HONG KONG - Government plans to provide an extra HK$24bn ($3.1bn) for Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) members may miss an important opportunity to stimulate retirement savings, Mercer believes.

NETHERLANDS - André van den Heuvel, managing director for BlackRock's Benelux operations, is to join the Board of ING Investment Management (ING IM).

US - A third party administrator has pleaded guilty to defrauding $1m from 12 pension plans after being investigated by the Department of Labor.

CZECH REPUBLIC - Czech pension-overhaul plans are positive for stocks, bonds and the koruna and may help the country win a higher credit rating, Nomura International said.

GLOBAL - Investor confidence dropped to 91.6 in February, falling 9.2 points from January's revised reading of 100.8, State Street research shows.

NETHERLANDS - The Dutch pension fund Stichting Pensioenfonds Werk en (re) Integratie (PWrI) has terminated its pensions management mandate with Syntrus Achmea and awarded it to APG with effect from 1 January 2012.

Former National Association of Pension Funds chairman Robin Ellison has joined the executive advisory board of investment data firm SRL Global.

UK - Former National Association of Pension Funds chairman Robin Ellison has joined the executive advisory board of investment data firm SRL Global.

US - The New York State Common Retirement Fund returned 6% in the third quarter of the fiscal year on the back of strong equity performance.

NETHERLANDS - Anton van Nunen, the man credited as being the father of fiduciary management, has been appointed as director of strategic pension management at the Dutch insurance group Syntrus Achmea.