Smart Pension and partners have launched a tokenised renewable assets coalition (TRAC).

The launch follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding to explore how blockchain-based tokenisation could help unlock greater pension investment into renewable energy and infrastructure. The coalition, which also includes Ctrl Alt, Mobius and Octopus Energy Generation, will examine how tokenisation infrastructure can integrate with existing pension investment frameworks to reduce operational complexity, enhance liquidity and lower access costs, supporting the objectives of the Mansion House Accord and the government’s Pension Schemes Bill. Smart Pension director of investment proposition, James Lawrence, said: “We are proud to be one of the UK master trusts leading the way in technology and private markets investment, which we believe will help drive growth for the country’s critical infrastructure and support the transition to a net zero economy.” Mobius chief executive officer, James Finch, added that the collaboration demonstrated how “UK pensions, renewable assets and tokenisation have a huge amount to offer each other”, while Ctrl Alt founder and chief executive officer, Matt Ong, said the coalition was an important step in showing how tokenisation could unlock access to “previously hard-to-reach asset classes” in a compliant and scalable way.

Moneybox has partnered with Amundi to launch three low-cost pension investment funds.

Available from 8 December, the "cautious, balanced and adventurous" funds have capped ongoing charges of 0.29 per cent and sit alongside a new 0.15 per cent service fee, replacing Moneybox’s existing platform fee, with customers under 50 defaulting into the adventurous fund and those aged 50 and over defaulting into the balanced option. Moneybox co-founder, Charlie Mortimer, said the launch marked a "major milestone" in our ambition to become a lifelong wealth partner to millions across the UK. "These new funds demonstrate how we can bring world-class investment expertise to our customers in a simple, affordable and effective way,” he added.

Northern Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) and Local Pensions Partnership Investments (LPPI) have acquired a 5,000-home portfolio.

The £1.1bn acquisition of PRS Holdco brings a portfolio of 5,478 single-family rental homes across 71 sites in England, Scotland and Wales under joint ownership, in what has been described as a landmark UK housing investment. The partners plan to invest a further £1bn over the next decade to grow the portfolio by more than 15,000 homes, alongside establishing a dedicated property management platform to oversee operations and tenant experience. Northern LGPS chair, Cllr Eleanor Wills, said: “This partnership demonstrates what we can achieve when pension funds work together at scale, supporting the delivery of much-needed homes while securing the pensions of our members.” LPPI investment director, Louise Warden, added that the transaction showed “the power of cross-pool collaboration” and the positive impact pension capital can have in local communities, while ministers also welcomed the deal as an example of how LGPS investment can support national priorities and long-term economic growth.

Raindrop has reunited savers with more than £1bn in lost pension pots since its launch.

The pension-finding platform has recovered over 100,000 individual pots with an average value exceeding £11,000, as the industry continues to grapple with an estimated £31.1bn sitting in lost pensions across almost 3.3 million pots, according to the Pensions Policy Institute (PPI). Raindrop said its technology, which collaborates with major providers including Aegon, AJ Bell, Standard Life and Monzo, is helping to simplify what has historically been a complex and fragmented tracing process, at a time when research from Pensions UK and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) shows fewer than one in three UK adults have organised their finances for later life. However, Raindrop co-founder and chief commercial officer, Vivan Shridharani, warned that this is "just the tip of the iceberg". He continued: "There are still billions in lost pension savings waiting to be found. Savers need simple solutions to reunite them with their lost pots, as the current pension finding process is overly complicated. By joining forces with the UK’s largest financial providers, our technology is empowering millions of savers to take control of their retirement savings.”

Cartwright Pension Trusts has marked the one-year milestone of the UK’s first pension Bitcoin allocation.

It revealed that the initial £1.5m investment has delivered a 5 per cent return and significantly boosted the unnamed scheme’s funding position. The allocation, made in October 2024 and representing 3 per cent of the scheme’s £50m portfolio, followed an extensive programme of trustee training and due diligence, with Cartwright stressing it was made in the context of a long-term investment horizon rather than short-term market timing. Cartwright director of investment consulting, Sam Roberts, said: “Although it’s important to highlight that this remains a long-term strategy, it feels only right to take a moment to look at the impact one year in. The allocation was made just weeks before the US election result when Bitcoin was trading just above £51,000, and since then it has reached several new all-time highs. The resulting return has had a tangible impact on the funding level of the scheme, far exceeding the performance delivered by other major asset classes over the same period.” He added that the decision required “an open mind, the time commitment to understand the rationale - both risks and rewards - and the tolerance to accept the inherent volatility”, noting that while Bitcoin would not be suitable for every scheme, it “now deserves to be part of the conversation”.

Gresham House has announced a first close of more than €250m for its sustainable international forestry strategy platform.

The platform is anchored by commitments from Worcestershire Pension Fund and Australian superannuation fund NGS Super, marking a significant step in the global expansion of its natural capital platform. The Article 9 strategy targets a diversified, mixed-age and multi-species portfolio of sustainably managed timberland and afforestation assets across the UK, Ireland, continental Europe, Australia and New Zealand, with Gresham House highlighting forestry’s long-term inflation-linked characteristics and diversification benefits. Gresham House chief executive officer, Tony Dalwood, commented: “Reaching over €250m in this first close with two cornerstone investors underscores both the strength of the forestry asset class and our track record managing it at scale. The strategy is designed to capture long-term opportunities associated with sustainable forestry and natural capital, while delivering positive ecological and community impact.” Worcestershire Pension Fund pension committee chair, Cllr Adrian Hardmann, added that forestry “offers diversification, inflation linkage and tangible environmental benefits”, while NGS Super chief investment officer, Ben Squires, said sustainable forestry aligned with the fund’s objective of achieving stable, risk-adjusted returns while contributing to global climate and biodiversity goals.

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