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DC now ‘dominating’ FTSE 350 companies’ pension spending as employer contributions fall


By Jack Gray

Companies in the UK's FTSE 350 have seen their pension spending ‘conclusively’ shift away from defined benefit (DB) to defined contribution (DC) schemes, with DC now dominating firms’ outlay on pensions, a report from WTW has found.

Its FTSE 350 DB Pension Scheme Report 2026 showed that the UK’s largest listed companies with DB schemes on their balance sheet at the end of 2025 had more than £300bn of DB pension liabilities


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Italian supplementary pension coverage climbs to 40%; gender gap remains

Participation in Italy's supplementary pension system rose to almost 40 per cent of the workforce in 2025, but women continue to lag behind men, according to the latest figures from Italy’s Pension Funds Supervisory Commission (COVIP)
Sampension joins investor call to protect EU carbon trading scheme

The Sampension community has joined a coalition of 46 institutional investors calling on the European Union (EU) not to weaken its carbon emissions trading system (EU ETS) during an upcoming review of the scheme

PFA welcomes SpaceX IPO as Danish pension funds split on company

Danish pension provider PFA has welcomed major technology initial public offerings (IPOs), including SpaceX's expected market debut, arguing that public listings give pension savers access to companies' long-term value creation
AZL surpasses 800,000 Wtp participants after completing first pension transitions

Dutch pension administrator AZL has revealed that more than 800,000 participants are now enrolled in schemes operating under the Netherlands' new pension system, following a series of successful transitions to the Future Pensions Act (Wtp)

UK's Smart Pension surpasses £10bn AUM

The UK's Smart Pension has surpassed £10bn in assets under management (AUM), meeting the government’s first ‘scale test’ ahead of the 2030 timeframe
Swedish occupational pension assets increase by SEK13bn in Q1

Swedish occupational pension providers’ assets increased by SEK13bn to SEK3.445trn in the first quarter of 2026, equivalent to an increase of 0.4 per cent, according to figures published by Insurance Sweden


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Built for another era

Recent pension reforms in Germany sought to reduce the pressure on the first-pillar system while encouraging growth in the secondand third-pillar schemes. How successful have they been?

The year ahead

Following a year plagued by economic uncertainty and geopolitical turmoil across Europe and the world, Paige Perrin explores the developments expected for the European pensions industry in 2026

Waiting for take off

After years of being ignored by pension providers and savers, might a new phase of growth lie ahead for the Pan-European Personal Pension (PEPP)? David Adams reports on policymakers’ latest attempts to turn a good idea into a useful, mainstream product

Crossing borders

Europe is pushing to improve pension transparency for its growing mobile workforce. As the European Tracking Service expands and national systems evolve, policymakers and providers face a complex but crucial task: building a coherent cross-border framework that citizens can trust

Clear, timely and comprehensive guidance: The need for clarity from NAERSA

Irish Institute of Pensions Management (IIPM) president, Aaron Gaynor, outlines why employers urgently need clarity on the new minimum occupational pension contribution regulations in Ireland

Ask the industry

After several years of strong investment performance and improved funding across

Europe, European Pensions asks whether positive results risk hiding deeper structural and long-term challenges – and how schemes, sponsors and policymakers can turn short-term gains into sustainable retirement outcomes?

A new chapter for German pensions

German Association of Actuaries chair, Susanna Adelhardt, speaks to Pete Carvill about the country’s Company Pension Strengthening Act II (BRSG II), which has recently come into force in Germany

Navigating choppy waters

European pension funds are heading into a year shaped by geopolitical uncertainty, market volatility and rising asset correlations, just as major structural reforms gather pace. Sandra Haurant reports on their investment outlook for 2026

Navigating structural change

PME Pensioenfonds chairman of the executive board, Alae Laghrich, sits down with Paige Perrin to discuss the Dutch fund’s transition to the new pension system, its improved funding position and sustainability ambitions

From disclosure to deployment

Impact Europe director of policy and advocacy, Jana Bour, looks at why the SFDR review puts Europe’s pension capital at a crossroads

The evolution of the Danish pension system

Insurance & Pension Denmark head of pension policy, Lotte Katrine Ravn, discusses why there’s no missing or hidden master plan to the success of the Danish pension system, but rather the result of three historical milestones

Bursting under the pressure

Belgium’s Arizona coalition is facing mounting pressure as it looks to push through sweeping pension reforms. Sandra Haurant explores whether the changes will bring more unrest than solutions

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Podcast: Stepping up to the challenge
In the latest European Pensions podcast, Natalie Tuck talks to PensionsEurope chair, Jerry Moriarty, about his new role and the European pension policy agenda

Podcast: The benefits of private equity in pension fund portfolios
The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, in which stock markets have seen increased volatility, combined with global low interest rates has led to alternative asset classes rising in popularity. Private equity is one of the top runners in this category, and for good reason.

In this podcast, Munich Private Equity Partners Managing Director, Christopher Bär, chats to European Pensions Editor, Natalie Tuck, about the benefits private equity investments can bring to pension fund portfolios and the best approach to take.

Mitigating risk
BNP Paribas Asset Management’s head of pension solutions, Julien Halfon, discusses equity hedging with Laura Blows

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