A tale of two pension fund industries: comparative perspectives from Switzerland

Kennisbank •
Olivier Felix CFA, Theodora Aldenhoff FIA CERA

To everyone who has ever walked the strenuous "Dutch Mountain Trail" in Zuid-Limburg with its glorious Seven Summits it is obvious, that the Netherlands and Switzerland entail striking similarities.

A tale of two pension fund industries: comparative perspectives from Switzerland

In fact, both have a 3-pillar pension system with a state pension as the first pillar, a second pillar consisting of pension funds accruing employee and employer contributions, and lastly as a third pillar voluntary individual income provision.


While the Dutch pension system is going through a monumental shift, it can be useful to take a step back and compare notes on challenges and solutions in a similar market, namely the Swiss occupational pension fund market. This market is exploring risk management strategies that may be relevant to the Netherlands as it transitions from a defined benefit to a defined contribution fund industry.

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