There are two fundamental reasons for including alternatives in a defined contribution pension portfolio, according to Ed Studd, solutions manager for U.S. portfolio solutions at Schroders, during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2019 Defined Contribution Investment Forum in Toronto on Sept. 27. First, alternatives can help the portfolio achieve better diversification by accessing different types […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is acquiring US$250 million in convertible debentures from Piramal Enterprises Ltd. The Indian financial and industrial group is active in financial services, pharmaceutical development and manufacturing and health-care information management. The pension fund’s real estate subsidiary, Ivanhoé Cambridge, initially invested in the organization in 2017 through a residential real estate co-investment […]
For intergenerational investors, such as foreign pension plans ramping up their exposure to alternative assets and leveraging patient capital, it’s worth paying attention to Indonesia’s potential. “If you follow the logic that the country’s going to be the fourth or fifth largest economy in the world . . . then, to me, it’s too big […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan are partnering with Anurag Chandra, former chief executive officer of Prosperity Life Insurance Group, to launch Constellation Insurance Holding, a new platform focused on property and casualty and life insurer acquisitions and demutualizations. “Constellation plans to invest in stock and mutual […]
The Public Sector Pension Investment Board and the Alberta Teachers’ Retirement Fund Board are acquiring all issued and outstanding common shares of AltaGas Canada Inc. The Canadian company holds natural gas distribution utilities, as well as renewable power generation assets. In the transaction, the cash offering of $33.50 per common share is an approximate 31 per cent premium on AltaGas’ closing […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is committing $50 million towards Quebec seed funds and is charging venture capital firm Teralys Capital with supporting the funds it invests in. Seed funds are venture capital funds dedicated to supporting new startups with financing and ongoing support. “Without a rich and dynamic startup ecosystem, there is a risk of considerably fewer […]
Canadian defined benefit pension plans are increasingly focused on implementing long-term goals and mitigating asset risk amid a year of market volatility and shifting regulatory landscape, according to a new survey by Aon. Its biennial Canadian pension risk survey found 96 per cent of plan sponsors said they have a long-term strategy to reach their objectives, up […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec’s real estate arm Ivanhoé Cambridge, along with real estate manager ICAMAP, is taking over EasyHotel, a European budget hotel chain. The hotel chain, which was started by the founder of EasyJet Airline Company Ltd., targets the super-budget segment of the market. It has a total of 39 hotels […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is investing in Axel Springer, a European digital publisher that’s active in more than 40 countries. The investment is through the pension fund’s wholly-owned subsidiary CPPIB Europe, alongside funds advised by KKR. The offer, at 63 euros per share, was made this past June in partnership with Axel Springer’s major shareholders, Friede Springer and Mathias Döpfner, […]
The massive uptick in private equity investing is changing how companies raise capital. The private equity industry has grown by 500 per cent since 2000, according to research by Willis Towers Watson’s Thinking Ahead Institute. It found the increased interest from institutional investors is leading growing companies to seek fresh capital from the private markets rather […]