Chancellor announces plan to help pension funds' investments

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced a £320m plan to drive innovation and unlock the first tranche of investment under the Mansion House Reforms, including measures to build on the Venture Capital Investment Compact and further strengthen the UK’s venture capital industry.

The plans include new investment vehicles tailored to the needs of pension schemes and a new Growth Fund, to be established within the British Business Bank, which will give pension schemes access to new investment opportunities.

Mr Hunt said: “Innovation is the key to our future success as a nation and it's vital that we do all we can to help companies start, scale and grow in the UK. Tomorrow’s Autumn Statement will be a huge step towards delivering our Mansion House Reforms and unleashing the full potential of our pensions industry.” 

In addition, a further 50 companies have signed up to the Venture Capital Investment Compact, which was launched by the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA) in October 2023 with the aim of unlocking greater DC pension investment in high-growth companies. 

The Association’s initiative builds on the Mansion House Compact which is a voluntary agreement between nine of the UK’s largest DC pension fund providers committing an allocation of at least 5 per cent of their default funds to unlisted equities by 2030.

This latest expansion to the BVCA vehicle brings the number of capital and equity firms involved to 70.

The Association emphasised that the support of the government and regulators will be essential in enabling the unlocking of capital to achieve enhanced returns for pension savers. The Association is urging the Chancellor to encourage consolidation of the pensions sector into fewer, larger schemes to better facilitate the increase of pension investment into UK businesses.