Press Release

Global Retirement Leaders Launch New International Conference to Strengthen Defined Contribution Systems

Issued by SPARK Institute

Sept. 11, 2026

The Global Retirement Futures Exchange will bring leaders from across countries and sectors to Oxford to shape more resilient and inclusive retirement systems.

Leaders from government, pension systems, financial institutions, research organizations, and the retirement innovation ecosystem will convene September 22–24, 2026, in Oxford, UK, for the inaugural Global Retirement Futures Exchange (GRFX). The new international forum is co-hosted by the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program (Aspen FSP), the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA), the Centre for Inclusive Money at Nest, Pensions UK, and SPARK Institute, with support from BlackRock, PGIM, TIAA Nuveen, and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

GRFX will bring together senior decision-makers from multiple countries for candid, cross-border dialogue about the future of defined contribution retirement systems. The convening is part of a multi-year effort to address the most pressing challenges facing retirement savers and chart a future-forward roadmap for retirement systems worldwide.

Retirement systems globally are at an inflection point. Demographic shifts, technological change, evolving labor markets, economic uncertainty, and national growth priorities are placing unprecedented pressure on systems that millions rely on for long-term financial security. While these dynamics play out differently across countries, they raise shared questions about access, adequacy, flexibility, retirement income, and the role of retirement capital in broader economies.

Lew Minsky, President and CEO of DCIIA, said, “DCIIA exists to help the defined contribution system work better for participants, and that requires learning not just across sectors, but across borders. GRFX offers a rare opportunity to engage with global peers, test ideas, and apply insights that can strengthen retirement outcomes for working Americans.”

Will Sandbrook, Managing Director of the Centre for Inclusive Money at Nest, said, “Our work at the Centre for Inclusive Money at Nest consistently points us to the same conclusion: we need to take a holistic view of household finances and the products and services that support the financial security of low- and moderate-income households. Viewing ‘pensions,’ ‘emergency savings,’ and ‘debt’ as unrelated product categories or policy areas doesn’t reflect the realities of people’s lives, especially those dealing with scarcity and financial volatility. We’re excited to learn more through GRFX about how others globally are approaching these issues.”

GRFX is designed as a working exchange—not a traditional conference—focused on discussion, debate, and collaboration rather than presentations. Participants will explore how retirement systems must adapt to remain resilient and inclusive in response to a changing world.

Zoe Alexander, Executive Director of Policy & Advocacy at Pensions UK, said, “Pensions policy does not exist in a vacuum. Many of the pressures facing the UK defined contribution system are global in nature. For more than a century, Pensions UK has worked to improve the pensions landscape for savers. GRFX provides an important opportunity to exchange insights with international counterparts and inform policy development that delivers better outcomes for savers.”

Together, the coalition aims to foster enduring relationships among global leaders, surface practical insights that can inform policy and practice, and begin charting a future-forward roadmap for retirement systems that serve everyone and are fit for the decades ahead. After the event, the host organizations will release a report summarizing major themes and takeaways.

Karen Biddle Andres, Director of Lifelong Saving and Investing at Aspen FSP, said, “At Aspen FSP, we equip leaders with the knowledge and the networks they need to make financial security in America a top national priority. The U.S. retirement system works well for some people, but not at all for far too many—and as people’s financial lives experience new pressures, there is a real need for deep, honest dialogue between leaders from across the globe trying different solutions for the same challenges. The goal of GRFX is to source the best ideas and set them in motion so that discussion leads directly to action.”

Tim Rouse, Executive Director of the SPARK Institute, said, “How a retirement system assigns fiduciary responsibility, and how that duty is carried out in practice, has a direct effect on saver outcomes. GRFX gives leaders a chance to compare fiduciary models across countries and bring home ideas that can make defined contribution systems more resilient, more inclusive, and more trustworthy for the people they serve.”

About the Global Retirement Futures Exchange (GRFX)

The Global Retirement Futures Exchange (GRFX) is a new cross-border forum that brings together the world's leading experts in retirement systems to address the most pressing challenges facing defined contribution retirement savers and systems.

About the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program

The Aspen Institute Financial Security Program’s (Aspen FSP) mission is to illuminate and solve the most critical financial challenges facing American households and to make financial security for all a top national priority. We aim for nothing less than a more inclusive economy with reduced wealth inequality and shared prosperity. We believe that transformational change requires innovation, trust, leadership, and entrepreneurial thinking. Aspen FSP galvanizes a diverse set of leaders across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to solve the most critical financial challenges. We do this through deep, deliberate private and public dialogues and by elevating evidence-based research and solutions that will strengthen the financial health and security of financially vulnerable Americans.​ To learn more, visit AspenFSP.org, join our mailing list at as.pn/subscribe, and follow The Aspen Institute Financial Security Program on LinkedIn.

About the Centre for Inclusive Money at Nest

The Centre for Inclusive Money at Nest (Inclusive Money) is a public benefit research and innovation centre. Its mission is to find what really works in supporting low- and moderate-income households to be financially secure, both today and into retirement, and to drive transformational change in the system. Inclusive Money is building towards a fairer and more inclusive system of joined-up products and services that meets people where they are, supports their diverse needs and makes it easier for them to achieve good outcomes. Getting this right and improving household financial security can unlock greater individual wellbeing, social participation and economic growth. Inclusive Money was founded by Nest, the workplace pension provider built to give everyday workers somewhere good to save. It works with a wide range of organisations to explore, test and scale new ideas in the real world. For more information visit www.inclusivemoney.org.uk.

About DCIIA

Founded in 2010, the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA) is a nonprofit association that brings together constituents across the financial ecosystem to help America’s workforce save for retirement and achieve broader financial security. DCIIA’s 300+ member organizations include investment managers, consultants and advisors, law firms, recordkeepers, insurance companies, data providers, plan sponsors (through the Plan Sponsor Institute) and others collectively committed to the best interests of America’s workforce. DCIIA also conducts proprietary research and participates in industry collaboration on retirement topics via the DCIIA Retirement Research Center. DCIIA is the association partner of the Journal of Retirement. For more information, visit www.dciia.org.

About Pensions UK

Pensions UK is the voice of pensions in the UK, trusted and heard by government and the pensions industry. For more than 100 years, we’ve delivered influential thought leadership, practical guidance and research for our members; pro-actively solving the sector’s biggest issues and setting the future direction. As a not-for-profit organisation, we exist for the benefit of our members, and to deliver the best possible outcome for savers in the UK, so they can retire in confidence and with dignity. For more information, visit https://www.pensionsuk.org.uk.

About SPARK Institute

The SPARK Institute is a member-driven, nonprofit organization and a leading voice in Washington for the retirement plan industry. SPARK helps shape national retirement policy by developing and advancing positions on issues that affect plan sponsors, participants, advisors, service providers, and investment providers. Its members include recordkeepers, mutual fund companies, brokerage firms, insurance companies, banks, consultants, trade clearing firms, and investment managers. Collectively, SPARK members serve more than 110 million participants in 401(k) and other defined contribution plans. Through advocacy, research, education, and shared operating standards, SPARK works to strengthen retirement security and improve the plan sponsor and participant experience. For more information, visit www.sparkinstitute.org.

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