The Pensions Administration Standards Association (PASA) has appointed Procentia as its expert partner for digital admin.

The deal was highlighted as representation of PASA's desire for digital transformation within the pensions industry, after the association previously found a "reluctance to embrace digitalisation in the industry" despite its "undeniable benefits.”

PASA chair, Kim Gubler, said that driving the digital admin journey to define best practices is one of PASA's "key strategic objectives."

"As demand for digital functionality continues to rise across the pensions industry, it's vital our expert partner is able to lead this charge with us – Procentia is ideally positioned for this," she added.

As part of the partnership, Procentia will collaborate with PASA on several activities to help inform schemes to make step changes toward a digital-first approach and member-centricity.

Gubler said that Procentia will also bring deep technical expertise and an understanding of the industry's diverse needs.

"Procentia's involvement will be critical in ensuring we develop best practices to cater for the needs of all stakeholders, including those who may be less digitally engaged."

Procentia, a software company specialising in pensions, has operated in the sector since 2002.

In 2019, the executive arm of the UK's largest private sector pension scheme, BT Pension Scheme Management (BTPSM), acquired a majority stake in the software firm.

Currently, more than 2 million pension scheme members are administered on Procentia's systems, and it supplies software to third-party administrators, systems integrators, technology companies, and other product providers.

Procentia Group CEO, Liam McGrath, was also appointed chair for PASA's Digital Admin Working Group (DigWG), taking over from Heywood CEO, Sian Jones.

McGrath said: "We're thrilled to join PASA as their Digital Admin Expert Partner. We've been designing 'PenTech' solutions to help schemes and insurers provide lasting value for their administrators and members for over twenty years.

"This is an opportunity to use our expertise, insight and research to lead the working group and the administration sector through a digital transformation journey.

“We're excited to build on the progress already made and demonstrate how digital administration can drive the industry and individual schemes forward, improving engagement, efficiency, and outcomes for savers."

PASA said that the DigWG's purpose is to create clear guidance on 'what good looks like' regarding eAdmin for savers, trustees, and administrators.

It is also aiming to develop best practices for adopting technology to improve the end-user experience.

The DigWG will work alongside other PASA working groups to optimise output.

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