The Society of Pension Professionals (SPP) has confirmed continued membership growth over the past 12 months.

A number of organisations have announced they are joining the body, including law firms Slaughter and May and Stephenson Harwood, TPT Retirement Solutions, IFM Investors, BESTrustees, and fintech firms Festina Finance and Lumera. The SPP now has around 90 member organisations, collectively employing more than 20,000 pensions professionals spanning actuarial, legal, trustee, investment and administration roles. SPP chief executive, Fred Emden, said the growth would strengthen the organisation’s ability to represent the industry, highlighting the importance of harnessing members' expertise to support pension schemes and their stakeholders. He added that, as the industry faced a range of challenges and opportunities in the coming years, having a “truly collective voice” would be key to driving positive outcomes.

Aegon UK has committed £100m to the British Growth Partnership Fund.

The investment marks the firm's entry into UK venture capital and expands investment opportunities for members of its £14bn Universal Balanced Collection (UBC) fund. The investment, which will be deployed over three years, forms part of the ongoing evolution of the UBC strategy first announced in 2024, aimed at improving diversification and long-term value for more than 700,000 members. As a cornerstone investor in the British Business Bank-backed fund, Aegon UK will support high-growth UK technology and life sciences businesses, with early activity including an £8m investment into autonomous driving firm Wayve. Aegon UK managing director of investment proposition, Lorna Blyth, said the partnership would open access to “high-quality UK venture opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach for DC pension savers”, strengthening diversification and value for money. Meanwhile, British Growth Partnership managing partner, Ian Connatty, suggested that the initiative demonstrated how structural barriers limiting pension fund access to venture capital could be overcome, providing a “blueprint” for future investment.

The Association of Consulting Actuaries (ACA) has launched a UK-wide student essay competition as part of its 75th anniversary celebrations.

The competition aims to encourage fresh thinking on the future of pensions and long-term saving. Open to students across all disciplines at UK universities, the competition invites submissions of up to 1,500 words on improving pension provision, engagement and savings adequacy, with a top prize of £3,000 and two runner-up prizes of £1,500. Winners will also be invited to present their work at the ACA’s Bloomfield Lecture in London in November 2026. The competition is open for entries from 30 March to 30 June 2026. ACA chair, Stewart Hastie, highlighted the importance of attracting new ideas and talent to the industry, noting that the sector had grown significantly over the past 75 years and now played a key role in advising employers, trustees and individuals. He added that the initiative aimed to encourage students to think beyond current industry approaches and consider careers in pensions and financial services, stressing that more must be done as a society to improve retirement saving outcomes.

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