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The Netherlands tops global pension index for fourth consecutive year


By Jack Gray

The Netherlands has claimed the top spot on the Marsh CFA Institute Global Pension Index 2026, marking its fourth year in a row as the number one pension system.

Its score rose by 0.1 points year-on-year to 85.8, scoring the best mark for adequacy (87.7) while also posting good numbers for integrity (87.2) and sustainability (82.6)


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Howden launches Employee Benefits & Pension business in Sweden

Global insurance and employee benefits intermediary group Howden has launched a dedicated Employee Benefits and Pension business in Sweden
PensionsEurope welcomes Taxation Omnibus Directive while expressing ‘reservations’

PensionsEurope has welcomed the European Commission’s proposal to amend several directives relating to direct taxation, while also expressing reservations and recommended changes

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Swedish income pension to rise by 2.2% in 2027

Sweden's income pension will increase by 2.2 per cent in January 2027, the Swedish Pensions Agency (SPA) has reported
Dutch pension funds report strong funding levels in September

Several Dutch pension funds have published September funding updates for their schemes, with positive results across both current funding and policy coverage ratios

Achmea completes Dutch pension buyout with Kring ES Nederland

Achmea Pension & Life Insurance has completed the collective value transfer of Kring ES Nederland’s pension liabilities from Centraal Beheer APF, following approval from De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB)
Austrian pension funds return 5% in first nine months of 2026

Austrian pension funds returned 5.03 per cent in the first three quarters of 2026, according to the Austrian Association of Pension and Provident Funds


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Austria: A new horizon

Austria’s strong state pension system is facing growing pressure from demographic change and high public spending. As policymakers seek to strengthen sustainability, attention is turning to occupational pensions – but whether voluntary provision can deliver the scale needed remains uncertain. Paige Perrin reports

Who shares wins

Collective sharing of risks or rewards form part of almost every national pensions system. As the UK launches a new type of collective defined contribution scheme, David Adams asks what policymakers, the pensions industry and employers can learn from the different ways collective elements are used in pension systems across Europe

Austria’s pension reform: cautious steps towards a stronger second pillar

Austria’s planned occupational pension reform is welcome for a country still heavily reliant on its public pay-as-you go system. Yet the measures fall short of the structural change needed. Valida Vorsorge Management member of the executive board, Philipp Mayer, explores

Over the line

After years of delays, Ireland’s auto-enrolment system has finally crossed the try line. But while MyFutureFund has been welcomed as a landmark reform, concerns remain over aspects of its implementation and the wider changes reshaping the pensions landscape. David Adams reports

Joining forces

Paige Perrin explores the current trend of consolidation in the Icelandic pension sector and the wider impacts of a more concentrated market structure on competition, ownership and financial stability

The cost compass

The continent’s pension sector is rethinking fees and costs as regulators, providers and policymakers shift the debate from price alone in search for value for money, transparency and better longterm outcomes for savers. Pete Carvill reports

Savings under scrutiny

From France and Hungary to Estonia and Slovenia, a series of recent Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Economic Surveys has placed pension reform firmly on the agenda. Callum Conway rounds up the organisation’s latest country recommendations and the very different retirement challenges facing policymakers across Europe

Built to last

Swiss Pension Fund Association director, Lukas Müller-Brunner, sits down with Paige Perrin to speak about the strengths of Switzerland’s multi-pillar pension system, the challenges the Swiss pension industry is facing, and the importance of preserving employer involvement and improving efficiency without simply relying on further consolidation of pension funds

Ask the industry

Imagine you have €1 billion (or equivalent value in local currency) of new capital to invest today for your pension fund/pension fund client. How would you allocate it, what opportunities would you avoid, and what factors would most influence your decisions?

The resilience shield

European pension funds are redefining resilience as geopolitical instability, climate risk and digital dependence reshape the landscape. Beyond funding and investment risk, regulators are now focused on operational vulnerabilities – from cyber threats to reliance on non‑European IT providers – raising new questions about the role of pensions as critical financial infrastructure. Ellie Carric reports

The dollar dilemma

Currency hedging is back in focus as doubts emerge over the dollar’s traditional role as a safe haven. Against a backdrop of heightened volatility, European pension funds are reviewing their exposure to foreign exchange risk and the opportunities hedging can offer. Lynn Strongin Dodds reports

Sweden’s pension balancing act

Skandia head of public and regulatory affairs, Mattias Munter, speaks to Callum Conway about the strengths of Sweden’s multi-pillar pension system, the lessons from recent governance controversies, and why adequacy, trust and private savings reform will shape the sector’s future

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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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