Belgium

BELGIUM - The demand for Liability Driven Investments (LDI) is unlikely to pick up in Belgium given its unsuitability to local pension funds, industry players have agreed.

BENELUX - BlackRock Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (BlackRock MLIM) has appointed Mark Schipper as marketing manager for the Benelux region.

BELGIUM - Fortis Investments' assets under management (AuM) are up 10% from December 2005, totalling €116bn at the end of the third quarter.

BELGIUM - Pension funds managed by Degroof Institutional Asset Management (DiAM) have delivered a median net performance of 4.4% since the beginning of the year.

BELGIUM - The e950m Amonis pension fund for doctors, dentists and pharmacists has made a maiden foray into hedge funds, appointing Key Asset Management to a $44m fund of hedge fund portfolio.

BELGIUM - A national survey on the performance of pension funds has confirmed previous estimates of a 15% return on investments for 2005.

BELGIUM - Belgium's traditional class distinction between blue and white collar workers could spell problems for occupational pensions, according to the president of the Belgian Pension Commission.

BELGIUM - Self-employed "independent" workers in Belgium who currently rely on four main insurance companies for their pensions, could be better served following a new alliance described as an industry evolution.

BELGIUM - The e871m KBC Bank pension fund has reduced its exposure to equities and increased its weighting in fixed income and real estate in a bid to reduce volatility on the company balance sheet.

BELGIUM - The Belgian Association of Pension Funds (BPFA) has set up a task force of experts to brainstorm ideas as to how Belgium could be established as a hub for pan-European pensions.