Defined Benefit

Having long been the dominant mode of pension provision and that which remains by far the biggest in terms of scheme assets under management, defined benefit (DB) must confront a myriad of challenges if it is to deliver on the pensions promise. Against the backdrop of a challenging economic environment for both scheme sponsors and trustees, trustees must also contend with the effects on both sides of the balance sheet of historically low interest rates, improving longevity, an ever increasing regulatory and legal duties burden, greater complexity around investment choices and, for many, navigating the challenges of being cash flow negative as schemes mature and the time remaining to make good any deficit reduces – all of which requires the continual evolution of governance, technical knowhow and risk management. The latter, in particular, must increasingly integrate ESG risk factors and that most systemic of global risks, climate change, into trustee decision making, as well as risk transfer and end game planning given the increasing maturity of DB schemes.