Video Transcript:

Over the past decade, the U.S. pension risk transfer market has undergone a remarkable transformation.

Since 2015, annual transaction volumes have grown from under $14 billion to nearly $52 billion.

And with over $3 trillion in private sector defined benefit assets yet to be de-risked, the market could reach $100 billion by 2030.

For our 2025 poll, MetLife surveyed 231 defined benefit plan sponsors with de-risking goals.

The findings reveal a market that is active, sophisticated and increasingly action oriented.

The commitment to de-risk remains strong.

94% of companies with de-risking goals plan to completely divest their pension liabilities and the same percentage say their plans are garnering significant attention from corporate management due to the financial volatility created by these obligations.

Sponsors are preparing for action.

Over the last decade, plan sponsors have evolved from exploratory to action oriented steps.

Today, improving participant data quality tops the list of preparations - a critical foundation for efficient risk transfer execution.

The timeline is accelerating.

86% of plan sponsors plan to act within five years, with 95% of them considering a pension risk transfer to an insurer.

Market volatility remains the top catalyst driving action.

Annuity buyouts are the preferred solution.

Today, nearly 8 in 10 plan sponsors say they'll use an annuity buyout to achieve their de-risking goals, up significantly from just 46% in 2015.

These insights signal a new era of strategic pension stewardship, one where plan sponsors are taking decisive action to secure the retirement promises they've made.