A new financial initiative, the Financial Defence and Emergency Partnership, has been launched by Insurance and Pension Denmark (I&P Denmark) and Finance Denmark to strengthen coordination between the financial sector, such as pension providers, and Danish authorities.

The partnership aims to establish clear frameworks and improve coordination around the defence sector’s financing needs, to mobilise greater private capital to support Denmark’s national security and defence objectives through investment and funding.

It will also seek to clarify how the financial sector can best support government priorities, including Denmark’s forthcoming defence industrial strategy and the creation of a dedicated defence fund.

I&P Denmark said pension funds already make a "significant contribution" through several defence investments, but new threats call for "new forms of cooperation" and a more "targeted effort to align capital".

Indeed, the partnership comes amid a rising number of Danish pension schemes reassessing their criteria for defence investments and increasing their allocation to the sector.

In a joint statement, the two associations noted that Europe faced a “new security reality”, shaped by the ongoing war in Ukraine, the increasing scale and sophistication of cyber threats, and wider geopolitical tensions.

These developments, they said, were testing the resilience of European societies and underlined the need for greater financial involvement in the modernisation of defence infrastructure.

“Building a modern, effective defence and credible preparedness is a shared societal task, where financing is critical - both from public and private sources,” the statement warned, adding that public funds alone could not meet this task.

I&P Denmark chairman, Ole Krogh Petersen, added: “The new security landscape requires new solutions – and closer cooperation across public and private actors.

“As an industry, we have a constant focus on how our investments can both ensure returns for pension customers and at the same time strengthen our society, also when it comes to Denmark's security."

He believes the partnership can help support investments in critical infrastructure and defence to benefit "both security and the resilience of society".

Furthermore, Finance Denmark chairman, Michael Rasmussen, said the two are "ready to contribute with concrete solutions that match the needs and priorities facing society".

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