A part of Watch Media

AMWatchWednesday4 October 2023

  • Latest
  • Search
  • Log in
  • Fund Management
  • Pension
  • Responsible Investing
  • People
  • Search
  • Log in
AMWatchWednesday4 October 2023
  • Search
  • Log in
  • Fund Management
  • Pension
  • Responsible Investing
  • People
Pension

A decade of pension fund mergers

Several Danish pension funds have found growth through acquisition in the last decade. FW Asset Management highlights some of the more transformational deals that have been made.
AP Pension is among the Danish pension providers that has participated in the industry consolidation.
AP Pension is among the Danish pension providers that has participated in the industry consolidation.
BY RACHEL FIXEN

Just six years ago, PKA managed eight separate labour-market pension funds. Now that number has been whittled down to three, in two operations carried out in 2011 and 2014 to strengthen the funds in the face of the prevailing regulatory and economic environment.

First, four smaller pension funds merged to form the Healthcare Professionals’ Pension Fund, and then the other four became two by joining up in pairs.

The mergers under the PKA umbrella are just a few of the many link-ups that have taken place in the Danish pensions sector within the last decade as the funds give up elements of their cherished independence in favour of continued viability as retirement income providers.

Back in 2009, Industriens Pensions took over the smaller funds PNN Pension, covering meat industry workers and PHI pension, which covered workers in the bakery, dairy, tobacco and other sectors.

In 2012, a high-profile merger took place between AP Pension and the smaller — but still significant — pension fund for the financial services industry FSP Pension.

Later that year, teaching assistants’ fund PMF Pension merged with Pensam Liv, although the latter was already its parent company.

Then two funds already administered by the same company — PFA Pension — Funktionærpension and Dansk Erhverv Pension came together formally.

In 2015, Bankpension was taken over by PFA Pension.

Some pension funds rejects merger calls

However, other pension funds, such as the pension fund for doctors, Lægernes Pension, and the pension fund for pharmaconomists (Pensionskassen for Farmakonomer), have resisted calls and invitations to merge with peers and larger pension providers.

Though in 2015, the pharmaconomists’ pension fund did take the step of outsourcing all asset management to US manager Blackrock, and this year, said it was now looking for another small pension fund to partner with.

And only this month, the Danish Society of Engineers (Ingeniørforeningen IDA) has proposed a merger of the two separate pension funds for engineers — DIP and ISP, expressing its determination that the link up should go through.

This merger — should it be approved by the pension fund members — raises the question of who will manage the emerging 51 billion DKK (6.8 billion EUR) fund. While DIP not only manages its administration and investment within the common P+ operation with  JØP but is also planning to merge with JØP, ISP’s scheme has been fully outsourced to commercial mutual pension provider AP Pension since 2013.

Share article

Sign up for our newsletter

Stay ahead of development by receiving our newsletter on the latest sector knowledge.

Newsletter terms

Front page now

Following Ingrid Bonde's resignation, Jan-Olof Jacke has been appointed acting chair of Alecta's board. | Foto: Evelina Carborn / Alecta PR
Pension

Bonde was losing support at Alecta prior to departure, Swedish daily reports

The resignation of pension giant Alecta’s chair may have been caused by pending criticism from the authorities caused by the pension giant’s risky investments – as well as a lack of internal support.
  • Alecta’s chair resigns from board of the troubled Swedish pension giant
  • Despite predicting more losses, Alecta is prepared to increase Heimstaden investment

For subscribers



Bettina Lange has been responsible for Castellum's Danish activities for the past seven years. | Foto: PR
People

Castellum's Danish country manager to join Norwegian pension investor

For subscribers



Adam Kybird is the fund manager of the Triodos Food Transition Europe Fund. | Foto: PR/Triodos
Fund Management

Impact pioneer eyes investor appetite for a food revolution

For subscribers


70 companies are part of the Science Based Targets climate initiative. | Foto: Jens Dresling
Responsible Investing

Two Danish pension funds first in the world to receive approval from climate initiative

For subscribers


Ingrid Bonde has stepped down as chair of Alecta's board. | Foto: Evelina Carborn / Alecta PR
Pension

Alecta’s chair resigns from board of the troubled Swedish pension giant

For subscribers


Head of the public pension sector at Storebrand, Jon M. Hippe. | Foto: Kristian Skalland Moen/Storebrand
Pension

Storebrand maintains its first municipal pension deal

For subscribers


  • Ole Mikkelsen joined as head of commercial real estate fund BI Erhvervsejendomme in January 2020 and has since then also been responsible for residential rental properties fund BI Boligejendomme. | Foto: PR / Bankinvest

    BankInvest's two alternative funds in negative territory

    Investors have withdrawn from BankInvest’s two alternative real estate funds in the first half of 2023, and the funds are expected to deliver negative returns for the remainder of the year.

    For subscribers


  • Carl Haglund (l.), CEO of Veritas and Carl Pettersson, CEO of Elo. | Foto: PR Veritas and Elo.

    Finnish pension fund CEOs propose higher risk to overcome demographics

    CEOs of pension insurance companies Veritas and Elo comment on the Finnish government’s plans to kick off yet another pension reform as part of efforts to save the welfare state.

    For subscribers


  • Hanna Porkka will join OP Financial Group next spring as executive vice president, wealth management. | Foto: PR OP.

