Description: In a world where pensions for new hires are predominantly provided with defined contribution plans, defined benefit plans have moved in many cases from being a strategic human resource management tool to being a source of volatile historic liabilities and costs that need to be managed downward. While the approaches for dealing with these liabilities broadly consist of risk transfer, settlement or funding, the precise options available will vary by country depending on the local pension framework and legal requirements. Any company with material global pension liabilities would be well advised to monitor these closely, in order to be able to take advantage of opportunities to de-risk, and to ensure that a global pension de-risking budget is allocated to the activities which are expected to yield the best returns for the group.

Description: It is, without doubt, the poorest people in the world who are most in need of the security that insurance brings. Renata De Leers and Queenie Chow discuss why the micro-insurance market has low penetration, and why actuaries are so well placed to assist insurers in understanding their clients' needs.

Description: IACA, and IAA Section has a key role to play at ICA, held only every 4 years. This feature gives you a flavour of IACA highlights in Berlin, June 2018.

Description: The pension and longevity risk transfer market is growing rapidly, with British-pioneered pension and longevity de-risking emerging outside of the UK and US, with over $270bn in transactions completed globally since 2007. Emerging markets include the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France and Australia. This article describes the solutions available to plan sponsors who are looking to secure member benefits and achieve a lower risk future, and provides real-world examples of companies who have used innovative solutions to meet their unique needs.

Description: This article provides an update of International Section strategic intiatives from the current section chair.