Canadian pension plan sponsors are facing a risky landscape in 2025 regarding currency fluctuation between the Canadian and U.S. dollar. Asset owners with access to U.S. investments typically buy assets unhedged during risk-off periods, with the expectation that the U.S. dollar would appreciate and provide a natural offset, says Etienne Bordeleau, vice-president and portfolio manager […]
The International Centre for Pension Management is rewarding four of the most advanced pension research projects after reviewing presentations from several academics in Toronto last week. “We’re looking for the most thought-provoking and innovative research that has the potential to change the way we think about the pension world,” said Mike Simutin, the ICPM’s associate […]
Institutional investors are a financing cornerstone amid surging global demand for infrastructure and the need to upgrade and secure projects against climate change risks. The increasing need for institutional backing is well timed, says Benjamin Abramov, partner and global head of infrastructure at Aon, adding increased risk from uncertain trade policies and inflation levels are […]
Ongoing demand from large technology companies and strong support from the U.S. government is solidifying the fundamentals of artificial intelligence investments for institutional investors, says Gurvir Grewal, a U.S. specialist from William Blair’s global equity team. “At the beginning of the year we had concerns around DeepSeek, we had political uncertainty with Trump and the […]
Some of Canada’s largest institutional investors are looking for comprehensive and realistic climate transition plans from investees as part of an extensive due diligence process. However, Jennifer Coulson, global head of environmental, social and governance at the British Columbia Investment Management Corp. says these plans aren’t yet the norm, adding investors are working directly with […]
Increased allocations to private assets are pushing total fund fees and causing institutional investors to review their investment management partners’ fee packages, says Duncan Higgs, managing director and head of portfolio solutions at bfinance. Underlying fees in alternative investment markets — such as carried interest and waterfall structures — are increasingly considered by investors dealing […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is reporting a mid-year 4.6 per cent investment return, up $23 billion pushing its net assets to $496 billion as at June 30, 2025. “Against significant rate increases, stock market concentration and challenges in real estate over the past five years, our portfolio held strong and outperformed […]
The pursuit of reduced energy emissions portfolios from institutional investors is putting pressure on the efficiency of energy transition plans from investee companies. Despite a growing uncertainty caused by pushback against an environmental, social and governance driven investment lens, companies and investors need to think about environmental causes with a long-term risk perspective, says Sagar […]
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario is working to address the problems of a detailed compliance approach to pension regulation, said James Hoffner (pictured left), head of prudential supervision and large public sector pension plans at the FSRA, during the keynote session at the Canadian Investment Review’s 2025 Risk Management Conference. A one-size-fits-all approach […]
An increase in market volatility is pushing asset owners to build a nimble portfolio, according to Olga Bezrokov, senior portfolio manager at Russell Investments, during a session at the Canadian Investment Review’s 2025 Risk Management Conference. A combination of geopolitical risks and vague policy signals from central banks is causing investors to reexamine how they […]