    S-Bank's head of WM moves to bigger role and asset volumes at OP

    S-Bank is looking for a new head of wealth management and deputy CEO, following Hanna Porkka’s announcement that she is joining OP Financial Group next spring. 

    For subscribers


  • Mandatum headquarters in Helsinki, Finland. | Foto: PR / Mandatum

    Mandatum set to debut in Helsinki in biggest listing since 2005

    Sampo Oyj is spinning off its unit Mandatum, the biggest addition to Helsinki’s stock market in almost two decades.

    For subscribers


  • Kim Mikkelsen (left) sees positive prospects in Jan Johan Kühl and Polaris' decision to enter the market for listed companies. | Foto: Strategic Investments/Polaris

    Polaris welcomed into new territory: "There is a huge need for capital"

    Kim Mikkelsen, CIO of Strategic Investments, thinks that valuations are currently at an attractive level in the small-cap segment.

    For subscribers


  • Foto: Agustin Marcarian/Reuters/Ritzau Scanpix

    AP2 teams up with think tank to identify deforestation exposure in global portfolios

    A collaboration between Swedish buffer fund AP2 and think tank Climate & Company aims to offer other investors a guideline to identify potential exposure to deforestation.

    For subscribers


Further reading

Adam Kybird is the fund manager of the Triodos Food Transition Europe Fund. | Foto: PR/Triodos
Fund Management

Impact pioneer eyes investor appetite for a food revolution

As interest from institutional investors grows, Dutch impact investor Triodos Investment Management is aiming to make several new additions to its Food Transition Europe Fund.

For subscribers



70 companies are part of the Science Based Targets climate initiative. | Foto: Jens Dresling
Responsible Investing

Two Danish pension funds first in the world to receive approval from climate initiative

In the future, AkademikerPension and PensionDanmark will push their portfolio companies to meet CO2 targets due to the Science Based Targets initiative’s validation of the funds’ climate plans.

For subscribers



Ingrid Bonde has stepped down as chair of Alecta's board. | Foto: Evelina Carborn / Alecta PR
Pension

Alecta’s chair resigns from board of the troubled Swedish pension giant

Ingrid Bonde has chaired Alecta during a turbulent period when risky investments in Heimstaden Bostad and three US niche banks came under increased scrutiny. Now she is history at the pension giant. 

For subscribers


Charlotte Mansson (left) and Elisabeth Sterner are BlackRock's head of sustainable & transition solutions, Nordics and Netherlands, and head of Nordics, respectively. | Foto: BlackRock PR / Jeppe Carlsen / Håkan Målbäck
Responsible Investing

BlackRock: High number of US investors plan to increase allocation to green transition

More than half of the institutional investors polled in a new BlackRock survey are planning to increase their low-carbon allocation. In the Nordic region and the US, the percentage is even higher.

For subscribers



Antti Törmänen (l.) and Jussi Kallasvuo, general partners at Antler. | Foto: PR Antler.
AMWatch

Startup investor with Nordic roots expands into Finland, kicks off new fund

Startup investment company Antler aims to invest in more than 6,000 companies by 2030 and is determined to involve Finnish institutional investors.

For subscribers



"The market has been much weaker than we predicted," says Storebrand AM's head of real estate, Truls Nergaard, about the last couple of years. | Foto: PR
Fund Management

Asset management giant in the wake of the crisis: Foreign investors are looking to the Nordics again

Transactions in the Nordic real estate markets are moving again. ”It’s getting crowded,” says Storebrand AM’s head of real estate, Truls Nergaard.

For subscribers


Jobs

  • Chief Investment Officer (CIO)

  • Senior Associate (Financing)

  • CEO - easySure Denmark

See all jobs

Latest news

  • Bonde was losing support at Alecta prior to departure, Swedish daily reports –
  • Castellum's Danish country manager to join Norwegian pension investor –
  • Impact pioneer eyes investor appetite for a food revolution –
  • Two Danish pension funds first in the world to receive approval from climate initiative –
  • Storebrand maintains its first municipal pension deal –
  • Alecta’s chair resigns from board of the troubled Swedish pension giant –
  • BankInvest's two alternative funds in negative territory –
  • S-Bank's head of WM moves to bigger role and asset volumes at OP –
  • Finnish pension fund CEOs propose higher risk to overcome demographics –
  • Polaris welcomed into new territory: "There is a huge need for capital" –
See all

Jobs

  • Chief Investment Officer (CIO)

  • Senior Associate (Financing)

  • CEO - easySure Denmark

See all jobs

Colophon

AMWatch
Search

Sections

  • Fund Management
  • Pension
  • Responsible Investing
  • People
  • Sitemap
  • RSS feeds

Editor

Anne Louise Houmann

alh@amwatch.dk

Tel.: +45 2830 5142

  • About AMWatch

Editor-in-chief

Anders Heering

Publisher

JP/Politiken Media Group Ltd

Banner Advertising

annoncering@infowatch.dk

Tel.: +45 7077 7491

Advertising

Job Advertising

job@infowatch.dk

Tel.: +45 7077 7491

Jobs

Subscription

Try AMWatch or get an offer for a subscription meeting the exact needs of you or your company.

amwatch@infowatch.dk

Tel.: +45 7077 7491

Learn more about subscriptions here

Address

AMWatch

Rådhuspladsen 37

1785 Copenhagen K, Denmark

Tel.: +45 3330 8382

Guidelines

  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © AMWatch — All rights reserved