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Fund of the Month (Oct'24): Future Generation Reserve (FGR)

1st October, 2024

Bahrain may be the smallest country in the GCC in terms of population and economy, but its Sovereign Investment industry is well developed, with two active SWFs: one for stabilization and savings function (Future Generation Reserve, or FGR) and another one for strategic and development purposes (Mumtalakat). The FGR had been a relatively low-profile SWF until 2020, when the government of Bahrain withdrew US$ 450 million, or half of its assets back then, to maintain economic stability. The withdrawal was followed by a change in the deposit rules, and the fund has been growing again thanks to new inflows and strong investment returns.

PIF Generates 9% Annual Return in 2023, Strides Towards US$1trn AUM

19th August, 2024

Vision 2030 is an overriding mission of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which has drained cash reserves and drawn on its global portfolio to bolster the Kingdom’s economic diversification program, but the fund continues its path towards US$1 trillion in 2025 and US$2 trillion by the end of the decade.

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NPS Juggles External Managers as it Addresses Returns Against Benchmarks

15th July, 2024

One of the world’s biggest public pension funds, South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS), is boosting external management of its domestic private equity holdings while at the same time clawing back control over its overseas public equity allocations as it makes benchmark-beating returns its priority.

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NPS Allocation to External Managers Set to Reach Record US$1bn+ in 2024

2nd May, 2024

South Korea’s goliath National Pension Service (NPS) is making its biggest allocation to external managers with its plans to invest US$1.1 billion with South Korea-based general partners (GPs).

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Norway Dismisses NBIM's Private Equity Proposal... For Now

15th April, 2024

The Norwegian parliament has dismissed a central bank recommendation that the 3-5% of the US$1.6 trillion Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG) – overseen by Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM) – be invested in private equity... but has not ruled out the proposal forever.

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Korea’s Generation Z Receives Little Comfort over Pensions in Election Race

9th April, 2024

Themes in the South Korean general election, taking place on Wednesday, have highlighted the cost of living, represented by the price of green onions which has soared in recent months – but the elephant in the room that the two main political parties have failed to address is the fact that Koreans born after 1990 are unlikely to receive a pension from the National Pension Service (NPS) when they turn 65.

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Korea's NPS Deployed to Prop Up Undervalued Domestic Stocks

4th March, 2024

South Korea’s massive US$800 billion National Pension Service (NPS) could be reversing its global diversification push with reports that it will plunge KRW11 trillion (US$8.2 billion) into domestic public equities, after reporting its best ever annual return.

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NBIM Set To Become A Top Private Equity Investor... But How?

28th November, 2023

The world’s biggest sovereign wealth fund looks set to enter the private equity market for the first time, under the direction of former hedge fund manager CEO Nicolai Tangen.

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Canadian Funds Adjust Portfolios With Multi-Billion Divestments in Secondaries

10th November, 2023

Quebec’s public pension fund CDPQ is set to join the federal-level CPP Investments in selling weighty secondary portfolios to free up liquidity towards new priorities.

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Future Fund Limits Equities Volatility by Tilting to Private Credit

27th October, 2023

Australia’s Future Fund reported a negative return of 0.5% in Q3 with A$900 million wiped off the value of the sovereign wealth fund to A$205.2 billion (US$130 billion) – but its 12-month return was a positive 6.3% amid heightened volatility.

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Canadian Comparisons: Infrastructure Pivot Gives PSP the Edge Over CPP

9th June, 2023

The latest annual results of Canada’s federal-level public pension funds are now out and depict a significant difference in performance between the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments) – with infrastructure proving crucial to achieving higher yields.

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A Snapshot of Mubadala's Performance

22nd May, 2023

Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala reported a 2.9% drop in assets under management to AED1,015 billion (US$276 billion) in 2022, the largest contraction since 2014, but its -3.1% single-year return outstripped the benchmark and industry average (-8.1%)

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