A study by Rauser Towers Perrin suggests that nearly half of all large German firms plan to implement some kind of cross-border pension scheme when new European pension legislation comes into effect from 2010.

Some 85% of the 71 companies surveyed by RTP said that more efficient portfolio management would be the most important benefit arising from the scheme, Investment and Pensions Europe (IPE) reports.

Another major driver of the adoption of cross-border pensions would be the ability to manage operational risk better, the survey also found.

We found this statistic to be the most surprising of all, commented Reiner Schwinger, co-author of the study, cited by IPE.

Many of these companies also said Germany would be the place where they would create the schemes, so this is a good thing for the financial center of Germany.