Featured News and Research

• Financial Services HR Leaders Focus on Risk and Pay

  Hong Kong, 9 January 2012 – Pay for performance remains top of mind priority for financial services with 33% of senior human resources professionals from the financial services industry identifying refinement of incentive plans, risk metrics, governance as the most important Human Resources priority in the next 12 months, according to a Towers Watson poll.Continue reading...

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  Towers Watson on China Investment Trends and Opportunities

  China is seeking to strike a fine balance between encouraging growth and consumer spending while avoiding economic overheating, says Naomi Denning of Tower Watson, who outlines some of her clients’ wishes and concerns about the mainland market.Continue reading...

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  MPF - Picking up Speed for ECA

  Philip Tso of Towers Watson outlines what the forthcoming Employee Choice Arrangement changes to Hong Kong’s Mandatory Provident Fund regime will mean for the funds industry in the territory.Continue reading...

• Increased Prominence of Chinese Asset Managers

  Hong Kong, 31 October, 2011 – Chinese asset managers now represent the largest group, by number (27), of managers domiciled in Asia Pacific, followed by Japan (22) and Australia (19) according to Towers Watson research.Continue reading...

• Extreme Risk Planning

  Hong Kong, 24 October, 2011 - Sovereign default has risen four places to second position in Towers Watson's ranking of the top fifteen extreme risks while Depression retains the top position and hyperinflation moves to third.Continue reading...

• Towers Watson Expands Asian Private Markets Team

  Hong Kong, 19 October, 2011 – Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ:TW), a leading global professional services company, has appointed Richard Tan and Agnes Lee to its private markets manager research team in Hong Kong as Senior Private Markets Consultants.Continue reading...

• Mental Issues, Stress, A Major Concern for Companies in Asia-Pacific

  Hong Kong, 10 October 2011 – There is significant consistency across Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore, that mental issues and stress are amongst the top concerns of companies, according to a pulse survey by Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW), a global professional services company.Continue reading...

• Evidence-Based Change Helping Companies Achieve Greater Success and Competitive Advantage, New Towers Watson Book Reveals

  Hong Kong, 23 September 2011 - When it comes to managing people, many organizations have made important HR decisions without any real rigor, often relying on instincts or copying competitors’ practices. Now, a handful of leading-edge global companies are breaking new ground and using evidence-based change to make critical talent management decisions, help their organizations achieve greater success and create a more engaging work environment for their people. Continue reading...

• Asia-Pacific and European acquirers outperform their US counterparts in Q3

  Latest data highlights deal makers outperformance compared to non-acquisitive peers, however North American buyers have a poor quarter. Acquirers outperformed the Global MSCI Index in the third quarter of 2011, with Asia-Pacific and European acquirers sharing the top spot in the quarterly analysis performance league, according to latest figures from Towers Watson.Continue reading...

• Asian pension funds rise and shine in global 300 ranking - Malaysia’s and Singapore’s provident funds enter top ten ranking for the first time.

  Hong Kong - 6 September, 2011 – Most Asia-Pacific sovereign and public sector pension funds rose up the P&I / Towers Watson global 300 ranking in 2010 and, with assets totalling around US$3.2 trillion, now account for 25% of total assets. The research, conducted in conjunction with Pensions & Investments, a leading US investment newspaper, shows that of the 29 Asia Pacific funds in the research, five feature in the top ten ranking including, for the first time, Malaysia’s Employee Provident Fund (9th) and Singapore’ Central Provident Fund (10th). Continue reading...

• 2011 Survey of Financial Assumptions for Valuations of Defined Benefit Schemes in accordance with Hong Kong Accounting Standard 19 – Employee Benefits (HKAS 19)

  Since the introduction of HKAS 19, Towers Watson has been surveying the financial parameters used by employers in complying with the requirements of HKAS 19 for their defined benefit retirement schemes.Continue reading...

• Towers Watson Sees Bumpy Path to Global Economic Recovery

  Hong Kong – 9 August 2011 - The dramatic financial developments over the past week, including S&P's downgrading of the U.S. long-term credit rating, reflect an inherent fragility in the global economy that means potentially violent and difficult-to-predict market moves are likely for a number of years, according to global professional services company Towers WatsonContinue reading...

• Pensions Funds' Global Alternative Assets Close in on $1 Trillion Mark

  Hong Kong – 11 July 2011 - Alternative assets managed on behalf of pension funds by the world’s largest managers grew 16% in 2010 to US$952bn (from US$817bn in 2009), according to global research produced by Towers Watson in conjunction with the Financial Times.Continue reading...

• Budgeting for Changes to the MPF Relevant Income Limits - What Do Companies Need to Consider?

  In 14 June 2011, the Hong Kong Government presented to the Legislative Council its proposal to increase the minimum and maximum Relevant Income (“RI”) levels for the purpose of determining contributions to the MPF.Continue reading...

• Towers Watson Unveils New Investment Research Structure

  Hong Kong, 5 July 2011 - Towers Watson has combined its three investment research teams into one to better serve clients in an environment where the lines between investment opportunities are becoming increasingly blurred.Continue reading...

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  Global Alternatives Survey 2011

  The Global Alternatives Survey aims to track the movements of alternative assets managed on behalf of pension funds by the world’s largest alternative investment managers and to produce authoritative rankings. Continue reading...

• Towers Watson Completes More Than $1 Billion in Transactions for Funding Pensions Through Captives

  Hong Kong, 7 April , 2011 — Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW), a global professional services company, announced today that it has completed more than $1 billion in transactions for the funding of pension benefits through captive insurance companies. Additionally, experts at Towers Watson expect a growing number of multinationals to express interest in this innovative approach to funding pension benefits, which they developed to help companies better manage the investment and risks of their defined benefit obligations.Continue reading...

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  Towers Watson announces launch of one-stop, impartial service for MPF members

  Hong Kong, Monday, 28 March 2011 – Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW), a leading global professional services company, is launching a one-stop resource for information on MPF that includes a quarterly magazine and a portal named MPFeXPRESS.com to help MPF members monitor the appropriateness of their MPF investment arrangements.
  
  The Towers Watson initiative aims to provide comprehensive and unbiased information to empower MPF members when comparing MPF schemes, service providers and funds, and is launched today in its magazine and website formats.Continue reading...

• Alternatives and equities in demand in 2010

  Hong Kong, 8 March 2011 - The number of equity mandates awarded by Towers Watson’s clients worldwide in 2010 increased by over 30% from 2009, while the number of hedge fund mandates grew by 50% during the same period. At the same time the number of bond mandates fell by 30%, with US and Euro bonds showing the most significant fall in demand from the previous year. Private markets attracted significantly more interest from investors in 2010 than in 2009, with the number of mandates growing 73%, led by renewed interest in direct real estate and distressed debt.Continue reading...

• Global Recovery On Track Say Fund Managers

  Hong Kong, 1 March 2011 - Fund managers are bullish about the prospects for public equities and emerging markets in 2011, but have bearish views of nominal government bonds according to a survey of investment managers conducted by global professional services firm Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW). The survey, which was conducted at the end of 2010, indicates that low central bank rates and mild inflation will continue to stimulate economic growth, helping to avoid a double dip recession and feed the global recovery. The investment managers highlight unemployment as a major challenge for some developed economies, but see it improving during the year. Continue reading...