Out now: Spark! DC focus: a new dawn for climate investing?
The fourth issue of Spark puts DC investors centre stage, covering key topics from Mansion House reforms and renewable infrastructure to tech-heavy portfolios and bond strategies
The UK institutional market is on the verge of a drastic period of change as DC is taking over a growing slice of the market. Over the past six years, DC assets grew by 40% to a total of £650bn by the end of 2025.
There are good reasons for DC investors to worry about net zero, their average members are younger than 40 and if no action is being taken, much of their pensions could be wiped out due to climate change. This is why the DC market is the focus point of this issue of NZI Spark.
Renewable infrastructure has been identified as key investment opportunity, according to our first DC Investment Survey conducted with Schroders. In our cover story, Atharva Deshmukh investigates if the UK government’s reforms can accelerate DC investments in the transition.
While private markets are an exciting new theme for DC investors, the reality remains that most of their portfolio is invested in listed equities. Hannah Duncan takes a closer look at the growing carbon footprint of tech stocks.
Meanwhile, The People’s Pension’s Charlotte Vincent speaks to Mona Dohle about how £40bn master trust leverages its bond portfolio to tackle climate change.
Also in this issue, Bluefield examines how nature and biodiversity data can feed into investment decision making while Regenerate Asset Management makes the case for regenerative agriculture as the next frontier of natural capital.
Read the fourth issue of Spark! here
In this issue, we explore:
- How the UK's reforms of the DC pension sector will impact investments in the energy transition, by Atharva Deshmukh
- How DC investors grapple with the carbon footprint of their tech-heavy portfolios, by Hannah Duncan
- Charlotte Vincent, co-head fixed income sets out how the People's Pension uses bonds to tackle climate change, by Mona Dohle
- DC Investment Survey highlights: how are DC investors approaching net zero? Schroders & Longview Networks
- Partner | Why renewables are at the forefront of the DC allocation revolution, by Duncan Hale, Schroders Greencoat
- Partner | Regenerative agriculture as the next frontier in nature positive investing, by Nicholas Burlington, Regenerate Asset Management
- Partner | How to turn nature and biodiversity insights into measurable action, by Zara Rourke and Emma Silcocks, Bluefield
NZI Transition Equities Summit | 15 April 2026 | London | Register here
