Belgian pension funds performed well last year. The total balance sheet increased by 13 percent to 45.8 billion euros, according to the annual overview of the financial regulator FSMA.
The funds are recovering from a dip in 2022, when the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis had an impact. The balance sheet total is not yet at the level of 2021, when the pension funds reached a record 47.1 billion euros.
Belgian pension funds invested directly and indirectly 49 percent in bonds and 41 percent in shares. The return on all investments at the end of 2023 was 8.9 percent, the FSMA reports.
The coverage ratio, which indicates how many resources a pension fund has to meet all its obligations, has increased from 113 to 119 percent. This therefore concerns a buffer of 19 percent.
The FSMA supervises 150 pension funds to which more than 2.5 million Belgians are affiliated. The number of participants increased by more than 4 percent.