Programme
09.00
Registration
09.30
Conference start. Session 1: Geopolitical and macroeconomic outlook
• Global macro headwinds and the European economic landscape
• Geopolitical risk and its implications for long-term asset allocation
• Interest rate trajectories and fixed income positioning
• What the macro environment means for Finnish pension funds in 2026 and beyond
• Back to a world of higher inflation – Strategies for success?
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10.30
Session 2: Revesting your Asset Allocation in light of Regulatory Changes, Emerging Risks and a Higher Interest Rate Environment
The Finnish regulatory changes have changed the risk return frameworks for many pension funds. How should schemes now respond and what changes should they be considering to their strategic asset allocation. What are the practical considerations to taking increased risk in portfolios today?
• Are there new ideas for asset allocation emerging
• Assumptions now changed and a new decade with very different macro world – implications and how to manage SAA?
• How to increase risk at the total portfolio level and changing your overall asset allocation
• Which asset classes other than equities can you allocate your risk budget to - where are the opportunities?
Reassessing Your Asset Allocation in Light of Regulatory Changes, Emerging Risks and a Higher Interest Rate Environment
European CLOs remain underrepresented in institutional portfolios despite their historical resilience and attractive relative value. This presentation explains how CLOs work, the structural protections available to investors, and why the asset class may be particularly suitable for long-term investors seeking diversification and a structural credit premium.
More Risk Capacity – Now What? Rethinking the portfolio as a whole
Finland’s pension reform creates greater capacity for investment risk-taking. But how can pension investors make the most of this increased flexibility? Taking a total-portfolio perspective, this presentation explores how to rethink asset allocation, understand underlying economic risks and assess where additional risk creates the greatest value. It also considers the investment beliefs, governance and organisational capabilities needed to translate greater risk capacity into better investment decisions.
Casualty ILS in an Equity-Centric Pension Portfolio
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11.45
Tea/Coffee
12.05
Session 3: ESG & Sustainability Conundrum: Navigating an Evolving Landscape, Considering Investing in Defence and Infrastructure (such as renewables)
Rethinking sustainability in an era of geopolitical conflict, regulatory divergence, climate crisis and competing stakeholder demands
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• The regulatory and political landscape for sustainable investment is diverging dramatically. How should pension funds respond?
• Defence sector investing: ESG frameworks under pressure
• Setting realistic ESG targets in a politicized environment
• Reconciling fiduciary duty with stakeholder expectations
• Practical approaches that withstand political scrutiny
• Focus more now on engagement vs exclusions
• Does the energy transition into renewable provide opportunities for investing in infrastructure and how would this fit into your overall sustainability strategy?
The State of ESG: Same priority, shifting focus
Investing in defence – institutional investor perspective
Institutional investors are under growing pressure to support Europe's defence capabilities, but defence investing is far from straightforward. This presentation explores how institutional investor such as KLP navigate the intersection of security, sustainability and fiduciary duty, and why the key question is no longer whether to invest in defence, but what responsible defence investing looks like in practice.
Investing in Defence: From Civil Defence to Military Innovation
The debate around defence investing has changed rapidly in Europe. But “defence” is not a single investment theme. Investors can approach it in very different ways depending on the outcomes, exposures and activities they want their portfolios to support.
This practical case study explores the spectrum of investable defence strategies. At one end is Civil Defence: building societal resilience through areas such as critical infrastructure, energy, communications, healthcare and transport, without necessarily investing in traditional weapons manufacturers. A broader Total Defence approach can combine these civil capabilities with military defence and support. At the other end of the spectrum, investors can focus more directly on defence innovation, including cybersecurity, AI, autonomous systems and drones.
The presentation will show how these different definitions can be translated into investable strategies, and why the more useful question for investors may no longer be simply “defence or no defence?”, but rather: what kind of defence exposure do we actually want?
13.20
Lunch
14.10
Keynote session
Pensions in a changing world: reflections on 25 years of Finnish and European developments
Niina Bergring, Board Member, Stiftelsen för Åbo Akademi, in conversation with Matti Leppälä, Secretary General & Chief Executive Officer, PensionsEurope.
As he prepares to retire at the end of 2026, Matti Leppälä reflects on 25 years of developments in pension policy, funded pensions and investment, drawing on his experience at PensionsEurope and the Finnish Pension Alliance TELA. The conversation explores how European regulation have influenced Finnish and other Nordic pension institutions, alongside the shift from defined benefit to defined contribution and the increasing framing of pensions as consumer products. Why is it important that Finnish pensions remain outside the scope of many EU rules? Is this going to continue or is the EU increasing its influence? Why do Nordic pension systems consistently rank among the world’s best, and what enables their substantial equity exposure? The discussion considers the role of collective provision, social partners, governance and trust and what these strengths can teach Europe about delivering adequate and sustainable pensions.
15.00
Session 4: Opportunities in Equities in the Current Climate: Markets, Valuations and Portfolio Construction
• Global equity valuations today — are developed markets fairly priced and where is value?
• US vs Europe vs emerging markets: making the regional allocation call in 2026
• Factor investing and smart beta: which styles suit a long-duration liability profile?
• Active vs passive: the case for each in a higher-volatility world
• Small and mid cap equities — neglected opportunity or a risk too far?
• Managing increased equity volatility: overlay strategies, drawdown limits and risk budgeting
Speakers announced to date:
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16.00
Close of Conference, followed by Drinks Reception
Cost
The conference is by invitation only for pension funds and other institutional investors and we welcome new attendees from these investors. Therefore if you are not already receiving an invitation please contact us. A limited number of Complimentary invitations are available to genuine pension fund representatives (executives and trustees) and other approved institutional investors. However, to ensure we have room for as many funds as possible, we have to limit free places to 3 attendees per approved organisation thereafter a reduced rate fee is payable per delegate. Furthermore, SPS always reserves the right of admission (free or paid) and our decision is final.
Venue
Media Partners
