Brightwell has been appointed administrator of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (BCSSS), with services set to begin in October 2027.

The appointment will see Brightwell provide a complete pension administration service to the scheme's more than 36,000 members, including member processes and communications through its Chesterfield administration centre. Brightwell will also introduce a personalised online member portal, supported by Procentia's IntelliPen administration platform. The appointment follows Brightwell's takeover of administration services for the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme in January 2025. Brightwell CEO, Morten Nilsson, said the appointment demonstrated the benefits of a partnership-based approach to pension administration, with a focus on delivering high-quality member experiences efficiently. Coal Pension Trustees co-CEO, John Dunn, welcomed the appointment, highlighting the successful partnership established through the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme. BCSSS trustee chair, Cheryl Agius, added: "The trustees selected Brightwell following a process that focused on quality of member service and finding an organisation that shared our values. We want our members to receive the best possible service tailored to their needs, and Brightwell showed us that they could deliver this."

Invesco has been awarded two new equity mandates worth approximately £2.5bn by Standard Life, expanding the asset manager's existing investment partnership with the provider.

The appointments comprise a £2bn global equity mandate, managed by Invesco's Active Fundamental Equity team, and a £500m US equity mandate, managed by its Quantitative Strategies team. The new mandates build on an existing relationship under which Invesco already manages more than £6bn in UK equities on behalf of Standard Life. Invesco co-head of investments, Stephanie Butcher, said the appointments reflected Standard Life's confidence in the firm's investment capabilities and strengthened the longstanding relationship between the two organisations. Invesco head of UK insurance distribution, Joe Steidl, added that large institutional investors were increasingly seeking strategic partners that could provide complementary investment capabilities through a single relationship. Standard Life head of Policyholder Investment Office, Thomas Davies, also commented: "Our priority is to deliver strong long-term outcomes for our customers and ensure their savings are invested in a way that supports their future financial security. These new mandates give our customers access to Invesco's global investment expertise across both active fundamental and quantitative strategies, while building on a long-standing partnership that has delivered strong investment outcomes."

Penfold has launched its Better Pension Badge, a new accreditation that recognises employers going beyond minimum automatic enrolment (AE) requirements to support employees' retirement savings.

The accreditation assesses employers across five areas: employer contributions, pension design, salary sacrifice, pension education and ongoing support. Four levels of recognition are available - Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum - reflecting increasing levels of commitment to employees' financial wellbeing. The accreditation is free for existing Penfold employers, with assessments reviewed annually. Eight employers have received the first accreditations, with Cazoo and Datatonic achieving Platinum status, AmberWolf, Employment Conditions Abroad and Uncommon receiving Gold, KnowBe4 achieving Silver, and Entrepreneurs First and Paddle receiving Bronze. Penfold explained that the initiative aims to make high-quality workplace pension offerings more visible to employees and prospective recruits, while giving businesses a benchmark to assess and improve their pension provision.

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