Jacky Shen suspects he was the oldest intern Simon Fraser University’s treasury department ever had. It was 2007, he was in his early 40s, had just arrived in Canada with his family and was studying for a master’s degree in the university’s wealth management program. As an intern, Shen — now the university’s treasurer and […]
A new study looking at the implications of scale in defined benefit pension plans found size is key for several trends over time, including investment mandates, asset allocation and cost in returns. The research, ‘Scale Economies, Bargaining Power and Investment Performance: Evidence from Pension Plans‘ was recently awarded first prize in the International Centre for […]
Saskatchewan’s Public Employees Benefits Agency is transitioning to a not-for-profit corporation. The PEBA began pursuing the transition in 2021 at the request of the trustees of the two largest pension plans it administers — the Public Employees Pension Plan and the Municipal Employees Pension Plan. The not-for-profit will begin operations on Jan. 1, 2024 under the […]
Institutional investors are steadily integrating environmental, social and governance into their investment reporting and practices, according to a new report by the United Nations’ principles for responsible investment. The report, which analyzed data from more than 1,800 investment organizations that have signed the PRI, found nearly all have formal, senior-level oversight and accountability for responsible […]
A watchdog organization is criticizing a government fund dedicated to attracting investments in green technologies. “The government seems to be saying this is concessional finance,” says Adam Scott, executive director of Shift Action for Pension Wealth and Planet Health. “The goal [of the Canada Growth Fund] is to put the first money into higher risk investments […]
Three-quarters (75 per cent) of institutional investors say their alternative asset managers are either meeting or exceeding performance expectations in 2022 despite operating in a challenging and volatile market period, according to a survey by EY. The survey, which polled 114 hedge fund managers, 112 private equity firms and 61 institutional investors, found 50 per […]
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 […]
Just 19 per cent of Canada’s investment managers say they’ve adopted a fully remote working model as of September 2022, according to a survey by the Portfolio Management Association of Canada. The survey, which polled more than 100 investment managers among the PMAC’s membership, also found more than a quarter (26 per cent) said they’re […]
Sun Life Financial Inc. is selling its U.K. pension and annuities business. The company has entered an agreement to sell SLF of Canada U.K. Ltd. to U.K.-based long-term savings and retirement business Phoenix Group Holdings for a closing price of $385 million. Sun Life will retain its economic interest in Sun Life U.K.’s payout annuities […]
The Saskatchewan Pension Plan is allocating parts of its balanced fund to Ninepoint Partners and Fengate Asset Management in a bid to further diversify its portfolio. Ninepoint has received a private debt allocation of 10 per cent of the SPP’s balanced fund and Fengate will take on a 10 per cent infrastructure allocation, according to a press […]