FRA gives ins. funds more investment options: The Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) has amended the rules governing private ins. funds and the caps on their investments in a move aimed at helping them diversify their investment portfolios, according to a statement.

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Good news for defined benefit funds: The decision allows private ins. funds that operate defined benefit pension plans to invest up to 10% of their total assets in metal-related funds or instruments traded on the EGX, provided the invested amount doesn’t exceed 5% of the ins. fund’s total assets per investment fund. Additionally, defined benefits ins. funds can invest between 5-20% of their total assets in open-ended funds, provided their investments are under 15% of the equity fund’s total assets, while up to 5% of assets can be allocated to venture capital and private equity funds.

What about funds that exceed the new investment limits? Private ins. funds that have already exceeded the maximum investment threshold won’t have to divest their investments to comply with the new limits, but they won’t be allowed to make any further investments.

Limits on uninvested cash: The new rules set a limit on uninvested cash balances for all private ins. funds, capping them at 5% of total assets. They will have a 30-day grace period, provided valid reason — such as pending payouts or reinvestment plans.

More flexibility for defined-contribution funds: The rules also give the boards of defined-contribution ins. funds the autonomy to craft and approve investment policies directly or delegate this role to contracted investment managers. These policies must be pre-approved by the FRA and tailored to contributors’ preferences, including risk tolerance and expected subscription periods.

SOUND SMART- A defined benefit fund guarantees participants a fixed payout upon retirement, typically based on salary history and years of service, with employers footing the bill and carrying the investment risk. Defined contributions plans, meanwhile, shift the responsibility to participants, who contribute to individual accounts and bear the investment risk. Employers may chip in a set amount, but the final payout depends on how well the investments perform.

Tightening oversight and boosting transparency: Under the new regulations, private ins. funds will need to submit quarterly investment reports to the FRA, detailing their assets, bank deposits, securities held by custodians, and other investment activities. Funds will also need to adopt digital platforms that allow members to track their investments in real time.

What’s next? Private ins. funds have six months to comply with the new regulations.

The business community welcomed the new amendments: The decision “enhances the diversification of private ins. funds' investments, reducing the risks of focusing solely on fixed-income instruments, and allows the market to align with global trends in pension fund investments, which reached around 42% in 2023,“ said Beltone Holding’s CEO of Markets Division Khalil Elbawab.

The move is expected to attract long-term institutional investments into the EGX, providing private ins. funds with higher long-term returns to better meet their obligations to members, according to Elbawab. The Egyptian Investment Management Association echoed the same sentiment.

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