- PFA, Dansk Erhverv and HK have joined forces under the Senior Promise initiative to encourage more older workers to remain in employment in Denmark.

The partnership aims to introduce practical solutions for employers and employees, including flexible working hours, part-time opportunities and smoother transitions into retirement. The initiative follows a significant increase in the number of Danes aged over 60 in employment, rising from 261,000 to 423,000 over the past decade, with older workers now accounting for 14 per cent of the workforce, compared with 10 per cent in 2017. More than 100,000 Danes are also working beyond state pension age. PFA CEO, Ole Krogh, noted that while progress had been made, many older workers continued to leave employment earlier than they wanted because of inflexible arrangements. He stressed that the initiative was not about requiring everyone to work longer, but ensuring that those who wanted to remain employed had the opportunity to do so. The partnership comes amid government proposals to introduce more flexible pension rules, including allowing individuals to pause certain pension payments.

- The Finnish government has submitted legislative proposals to extend statutory pension and occupational accident insurance to scholarship athletes from 1 January 2027.

Under the proposals, submitted to parliament on 8 October, Finland's Farmers' Social Insurance Institution (Mela) would insure eligible athletes, bringing their social security arrangements in line with those available to scholarship recipients in science and the arts. The insurance would cover grants awarded for sporting activities, including training, coaching, and competition, and eligible athletes would be required to take out cover when beginning qualifying work. Benefits would include statutory pensions, rehabilitation support, group life insurance, compensation for occupational accidents and diseases, and short-term sickness-related incapacity benefits. The level of benefits would be determined by the insured individual's confirmed MYEL income, which would also influence payments from Finland's Social Insurance Institution (Kela), including parental and sickness allowances.

- Finnish earnings-related pension insurer Varma has invested about €68m more in drone detection and countermeasures company Sensofusion as the business prepares to list on the Helsinki Stock Exchange.

The investment, made in connection with Sensofusion's initial public offering, will see the Finnish defence technology company's valuation exceed $1bn, giving it unicorn status. Varma, one of Sensofusion's anchor investors, previously participated in a financing round at the end of 2025, when the company raised about €45m to support growth and international expansion. Varma chief investment officer, Timo Sallinen, described Sensofusion as an exceptional defence industry company, highlighting its profitability alongside its rapid growth. "We believe that the company has the potential to become a globally significant company in its industry," he said.

- The Bavarian Pension Fund (BVK) and STRABAG Real Estate have marked the topping-out of the TRIDEA office development in Munich.

The development, located in the city's Bogenhausen district, will comprise three interconnected buildings offering approximately 87,000 square metres of rental space, including a new headquarters for BVK. Designed by David Chipperfield Architects, the complex will feature a 100-metre Urban Tower, a 60-metre Garden Tower and a 12-storey connecting structure known as The Bridge. The development incorporates timber-hybrid construction to reduce its carbon footprint and has received DGNB Gold pre-certification, with the project partners also targeting EU taxonomy compliance certification. BVK chairman of the board, Axel Uttenreuther, described the topping-out ceremony as an important milestone towards completion, highlighting the project's combination of tradition, innovation and responsibility. Alongside office accommodation, the development will include publicly accessible amenities, restaurants, a childcare centre, fitness facilities and green spaces, aiming to create a sustainable working environment for BVK employees and other tenants.

- The funding level of a sample Irish defined benefit (DB) pension scheme fell to approximately 110 per cent in September 2026, amid volatile equity markets and declining bond prices, according to LCP's latest Monthly Investment Brief.

The consultancy reported that the scheme's assets declined by 0.3 per cent over the month, while liabilities fell by 0.1 per cent, resulting in a 0.2 percentage point deterioration in its funding position. Meanwhile, annuity prices declined, with the cost of securing a €10,000 annual pension without increases falling by 1.8 per cent to approximately €162,000. LCP's sample defined contribution (DC) strategies delivered mixed returns, with its high-risk strategy gaining 0.2 per cent, while its medium-risk and pension purchase strategies declined by 0.3 per cent and 1.5 per cent, respectively.

---