News & Events

News

Defined benefit pension schemes and counter-cyclical pension funding regulations

22-Jul-2010

This working paper discusses the impact of the crisis on defined benefit (DB) pension schemes and proposes suggestions for making funding regulations more counter-cyclical in nature. Such measures could strengthen the security of DB benefits and help to maintain DB plans for future workers.

Government-guaranteed bank bonds and the financial crisis

16-Jul-2010

Government-guaranteed bank bonds have been an effective tool in avoiding the worst during the financial crisis. However, the pricing of the guarantees has created competitive distortions and the continued availability of such guarantees into 2010 may have reduced the pressure on some banks to address their weaknesses.

Pension fund assets struggle to return to pre-crisis levels

13-Jul-2010

While pension funds have strengthened with the financial market rebound, OECD data show that pension fund assets in most countries have yet to recover to pre-crisis levels.  Public pension reserve funds, however, have now fully made up for their crisis-related losses due to more conservative investment strategies, according to the July 2010 edition of Pension Markets in Focus.

OECD and IOPS invite comments on draft Good Practices for Pension Funds’ Risk Management Systems

05-Jul-2010

OECD and IOPS invite public comment on these draft good practices which aim to outline the main features of risk management systems employed by pension funds. The deadline for comment is 3 September 2010.

Retirement income may become a “lottery” unless default strategies are carefully designed

07-Jun-2010

This Working Paper, Assessing Default Investment Strategies in Defined Contribution Pension Plans, finds that future retirees can expect dramatic fluctuations in fortunes between members of a cohort unless they adopt investment strategies that reduce the impact of market shocks. Similar strategies should also become the default for individuals who make no active investment choice.

Thinking beyond Basel III - Avoiding another financial crisis

26-May-2010

Basel III proposes financial reforms regarding capital and liquidity requirements which aim to strengthen the banking sector and help to avoid crisis in the future. This article analyses the strengths and weaknesses of the Basel III proposals, draws implications for the financial reform process and proposes further necessary solutions.

Economy: easy credit, welfare threaten new economic crisis, warns OECD Committee chair

24-May-2010

Are the policies that governments have put in place to stabilise the global economy and restore growth sowing the seeds for a new economic crisis? While more welfare spending and easier credit can temporarily help to shore up economic activity, they could in the medium term make the problems that caused the current crisis worse, argues William White, chair of the OECD’s Economic Development and Review Committee.

2009 Survey of Investment Regulation of Pension Funds

25-Feb-2010

This survey describes quantitative investment regulations on pension funds in OECD and selected non-OECD countries as of end December 2009. The information collected concerns all forms of quantitative portfolio restrictions (minima and maxima) applied to autonomous pension funds in OECD countries at different legal levels (law, regulation, industry norms, etc).

OECD supports the Spanish government’s pension reform proposal

02-Feb-2010

The Spanish government announced on Friday 29th of January, its intention of postponing the retirement age from 65 to 67 and to increase the number of contribution years  used to calculate pension benefits. The OECD believes that these measures are important steps in the right direction. (Leer en espanol)

La OCDE apoya la reciente propuesta gubernamental para reformar el sistema de pensiones

02-Feb-2010

El gobierno español anunció el viernes pasado su intención de elevar la edad oficial de jubilación de 65 a 67 años, y de aumentar el numero de años necesario para calcular la pensión. La OCDE considera muy positivas dichas medidas.


Events

OECD/IOPS Global Forum on Private Pensions: Mombasa, Kenya, 30-31 October 2008

from 30-Oct-2008 to 31-Oct-2008

The OECD/IOPS Global Forum addressed a wide range of issues of high relevance to national policy debate on retirement savings in both developed and emerging economies. Special attention was devoted to developments in the pension industry on the African continent.

Ninth roundtable on Capital Market Reform in Asia

from 26-Feb-2008 to 27-Feb-2008

This year’s Roundtable focuses on: Ten years after: Implications of the Current Financial Market turmoil; Enhancing Regulatory Framework; Bond Markets Development; Equity Markets Development; Roles of Capital Market in Infrastructure Financing; Corporate Governance and Capital Market Developments.

OECD/IOPS Global Forum on Private Pensions

from 14-Nov-2007 to 15-Nov-2007

Organised in Beijing, China, the OECD/IOPS Global Forum on Private Pensions covered a wide range of topics which are of importance to both countries that either have mature and developed funded pension systems and countries that have only recently undertaken pension reforms, therefore seeking to modify their existing un-sustainable retirement security arrangements. The issues are also of relevance for the current developments in the Chinese pension system.

OECD Seminar on Reforming Pension Protection Schemes

on 02-Jul-2007

This OECD seminar brought together the heads of the pension protection funds of Germany, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, the USA and the UK for the first time to debate the role that pension protection schemes can play in protecting our retirement income, how they can operate on an economically efficient basis and how they can protect themselves from moral hazard and excessive claims.

First Conference on the Financial Management of Large-Scale Catastrophes, Hyderabad, India, 26-27 February 2007

from 26-Feb-2007 to 27-Feb-2007

Hyderabad, India, 26-27 February 2007.  This conference, organised under the auspices of the OECD International Network on the Financial Management of Large Scale Catastrophes was hosted by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) of India, with the sponsorship of the Government of Japan and the General Insurance Corporation of India.

OECD Seminar on "Pension Fund Regulation and Risk Management", Istanbul, 9 November 2006

on 09-Nov-2006

The OECD international seminar on "Pension Fund Regulation and Risk Management", sponsored by Risklab and Allianz Global Investors (AGI), was held back to back with the OECD Global Forum on Private Pension in Istanbul, Turkey on 9 November 2006.

OECD/IOPS Global Forum on Private Pensions, 7-8 November 2006, Istanbul, Turkey

from 07-Nov-2006 to 08-Nov-2006

7-8 November 2006, Istanbul, Turkey. The Forum aimed to inform and enlighten the current policy debate on major issues related to private pension reform and encouraged an exchange of experiences derived from innovative policies and programmes across the countries participating.

OECD International Network on Financial Management of Large-scale Catastrophes: Inaugural meeting

on 08-Sep-2006

The High Level Advisory Board of the OECD International Network on Financial Management of Large-Scale Catastrophes held its inaugural meeting at the OECD Headquarters (opening remarks by the OECD Secretary-General). The Network is a strategic forum for the discussion of key issues related to the financial management of large scale catastrophes at a global level, aiming to provide policymakers with state-of-the-art expertise and policy advice.

Eighth roundtable on Capital Market Reform in Asia

from 11-Oct-2006 to 12-Oct-2006

This year’s Roundtable focused on: Capital Market Reforms in Asia: Issues, Progress and Challenges; Financial Policy Landscape; Competition and Integration of Exchanges and its Implications for Regulators; Corporate Governance: Methodology for Assessment of the Implementation of the OECD Principles and Discussion of Progress; International Convergence of Accounting Standards.

OECD/IOPS Conference on Private Pensions in Latin America: 29-30 March 2006, Santiago, Chile

from 29-Mar-2006 to 30-Mar-2006

The focus was an evaluation of the private pension system in Chile and the lessons that can be drawn from Chile’s experience, for other countries. The following topics were discussed: the challenge of coverage, constraints in payout phase of pension systems, risk management in defined contribution schemes, risk based supervision, the challenge of investment choice and pension fund cost management. The conference also provided an opportunity to present the OECD best principles and practices.



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