Nest has donated 342 laptops to the Good Things Foundation’s National Device Bank to help close the digital divide.

An alternative solution to IT asset disposal, the National Device Bank refurbishes businesses’ devices and gives them to people who can’t afford or access their own. Commenting on the donation, Nest chief financial officer and diversity equity and inclusion champion, Richard Lockwood, said: “As a digital-first scheme, we know how important it is to close the digital divide. And as a pension scheme designed to serve those on low to moderate incomes, who have often been underserved by financial institutions, this partnership felt like a perfect fit. We’re proud to have been able to give our old tech a new purpose with Good Things Foundation.”

The government has launched online voluntary national insurance (NI) payment service, called 'Check your state pension forecast'.

The joint digital service between HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Department for Work and Pensions aims to help savers check for and fill any gaps in their NI record to increase their state pension. It shows customers how much their state pension could increase by and the details of the voluntary NI contributions they would have to pay to achieve this. It includes a full end-to-end digital solution and, anyone with NI gaps can use the service to choose which years to pay contributions to securely through the service. Commenting on the new tool, Pensions Minister, Paul Maynard, said: “The state pension is the foundation of income in retirement, which is why we have introduced this new online tool to help simplify boosting it for those who are able to. I would encourage everyone to check their state pension forecast and to take a look at how they could improve their state pension award with only a few simple clicks.”

OAC has launched a new asset projection tool for investment managers working with insurers.

The new tool, called Summertime, aims to address the demand for greater clarity from investment managers following Solvency II reforms and the increased focus from insurers’ boards on solvency risk factors. It will allow investment managers to overcome the gap between traditional analysis and actuarial analysis that boards see from actuaries, meaning that investment managers can monitor the impact of their decisions on solvency to provide a better service to boards. The new tool can take asset data and calculate solvency measures, allowing investment managers to present data to the board in terms that matter.

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