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09

Top 300 pension funds assets up 10%

Open-access content Monday 9th September 2013 — updated 1.22pm, Tuesday 5th May 2020

Total assets of the worlds largest 300 pension funds increased by 10% to $14 trillion (£8.9 trillion) in 2012 compared to the previous year, according to research by Pensions & Investments and Towers Watson.

Among the 'top' pension funds, the Asia-Pacific region had the 'highest' five-year compound growth rate of 7% compared to Europe (6%) and North America (-1%), while the Latin American and African regions combined have a growth rate for the same period of around 11%.

Australian funds grew at the fastest rate (13%) during the five-year period to the end of 2012, followed by Taiwan funds at 11%. During the same period the top Danish, Mexican and Brazilian funds grew at 9%, 7% and 5% respectively.

Carl Hess, global head of investment at Towers Watson, said the rise in pension assets in 2012 was a combination of investment market recovery and new cash commitments.

Additionally, the research showed that sovereign funds continue to 'feature strongly' in the ranking of the 'top 26' regions - including Japan, Norway and South Korea.

'While there is a diversity of pension systems around the world, each at varying stages of development, they all have in common the need to achieve future returns in a challenging investment environment,' continued Hess.

'We believe that only those with the very best governance arrangements can take full advantage of their size and time frame to make the most of what is beginning to look like a sustained, if weak, growth path.'

The US has a 35% share of assets in the top 300 funds, while Japan has the second-largest share with 15%. The Netherlands has the third-largest share with 7%, while Canada and the UK are fourth and fifth, respectively with just over 5% each.

 

 

 

 

This article appeared in our September 2013 issue of The Actuary.
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