Actuarial Post

Largest announced UK pension risk transfer deal of 2026 secures pensions for more than 7,000 members. The Trustee of the UBS (UK) Group Pension Plan (the “Plan”) and Legal and General Assurance Society Limited (“L&G”) have completed a £1.7bn buy-in[1] covering the UBS Section of the Plan, securing the benefits of more than 7,000 members.

Professional services firms hold something cyber criminals want more than almost anything else: trusted access to other people's money, data and secrets. From solicitors transferring six-figure completion funds to engineers safeguarding decades of design IP, the sector's entire business model depends on being trusted with information that has real value the moment it falls into the wrong hands. That is exactly why it has become the UK's most heavily-targeted sector.

A new independent report commissioned on behalf of People’s Pension shows how the proposed reform of the triple lock changes the context for the forthcoming final report of the second Pensions Commission and strengthens the case for higher minimum pension contributions. Under the changes due to come into effect from 2030, the State Pension would broadly track average earnings over time.

A scheme’s s179 liabilities represent, broadly speaking, the premium that would have to be paid to an insurance company to take on the payment of PPF levels of compensation. This compensation may be lower than full scheme benefits. Highlights Aaron Pang, PPF Acting Chief Actuary, said: “The aggregate funding position of the PPF eligible universe strengthened during September, with the surplus increasing by £7.1 billion to £280.7 billion and the funding ratio rising to 135.0 per cent.

91% employers are concerned about the growing retirement adequacy challenge. 9 in 10 employers believe that their pension provisions are equitable. Results reveal that career breaks can account for up to 20% reduction in pension pots Research from Hymans Robertson has revealed that almost all employers (90%) believe that their pensions provisions are equitable with many confident they are doing a good job when selecting provisions.

The ‘growth focused’ scheme funding level finished September slightly lower, reducing from 94.2% funded to 94.0% funded over the month, but experienced a volatile month with funding fluctuating by 1.2 percentage points. Similarly, the ‘matching focused’ scheme funding fell back slightly more, by 0.6 percentage points from 89.8% at the end of August to 89.2% at the end of September.

With the conflict in the Middle East fuelling a renewed cost-of-living squeeze, Chancellor John Healey faces a difficult balancing act when he delivers his first Autumn Budget on 28 October.

I recently had the pleasure of speaking to a group of employers about workplace pensions and the value they can deliver, both for employees and for businesses. What struck me was the range of reasons employers choose to invest in pension provision. Some see it as an important tool for attracting and retaining talented people. Others want to help employees achieve the retirement they aspire to.

Millions are not saving enough for retirement and are disengaged from their pension, particularly among midlifers; two in five people aged 40–54 have not interacted with their pension in a year.

The Pensions Policy Institute (PPI), the UK's leading independent authority on pensions and retirement policy, has today published its Lost Pensions: The scale of the challenge survey results revealing over 3 million UK pension pots remain lost. Supported by the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), the survey’s new methodology and record market coverage establishes a fresh chapter for the sector-leading research series, uncovering non-comparable insights to previous editions.