In the world of institutional investing, few topics have stirred as much curiosity and controversy as crypto assets. Once considered a niche interest, digital assets such as bitcoin and ethereum have evolved into a significant topic of discussion among...
Cybersecurity has become a critical concern for financial institutions, particularly pension funds, which manage vast amounts of sensitive personal and financial data. Recognising the growing risks, South Africa's Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA)...
In the first part of this article around annuitisation (“Let's talk about annuitisation – Part I” featured in Pensions World Q4 2024), we discussed the need for trustees to review the annuity strategies and products available to members in light of the...
Umbrella trusts and beneficiary funds house the assets left to minor dependents; the source of the assets can be retirement fund death benefits in the case of beneficiary funds or testamentary and other non-retirement fund payouts in the case of trusts....
In South Africa, employers are currently not legally required to offer employee benefits. However, this is set to change as the government moves closer to implementing social security reforms such as Universal Coverage through auto-enrolment. While this...
It actually is complicated One of the unintended consequences of all the new two-pot legislative rules is that members' options when they withdraw from a pension or provident fund following their exit from employment have become fairly complicated. The...
What comes next after the two-pot system? Auto-enrolment is the next logical step towards retirement reform in South Africa, says Michelle Acton, Chief Customer Officer at Old Mutual Corporate. The two-pot system marks a transformative step, potentially...
A useful way to illustrate how boards use artificial intelligence is through a Star Trek analogy: Before AI Picture the scene: The Bridge of the USS Enterprise (Captain Kirk sits confidently in his command chair, glancing around the bridge crew. He leans...
Most retirement funds in South Africa provide their members with lump sum death and disability benefits, in addition to the retirement savings. These benefits can be in the form of an income or a lump sum amount. These additional benefits are normally called...
In the complex world of finance and risk management, actuaries have historically been viewed as the quiet guardians of risk, primarily tasked with evaluating and managing financial uncertainties. Traditionally, their expertise was rooted in valuation and...
