ExclusiveUS$100bn MPF’s performance falls under the spotlight as governing authority proposes raft of new measures to improve returns
Measures include more independent board members for all 14 of MPF pension investment providers, and the possibility of performance targets for them
Hong Kong’s pension regulator is set to update its regulatory guidelines next year covering the city’s Mandatory Provident Fund, in an effort to make the employee pension scheme cheaper and improve its investment performance.
The Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA) says it is now requesting all 14 of its pension investment providers to add more independent directors to their boards of directors, and is asking for increased scrutiny of the performance of the managers responsible for funds offered to members of the HK$780 billion (US$100 billion) retirement plan.
The guidelines will be issued early in the new year, but the first of what will be a series of governance workshops is due to be held on Tuesday by the MPFA, involving representatives from all 14 providers – which include HSBC, Manulife and AIA – to map out how it hopes the MPF might can be more successful.
“The MPF schemes have accumulated total assets worth HK$780 billion. Each of the providers are managing billions of people’s assets,” Alice Law Shing-mui, the authority’s chief operating officer and executive director, told South China Morning Post.
“We want MPF trustees to run their own schemes more cost-effectively and to upgrade their quality of service to ensure better returns,” added Law.