Fraser Weir’s Post

Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) – what does it mean and how is the market evolving? We outline our understanding of OCIO and provide some thoughts on how the market is evolving and the issues for pension schemes in our Investment Briefing. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eEVMVDtS #PensionSchemes #Pensions #Investment #OCIO | André Kerr | Fraser Weir

There seems to be a fair amount of confusion and ambiguity over the definition of OCIO as a governance model and what this means for pensions schemes considering implementing such an arrangement, particularly given the additional nuances and commercial complexities when compared to a typical fiduciary management appointment. We've set the record straight in our short briefing below, enjoy!

Ending the week with a few Fidelity news highlights 🤗 We announced plans to integrate private assets into FutureWise, our default investment strategy for UK workplace pension schemes, via Fidelity’s LTAF, in a significant milestone for Daniel Smith (he/his), James Monk and the team, appearing here in Pensions Age - https://lnkd.in/dmy2HM5W In other news, we were pleased to announce we intend to adopt three "Sustainable Focus" labels as part of the FCA's new sustainability disclosure and labelling regime (SDR), as covered by Darius McQuaid in Money Marketing - https://lnkd.in/du42hrZn With the first quarter of the current century almost complete, Tom Stevenson looks at the lessons investors can take from the past 25 years in The Telegraph - https://lnkd.in/dVr-getJ With inflation rising beyond the BoE’s target, Ed Monk looked at the implications for savers and investors in This is Money - https://lnkd.in/dn3cKYhG Views on Europe’s growth prospects from Salman Ahmed were featured in a report from Reuters - https://lnkd.in/dv6uhDsW Craig Terrington Holly Deegan Katie Jordan Matthew Birtles

Join us next Wednesday 3 July 10am for the corporate perspective on how an Outsourced Chief Investment (OCIO) could work for your pension scheme. https://lnkd.in/dKrpcYc8 Growing regulatory burdens, combined with heightened market volatility is prompting complete re-evaluation of pension fund operating models. OCIO allows corporates greater ease in measuring outcomes and streamlines oversight, allowing focus on decisions and conversations which matter. The 30-minute session will be hosted by John Harney from Aon's Wealth Solutions Corporate Pensions Consulting team. Our corporate investment experts, Jennifer O'Neill, CFA and William Parry, will be: 💡discussing how OCIO works in practice, 💡sharing how our clients have successfully adopted this model, and 💡exploring how you as a sponsor can set an appropriate operating model for your pension scheme, aligned with your priorities. #investments #pensions #betterdecisions #OCIO #corporates #sponsors

Our summer edition of Investor Agenda is now live. In this edition, we focus on how trustees should take account of social factors in pension scheme investment; the Pension Regulator’s annual review of trustee TCFD reports; and the EU exemption from clearing. Click the link to read more. #pensions #trustees #investment #ESG

Is there such a thing as an uninsurable pension scheme? ZEDRA Governance's Alan Greenlees put the challenging question to a panel of UK pensions experts who surmised the following: 🔹 There are always solutions available to schemes who are flexible and willing to make pragmatic decisions. 🔹 While every scheme should be insurable, some will encounter more difficulty due to perceived risk for the insurer. 🔹 Though smaller schemes may be more susceptible to challenges, such as illiquid assets, they should be able to overcome them with expert guidance. Hear from Fiona Tripp (Jaffray) FIA at Legal & General, Andrea Mendham at K3 Advisory and Brent Wright at Osborne Clarke LLP in the final video of this series, or contact Alan Greenlees to find out how ZEDRA can help you on your pension buy-out journey. To view all instalments of this video series, visit: https://lnkd.in/eX4WZXYV #BuyOut #PensionSchemes #Insurance #PensionsInsights

How does the new UK Government’s landmark pension review aim to revitalise its capital markets and unlock the capital for growth? Read PGIM’s Quick Take summary here: https://on.pru/3LKBwZ0

Want to hear more about how we think about OCIO? And, importantly, how it's worked in practice to help our clients and how it could work for you.. Please do join us next week to hear more as Jennifer O'Neill, CFA, John Harney and I chat through some of this in a targeted 30 min chat (keeping it targeted to help busy people free up their time, much like the solution 😀)

🚀 Pension Risk Transfer in a New Era: Innovative Strategies Shaping the Endgame The Actuary magazine has just released a new article written by Amrit Summan FIA, Investment Strategy Solutions Lead within the Scenarios & Asset Valuation team, which explores the evolving landscape of defined benefit pension funds in the UK. The piece dives into the challenges and opportunities presented by emerging surpluses, regulatory changes, and new market players, as pension schemes navigate their journey to buyout.   💡 Key highlights: 👉 Record-breaking risk transfer activity 👉 Superfund consolidation as a viable alternative 👉 New market entrants like M&G and Royal London boosting capacity   Read the full article Pensions endgame: the road to buyout here: https://lnkd.in/ewSUUPNT?   #PensionRiskTransfer #DBPensions #EndgameSolutions #TheActuary

Really interesting development in the #bulkannuity market today, with M&G plc insuring an unnamed pension scheme through a new 'value sharing' structure. It gives the sponsor controlled access to surplus capital while insuring members' pension benefits through an otherwise traditional buy-in arrangement. While we await any changes to surplus access rules from the government, this shows that the industry can find innovative solutions in the meantime. (Thanks to Max Koe and Louise Bryans from M&G for taking the time to explain some of the intricacies to me.) https://lnkd.in/eujqpNqC