Please note: this programme is subject to change
Collective Defined Contribution (CDC) schemes are gaining momentum across Europe as markets look for models that blend DB style risk sharing with the transparency and sustainability of DC. In the UK, expanding regulation is driving renewed adoption, while countries like the Netherlands and Germany are advancing their own forms of collective and hybrid DC.
Views remain divided: some question CDC’s added value given complexity, while others highlight its ability to smooth outcomes, pool longevity risk, and support more efficient investment—appealing advantages in the face of demographic pressures and rising expectations for retirement security.
This session will explore:
- Regulatory developments shaping CDC adoption across the UK and Europe
- Comparative design features spanning collective, hybrid, and pure DC models
- Implications for investment strategy, retirement outcomes, and broader capital market engagement
- Industry sentiment and practical barriers, including commercial viability and member expectations
Guided retirement is becoming a central focus in DC policy. Intended to provide a clearer route into retirement for those who do not actively engage, it has raised practical questions around delivery, responsibility and design.
This session will explore recent developments, how guided retirement is expected to operate in practice and how it fits alongside targeted support, investment decisions and value for money. It will also look at how these solutions can improve retirement outcomes, while maintaining appropriate member protection.
This session will address:
- How guided retirement is expected to work in practice
- How it is expected to interact with targeted support
- How will it fit alongside value for money and investment decisions
- What it means for schemes, providers and advisers
Schemes are increasingly exploring the role private markets can play in supporting long-term investment objectives. Alongside these opportunities, they introduce new challenges and considerations.
This session aims to provide a practical overview of how private markets work in a DC context, the key risks around liquidity, cashflow management and exit constraints involved and how these can be managed in practice. It will look at the governance frameworks required to support illiquid assets and how capabilities may need to evolve as allocations increase.
This session will address:
- The key risks associated with private markets and how they can be managed
- How liquidity, exits and cashflow profiles affect portfolio design
- The governance frameworks needed to support private market investing
- How governance capabilities evolve as portfolios become less liquid
Innovation in DC is increasingly being applied in targeted areas. From AI-enabled data cleansing and automated processes, to more personalised communications and decision-support tools, schemes are beginning to adopt new approaches where they can deliver measurable improvements.
This session will explore where innovation is being used in practice, what these tools are enabling, and where they are genuinely improving efficiency and outcomes. It will also consider how strategies can be simplified and future-proofed, and how schemes can adopt new technologies while maintaining appropriate governance and risk controls.
This session will address:
- Where innovation is being applied in practice, including AI in administration, data and member communications
- What current tools and technologies are enabling
- Where innovation is improving efficiency, engagement and decision-making
- How to balance innovation with simplicity, governance and risk
Value for Money (VFM) is moving up the agenda, and as frameworks develop, significant discussion remains around consistency, comparability and how it will operate across the wider market.
At the centre of the debate is how value should be assessed. While frameworks seek to combine past outcomes with forward-looking expectations, questions remain around how these should be balanced and weighted. Past data is robust but limited; future projections are necessary but rely on assumptions. This panel will explore and debate this tension and the potential impact of VFM on different scheme models.
This session will address:
- How do you fairly assess VFM using past data and future expectations?
- How the industry expects VFM to operate across the wider market, including single employer trusts
- What an effective and credible approach looks like in practice
The Mansion House accords have placed greater focus on the role of DC schemes in supporting the UK economy through productive finance. We are now witnessing a more complex investment landscape forming, where schemes are not only assessing financial return, but also how capital can support domestic growth.
This session will explore where opportunities exist within UK markets and how schemes can access them. It will examine how to balance financial sustainability with broader economic objectives, and the role of professional judgement in navigating these decisions where clear frameworks are still evolving.
This session will address:
- The productive finance push following the Mansion House accords
- Where UK investment opportunities exist and how schemes can access them
- The alignment and trade-offs between financial return and UK economic impact
- How trustees and advisers can apply professional judgement in balancing objectives
It’s encouraging to see new approaches emerging to strengthen financial wellbeing, particularly in a time where short-term pressures can make long-term thinking more difficult. From targeted outreach that reconnects and supports disengaged members, to dedicated programmes building the financial capability of young people, there are organisations finding practical and accessible ways to improve understanding, confidence and engagement with money and pensions.
This session will explore how these initiatives are working in practice, how they are helping individuals prioritise long-term financial wellbeing, and how early education can equip younger generations with the skills they need to make informed financial decisions.
Consolidation is set to accelerate as the Government’s asset scale requirements begin to take effect. This session will explore the practical realities of small pot consolidation, examining key questions around how it will operate in practice, the emerging authorisation framework for consolidators and what it will mean for schemes managing growing volumes of deferred pots.
We’ll also unpack the member perspective during these transitions, and how consolidation can be delivered in a way that maintains confidence, clarity and trust.
This session will address:
- How small pots consolidation is expected to operate in practice
- What the emerging authorisation framework may look like for consolidators
- What consolidation means for schemes managing deferred pots
- Practical challenges in large-scale transitions and how to manage them
- How to maintain member confidence and trust throughout consolidation
Building on the latest research and analysis, this closing keynote will take a forward-looking view of the forces shaping the future of retirement saving. As economic conditions, demographic trends and policy priorities evolve, the long-term outlook for pensions is becoming increasingly complex.
This session will explore what lies ahead for DC savers, how saving behaviours and outcomes may develop, and the key trade-offs that will shape future provision. Delegates will leave with a clearer understanding of the direction of travel and the implications for long-term strategy.
This session will address:
- What current data tells us about future retirement outcomes
- How economic conditions and behaviours are shaping saving
- Differences across generations, incomes and employment types
- Key risks, pressures and emerging trends