In April 2006, Hibernian published a report called “The Global Pensions Puzzle”, which examined the Irish pensions industry in an international context. It compared the situation in Ireland with conditions in France, the USA and the UK, and reviewed initiatives under way in countries such as New Zealand, Sweden, Chile and Australia.

The purpose of the report was to add to the debate around financial planning for retirement. The challenges that Ireland faces are not unique, nor are they as extensive as in some other developed economies. We believe that solutions from other countries such as those examined in the report deserve to be investigated further, as they could be adapted for use in many European countries.