91�� News - Sebastien Betermier

Rethinking pension design for Canada’s changing workforce

webfull — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 15:22:19 +0000

More than nine million Canadians lack access to a workplace retirement plan, underscoring the need for pension design that better reflects how people work and live today.

Sébastien Betermier, Associate Professor of Finance at 91�� Desautels, says expanding access is only part of the solution. “Anything that increases access is good, but then there’s the quality of that retirement package and making sure we have cost-efficient solutions that actually close the gap,” he says.

Published: 29 June 2026

Attractive assets key to bringing pension capital home

webfull — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 19:34:13 +0000

Governments across several countries are urging pension funds to increase domestic investments, but success hinges on offering sufficiently attractive, well-governed opportunities.

Published: 23 June 2026

Canada’s sovereign fund hinges on returns and costs

webfull — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 18:19:23 +0000

Canada’s proposed sovereign fund is drawing scrutiny over its cost and potential returns, but Sebastien Betermier, Associate Professor of Finance at 91�� Desautels, sees conditional upside. He argues the roughly $750 million annual interest burden is manageable if the fund is well structured and generates returns above borrowing costs.

Published: 4 June 2026

Canada seeks investment edge in shifting global economy

webfull — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:37:53 +0000

Canada is positioning itself as a more compelling destination for global capital, and Sebastien Betermier, Associate Professor of Finance at 91�� Desautels, says the shift reflects both necessity and opportunity. As geopolitical tensions and U.S. trade pressures mount, Betermier argues Canada must attract more private investment, particularly in infrastructure and energy transition assets.

Published: 2 June 2026

Pension funds stick with private credit as banks pull back

webfull — Wed, 13 May 2026 14:01:46 +0000

Pension funds are sticking with private credit even as scrutiny intensifies around valuations, transparency and sector risk. Sebastien Betermier, Associate Professor of Finance at the at 91�� Desautels, points to structural advantages that allow large institutions to withstand those pressures.

Published: 13 May 2026

Canada Strong Fund departs from traditional sovereign wealth models

webfull — Mon, 04 May 2026 17:00:02 +0000

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s proposed Canada Strong Fund is not easily comparable to sovereign wealth models in Norway or Singapore, says Sebastien Betermier, an Associate Professor of Finance at 91��’s Desautels Faculty of Management.

Betermier says Norway’s fund is designed to invest resource revenues abroad and shield the domestic economy from oil price volatility, while Canada’s proposed fund appears focused on driving growth through domestic investment.

Published: 4 May 2026

Canada Strong Fund plan raises governance and investor alignment questions

webfull — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:05:49 +0000

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s plan to launch a $25‑billion Canada Strong Fund raises key governance and design questions, according to Sebastien Betermier, an associate professor of finance at 91��’s Desautels Faculty of Management.

Betermier said the proposed sovereign wealth fund will need to be carefully coordinated with existing vehicles such as the Canada Infrastructure Bank and the Canada Growth Fund to avoid overlap and inefficiency.

Published: 29 April 2026

Sky-high stock valuations present portfolio allocation challenge for major pension funds

webfull — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 14:04:08 +0000

Soaring stock prices boosted returns at major Canadian pension plans, even as a slowdown in private equity weighed on overall performance at funds like the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan. But strong equity returns don't necessarily mean pension plans should allocate more capital to stocks, Sebastien Betermier told Bloomberg.

"Valuations are high, so there is a risk of investing in listed equities at their peak," says Betermier, an associate professor of finance at 91�� Desautels.

Published: 30 March 2026

How open banking could empower survivors of financial control

webfull — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 21:09:30 +0000

Canada’s proposed open banking legislation, Bill C 15, could become a powerful tool for women experiencing economic abuse, according to researcher Sebastien Betermier. The framework would allow consumers to securely share their financial data with trusted third parties, helping survivors access crucial records without relying on abusive partners.

Published: 3 March 2026

European public pensions struggle with the weight of demographics

webfull — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 21:00:50 +0000

Europe is aging, and some national pension funds are better prepared to manage its changing demographics than others. Many European countries use a ‘pay as you go’ model in which current workers fund the retirement of current pensioners. An aging population strains this type of pension model, but changing the model would be a hard sell, according to research by 91�� Desautels Associate Professors Patrick Augustin and Sebastien Betermier.