Pension Pulse

CPP Investments recently posted a letter to Canadians from John Graham, President & CEO, on the state of the Fund: In April, my first Letter to Canadians appeared on our website. Having just been appointed CEO, I spoke about my background and leadership approach. I want to turn now to the state of the CPP Fund and current trends of common interest to Canadians, as well as to share updates on our strategies and actions to mitigate risks and seize opportunities arising from these trends. “The only constant in life is change.” This phrase, attributed to a Greek philosopher, is as true today as it was 2500 years ago. After the challenges of the past two years, Canadians can find themselves wishing that 2022 brings a steadier, calmer state of affairs. Heat domes, extreme drought and atmospheric rivers have now become part of our vocabulary. Price hikes are causing shockwaves in shopping aisles. Many young Canadians are understandably worried about being able to afford their...

A month ago, David Carroll of Pv Magazine reported that Spark Infrastructure's $5.2 billion takeover secures foreign investment approval: Spark Infrastructure has announced that the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) has approved the $5.2 billion takeover of the power grid operator by a consortium led by United States-based global investment company Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP). The consortium, jointly owned by entities linked to KKR, OTPP and Canada’s PSP Investments, will take control of the network operator on December 22 if the New South Wales Supreme Court approves the scheme in the mandatory second hearing required for the takeover deal. The hearing is scheduled for tomorrow (26 November) and already the process to delist Spark Infrastructure from the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) has begun with the S&P Dow Jones Indices announcing on Wednesday that subject to final court approval of the buyout, i...

In a flurry of year-end deals, CDPQ is going long innovation. First, today, AppDirect and CDPQ partner to launch AppDirect Capital:  AppDirect®, the leading subscription commerce platform company, and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) 1 , a global investment group, today announced an investment of USD   80   million (CAD   100   million) to launch AppDirect Capital, which offers a set of innovative funding programs dedicated to the growth and transformation of channel partners. CDPQ’s investment will accelerate AppDirect Capital’s AppSmart Invest program, previously launched this year, which provides flexible capital for technology partners to transform or scale their business with AppSmart, as well as other forthcoming financial products. AppSmart, a division of AppDirect, is exclusively dedicated to helping channel partners and technology advisors start and scale their recurring revenue businesses. Technology partners who participate in...