Austrian pension funds and company pension funds continued to grow in the second quarter of 2026, with assets rising to €57.1bn, according to figures from the Financial Market Authority (FMA).

The assets under management (AUM) of pension funds increased by 5.9 per cent over the quarter to €31.9bn, while company pension funds’ AUM rose by 5.7 per cent to €25.2bn.

The FMA noted that the asset growth was driven by inflows and positive market developments.

The number of people entitled to pension benefits rose slightly in Q2 to around 1.15 million, while those receiving a pension increased to 163,917.

Currently, approximately a quarter of employed people in Austria are entitled to pension benefits, with contributions to pension funds a voluntary benefit provided by employers.

The number of entitlements in company pension funds, including multiple entitlements with different funds due to changes of employer, also rose slightly to 11.5 million.

All employees receive entitlements under the new severance pay scheme through company pension funds, with automatic employer contributions of 1.53 per cent of gross salary paid into a pension fund each month.

FMA executive board member, Mariana Kühnel, commented: “Occupational pension schemes, as the second pillar of the pension system, hold great potential for the Austrian capital market and for all employees who want to make additional provisions for their retirement.”

The Austrian National Council recently approved proposed reforms to the occupational pension system that aim to strengthen workplace schemes as a supplement to the state pension.

The amendments, put forward by the government, look to make it easier for savers to access pension fund solutions, introduce a new severance pay scheme, and provide additional incentives to make personal contributions to workplace pensions.

“Providing employees with good and understandable information and education about the new options in the second pillar of the pension system will be essential in the coming months so that these opportunities are taken advantage of,” Kühnel concluded.

---