​Sweden Launches Sustainability Filters For Private Pension Platform

The Swedish Pensions Agency has introduced functions on its website enabling customers to to choose sustainable investment funds more easily on the country’s Premium Pension System (PPM) fund platform.

Customers using the PPM – the defined contribution section of Sweden’s state pension provision – can filter out funds based on CO2 risk and a range of other activities that investors might not want to support.

Erik Fransson, head of the Swedish Pensions Agency’s funds marketplace, said: “It will now be easier for all savers who want to include sustainability aspects in their fund choices for the premium pension. In this way, we are fulfilling the government assignment to make it easier for the savers who want to make sustainable fund choices.”

The agency introduced new rules for the PPM’s fund marketplace last autumn as part of a larger reform of the system, which is being overhauled following scandals around individual private pension providers. Providers have had to re-apply to continue offering their funds on the platform.

The agency has so far approved 42 funds to be marketed on the platform, including 21 funds from Norwegian pension and investment provider Storebrand and its subsidiary SPP Fonder.

Åsa Wallenberg, chief executive of SPP Fonder said: “The premium pension has had a great influence on the private economic development for the past 20 years and contributed greatly to Sweden having a relatively high level of knowledge about savings and retirement.

“The fact that we have been entrusted to distribute our sustainable funds in the new premium pension fund market is therefore very gratifying.”

Storebrand is the fourth firm to be approved for the PPM platform after AMF was accepted at the beginning of March.

Swedish fund management company Optimized Portfolio Management was the fifth, and most recent, addition to the list of approved firms.