Mat Cybula is used to people peppering him with questions when he tells them what he does for a living. “Whenever we go out, I’m the Bitcoin guy and I end up explaining it,” he says. “It’s really difficult to wrap your head around how it works . . . initially. It’s an area that […]
Despite a common perception of millennials as entitled and vocal, many women from that generation who work in finance don’t seem to fit the stereotype. By asserting themselves less forcefully than their male counterparts, they see fewer promotion opportunities and, with a scarcity of mentors and long hours at work, are also facing issues that […]
When it comes to embracing risk, Canada’s defined benefit pension plans aren’t just looking at infrastructure. Chronically low interest rates — and the resulting low bond yields — and anemic global growth are also motivating some to consider distressed assets. Such risky assets typically include securities that produce high returns because credit rating agencies consider […]
“These Canadians own your town,” Fortune magazine declared in December 2015, referring to the massive infrastructure and real estate investments Canadian pension funds have made around the world. But Canadians don’t just own these towns. They’re also increasingly rebuilding them and fixing them up. Why? Because the global competition for traditional infrastructure assets — operational […]
CDPQ Infra, a subsidiary of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, has proposed a 67-kilometre electric light-rail transit system for the Greater Montréal area that would feature downtown and airport stops. The project’s estimated cost is $5.5 billion, of which Caisse is willing to commit $3 billion. It could become a reality if Québec and the federal […]
If Britain leaves the EU, there could be a lot of collateral damage.
For many people, the mere mention of European Union rules conjures up images of red tape and bureaucratic minefields. So it’s hardly surprising that Europe’s pension industry wasn’t thrilled with the newly released results of the first-ever European Union-mandated stress test of occupational pensions. Critics charge the information the exercise provided has been available all […]
As London constantly feels suffocated by what it sees as an overbearing Brussels, the relationship between Britain and Europe is anything but perfect. But after years of debate, Britain will vote on whether to break away from the European Union in a long-awaited referendum to take place this June. It’s difficult to determine the impact […]
As employers struggle to determine the right governance structure for their defined contribution pension plans, one company going through the process found it could do the work even with a lean staff and in the midst of organizational change. “It doesn’t have to be onerous to put in a governance structure,” said Tanja Fratangeli, director of […]
Even with new rules implemented in Ontario this year, the issue of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors remains a tricky question for Canada’s pension plans as they face a lack of perfect clarity around the definition of what they entail. That was definitely the experience of RBC’s defined contribution pension team as it tried to wrap […]