benchmark their private equity exposure?
Many of the biggest asset owners benchmark their private equity investments against a public markets index. This has led to the impression of horrific underperformance, but are they doing the right thing?
Asset owners want more control in mandates as tolerance for underperformance falls
Research by PwC shows there is now greater demand for “outcome-oriented mandates and customised portfolios” among asset owners
How Diego Marrero disrupted Peru’s pension fund market
In the 12 years Diego Marrero spent has AFP Habitat Peru’s chief investment officer, it went from managing no money at all to being one of the country’s four biggest private pension fund managers
How the $47bn Railpen fund plans to get out of its property pickle
The Railways Pension Scheme has found itself with a bill of about $413mn for remediation work to its property portfolio due to fire safety issues which were first discovered in 2019. But the fund has finally come up with a solution
How Norges Bank is modelling climate change
As a long, hot summer draws to a close (hopefully), Ginni Goldin, senior climate risk analyst at Norges Bank Investment Management, which runs the $2.2tn Norwegian pension fund, tells AOX how the manager has been building a model that can quantify how the companies in the portfolio will be affected by climate change
How are South Africa’s pension funds using their new-found freedom to invest in alternatives?
South Africa’s pension funds have increased investment in alternatives following legislation which took effect in 2023, but how are they going about doing so?
How an Australian super fund avoided the SaaSpocalypse
Marina Pasika, head of private markets at the $75bn Rest super fund, explains why her fund deliberately avoided traditional software managers when building out its private equity programme
How the Banco Master scandal could affect Latin America’s pensions
In the latest AOX Trends Report video, editor Damian Fantato talks to Latin America reporter Marina Benitez about how pension funds in the region are changing, the specific factors which are driving them to invest in private markets, and how the Banco Master scandal is could affect what happens next
How bullish are asset owners feeling?
The latest fund manager survey by Bank of America found the most bullish sentiment since 2022, with cash at historical lows. Do asset owners share those feelings?