2026 DC Plan Summit: reimagining workplace retirement and financial resilience for gen Z. As generation Z's behaviours, motivators and stressors evolve in real time, a joint research project from Canada Life and Deloitte Canada is aiming to help bridge the gap between prudent financial planning and the generation's legitimate concerns around long-term systemic risks. Speaking during a session at Benefits Canada's 2026 Defined Contribution Plan Summit, Kate Nazar (pictured right), vice-president of workplace retirement at Canada Life, highlighted some realities about gen Z - those born between 1997 and 2012. For example, they aren't experiencing the same baseline of well-being as previous generations; they're impacted by constant global instability; they're facing growing unemployment, higher cost of living and unaffordable housing; and they're in debt as they try to keep up with the cost of participation in modern life. "That's why, over the course of the last six months, we pushed beyond observation into original investigation, capturing fresh data, lived experiences and behavioural signals that reveal how gen Zs are actually feeling." The research asked 2,000 Canadian respondents for their perception on the impact of existential risk. "That's catastrophe," said Kelly Peters (pictured left), a partner and global behavioural economics leader at Deloitte Canada, during the session. "That's wiping out the human species because of climate change and geopolitical instability." Across all respondents, 11 per cent believed the timeline for this event will be before they retire, while one in five said it will happen within the next 100 years. Looking at financial behaviour, said Peters, demand for long-term financial savings products would go down about 16 per cent. However, the research created a product called the Doomsday Resilience Fund, with eight per cent of respondents saying they'd put some money into that for their retirement. The research offers an opportunity to talk about resilience, said Peters, not just individually, but as a society, which creates a foundation for hope. "It means... connecting the dots between people having that anxiety and engaging them in the solution - that long-term retirement savings is not just investment in your retirement, but an investment in the future." This lays the groundwork for focusing on three areas for gen Z, said Nazar, including getting them started, building their trust and turning their worries. "We're completing focus groups as we speak," she added, noting this feedback, along with the research results and behavioural economics, will be used to create a gen Z toolkit for the pension industry to use. "This is our calling - to turn what we've learned here into real impact and to stand beside a generation that needs our leadership as they build the financial and emotional resilience to thrive in an unpredictable future."

Blue Cross Life acquiring StanCorp Financial's Canadian voluntary benefits business. * By: Staff * March 25, 2026 * 15:00 Blue Cross Life Insurance Co. of Canada is acquiring StanCorp Financial Group Inc.'s Canadian voluntary benefits business. The business provides critical illness insurance and accident insurance products in Canada and covers roughly 170,000 employees. The deal is expected to close this year pending regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. "We're getting scale, distribution, relationships and additional product capabilities," says Tim Mawhinney president and chief executive officer at Blue Cross Life. "It's very complementary from a strategic perspective - there's a lot of employer demand and broker interest in the market."

Aegon launches new offshore bond partnership with Standard Life. Aegon's new partnership with Standard Life creates a trio of offshore bond partnerships, alongside Canada Life and Utmost Aegon has launched a new offshore bond partnership with Standard Life to give advisers more options to support clients with tax-efficient and long-term planning solutions. The provider has also launched a new Junior ISA, it revealed today. Aegon's new partnership with Standard Life creates a trio of offshore bond partnerships, alongside Canada Life and Utmost. International Adviser - International recently reported a resurgence in interest in offshore bonds ahead of tax rule changes in the UK. The new Junior ISA allows parents or legal guardians to invest up to £9,000 per tax year on behalf of a child, with no annual platform charge applied until age 18. It follows the launch of Aegon's Junior SIPP. In addition, Aegon has made it easier for advisers to move client money efficiently between accounts, including improvements to GIA to ISA transfers and the set-up of regular contributions for the next tax year, designed to support smoother, more straightforward planning beyond tax year end. Ronnie Taylor, chief distribution officer at Aegon, said: "International Adviser - International start 2026 as International Adviser - International finished 2025, focused on delivering for advisers and supporting them through one of the busiest periods in the financial planning calendar. Continued investment in its proposition, processes and digital journeys means advisers can complete key tasks more easily - from ISA top-ups and SIPP contributions to existing GIA to ISA transfers. "As regulatory and economic conditions continue to evolve, advisers need practical solutions that help them make tax-efficient decisions for clients with confidence. By expanding our proposition with new options such as the Junior ISA and offshore bond, alongside ongoing simplification across the platform, we're making it easier for advisers to meet client needs with less complexity."