Defined benefit pension plan sponsors using overlay strategies will gain more flexibility amid rising inflation now that the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions has released guidance allowing them to disregard the overlay when measuring going-concern liabilities, says James Koo, a partner in Aon’s wealth solutions division. In May 2022, the OSFI raised the maximum […]
Nearly two-thirds of institutional investors say they’re planning to increase their allocations to real assets over the next two years, amid a backdrop of inflation and sustainability challenges, according to a survey by Aviva Investors. The survey, which polled 500 institutional investors from around the world, found nearly half (47 per cent) said they have […]
Since interpretations of environmental, social and governance investing can vary, institutional investors can leverage artificial intelligence tools to strip away the noise and reveal data sets required to eliminate greenwashing and generate sustainable alpha, said Andy Moniz, senior vice-president and director of responsible investing at Acadian Asset Management, during the Canadian Investment Review’s 2022 Investment […]
More than two-fifths (44 per cent) of North American institutional investors say they’re likely to increase allocations to alternative investments, citing high inflation (89 per cent) and expectations of lower returns (86 per cent), according to a new survey by Cerulli Associates. The survey’s respondents said they plan to increase allocations to infrastructure (28 per […]
The world’s 100 largest asset managers grossed US$25.7 trillion in assets under management as of Dec. 31, 2021, up nine per cent from the previous year, according to a report by WTW’s Thinking Ahead Institute. The report found pension funds remain the single biggest group of asset owners in the global study, controlling more than half […]
Canadian investment managers had $3 trillion in assets using responsible investment strategies as of Dec. 31, 2021, down slightly from the $3.2 trillion reported in 2019, according to a survey by the Responsible Investment Association. The survey, which polled 77 asset managers and 13 asset owners, found more than nine in 10 (94 per cent) respondents are […]
A popular method for tracking a business’ carbon footprint over time creates the illusion of increased efficiency during periods of high inflation, warns Sudhir Roc-Sennett, head of environmental, social and governance at Vontobel Asset Management Inc. “The most consistent way [of analyzing an organizations’ carbon footprint] is looking at tons-per-sales units, usually the tons of […]
The world’s 500 largest asset managers’ total discretionary assets under management increased by 10.2 per cent in 2021, reaching US$131.7 trillion, according to a new report by WTW’s Thinking Ahead Institute. It found North American AUM accounted for more than half (59.9 per cent) of AUM in the top 500 managers, garnering $78.9 trillion by […]
Investors in a defunct Toronto asset management firm, the subject of an on-going court battle, have until late September to file compensation claims. In a decision from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, investors in Bridging Finance Inc. must submit claims before Sept. 19, 2022. The judgement also directs the asset’s custodian, PricewaterhouseCoopers, to distribute […]
As mask mandates lift and life gets back to normal, defined benefit plan sponsors and institutional asset managers are looking forward to re-engaging with each other in person. During the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, institutional asset managers and defined benefit plan sponsors — like everyone else — stayed connected virtually, but the vast […]