Rocha, Roberto; Rudolph, Heinz P.
Description:
The rapid growth of the market for
retirement products in Chile has its origins in the pension
reform that was implemented in 1981. But the successful
development of an active annuity market also reflects many
other factors. This paper summarizes and updates an earlier
longer study on the development of the Chilean annuity
market. The update focuses on the numerous changes that were
introduced in 2008. The most striking aspect of the Chilean
experience is the very high rate of annuitization. This has
been linked to the restrictions that have been applied to
lump-sum withdrawals, the offer of inflation-protected
annuities, and the robust prudential regulation of
providers. But the level of annuitization has also been
supported by the annuitization incentives provided to early
retirees and the influence of brokers and sales agents. The
recent regulatory changes have weakened the impact of the
last two factors, while strengthening the demand for
annuities at normal retirement.