Workplace savings and pensions provider Scottish Widows has extended Origo’s Unipass Letter of Authority across its business to cut turnaround times and improve the quality of information.

Former Scottish Widows senior executive Emma Watkins will become UK CEO at Canada Life from 1 September.

Two in five UK workers (43%) are unaware how much they are contributing to their workplace pensions.

Chartered Financial Planner Susan Hope, a business development director at Scottish Widows and a pensions advocate, writes abouthow, as National Insurance changes take effect, salary exchange (also called salary sacrifice), could be a new opportunity for Financial Planners. 

Scottish Widows’ £60bn default workplace pension fund, Pension Investment Approaches (PIA), is to transition to a new default offering with a higher exposure to equities and a shorter de-risking phase.

The cost and complexity of new financial regulations, such as the Consumer Duty, are pushing financial advisers to increase minimum client portfolio size to maintain profitability.

Nearly half (47%) of advisers think it is likely a platform could fail financially in the next three years, according to the latest Scottish Widows Investor Confidence Barometer.