The European Commission has adopted a Green Paper that launches a three-month public consultation on how to foster the supply of long-term financing and how to improve and diversify the system of financial intermediation for long-term investment in Europe.

Full details are available here.

In its report on "Design and Delivery of Defined Contribution (DC) Pension Schemes - Policy Challenges and Recommendations", the OECD summarises the challenges policymakers face and recommends key improvements that can help to ensure DC delivers the incomes that individuals need.

The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) and the World Bank have signed an operational Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate on developing the insurance sector.

This Memorandum will enable both organizations to collaborate on promoting a risk_based regulatory and supervisory framework in insurance, as well as the identification of systemic risk and the promotion of consumer protection.

More information is available here

The requirements you need to fulfil for the CERA qualification changed from September 2012.

For those taking the ST9 exam after 1 September 2012, you also need to attend a seminar in order to receive the qualification.

More information is available here

There are going to be some important changes for the April 2013 exams.

These include:

• The launch of electronic exam entry permits;
• A new style exam paper and answer booklet;
• The need to write in black ballpoint ink only and
• Scanning of exam answer booklets for marking purposes.

Please make sure you read this important information so as to be aware of the changes and to ensure that your script can be marked.

Since 2010, the UK Institute and Faculty of Actuaries has been permitted to award the Chartered Enterprise Risk Actuary (CERA) qualification to those of its Associates and Fellows who have passed  its ST9 Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Specialist Technical examination (and, from September 2012, have also attended a one day seminar).

The Groupe Consultatif has published a position paper on the draft Pensions Portability Directive which is presently under preparation in the EU. 

The objective of the paper is to set out for EU institutions and stakeholders the views of the actuarial profession on this subject.

Read the position paper

The Groupe Consultatif Actuariel Européen has published a booklet titled “the Role of the Actuary under Solvency II, Raising the bar on insurance technical expertise.”

The booklet states that Actuaries can play a significant role in giving senior management and boards of directors the support they need under Solvency II - not just within the Actuarial Function, but in a number of other areas within insurance management and oversight.

The Pensions Board has published investment guidelines for trustees of defined contribution pension schemes. These guidelines aim to help trustees in deciding which investment choices to make available for scheme members.

Commenting on the guidelines, the Chief Executive of The Pensions Board, Brendan Kennedy, said:

The Groupe Consultatif Actuariel Européen has published a paper titled “Comparison of the Regulatory Approach in Insurance and Banking in the Context of Solvency II”.  The principal author is Mairead O’Shea, a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries in Ireland. 

“Executive Summary