Transamerica Celebrates 25 Years in Pooled Plans, Builds on a Legacy of Expanding Retirement Access

A quarter century after entering the pooled plan market, Transamerica is turning strong momentum into new opportunities to help employers and retirement savers

BALTIMORE, Oct. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Transamerica is marking 25 years of helping employers expand access to workplace retirement benefits through pooled plan solutions, a milestone that underscores the company's longstanding commitment to creating more opportunities for Americans to prepare for their future amid evolving retirement needs.

As pooled plan solutions become a popular and important option for employers seeking to offer retirement benefits, Transamerica is increasing its investment in the people, resources and capabilities that support its pooled plan business, strengthening the specialized support available to advisors, employers and distribution partners.

The company's 25 years of experience in pooled plans builds on a broader retirement business that has served employers and retirement plan participants for decades.

"Over the past 25 years, we've learned that the best pooled plan solutions are built around the needs of employers and the challenges they face," said Darren Zino, Head of Retirement Distribution at Transamerica. "In that time, we've built the resources, support and insights needed to help employers navigate the complexities of offering retirement benefits with confidence. We're carrying our experience forward through innovation and new ways to support employers as they navigate retirement plan complexity, making it easier for more employers to offer workplace retirement benefits and helping more Americans save for the future."

Experience Built to Meet Employers' Needs

Workplace retirement plans remain one of the most important ways Americans save for the future, yet many employers continue to face administrative, fiduciary and operational barriers to offering them. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 41% of private-sector employees at businesses with fewer than 100 employees lack access to retirement benefits.¹ Pooled retirement plans can help address that gap by reducing many of the complexities associated with providing a workplace retirement plan.

For 25 years, Transamerica has enhanced its pooled retirement capabilities by listening to employers and their participants, collaborating across the retirement ecosystem and investing in solutions that respond to changing needs. Its offerings have expanded from Multiple Employer Plans (MEPs), Group Plan Solution^SM (GPS) and Retirement Plan Exchange^® structures to Pooled Employer Plans (PEPs) introduced under the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act of 2019, which helped reshape the pooled plan market following years of advocacy by Transamerica and industry peers.

Transamerica's pooled plan capabilities are supported by dedicated professionals across client engagement, fiduciary services, legal, marketing, operations, product, recordkeeping, and sales. The company also works with third-party administrators, advisors, fiduciaries and other retirement industry partners to understand the needs of employers and other stakeholders.

This experience and collaboration are reflected in the growth of Transamerica's pooled plan business. In PLANSPONSOR's 2026 Recordkeeping Survey, Transamerica ranked No. 1 in PEP adopting employers for the second consecutive year and was among the industry's leading recordkeepers across multiple pooled plan measures, including the most MEP and PEP contracts serviced and the most MEP participants serviced. The survey also showed that Transamerica achieved the highest year-over-year growth rates in pooled plan assets and participants.²

Over the past five years, Transamerica's pooled plan assets have grown nearly 61%, from $21.3 billion in 2021 to $34.2 billion in 2025, while the number of adopting employers has increased nearly 40%.

Building on Pooled Plan Momentum

To support the growing demand for pooled plans, Transamerica is deepening the integration of pooled plan solutions across its broader retirement business, connecting expertise across product, distribution, operations and client support to better serve employers and retirement plan partners. Under the leadership of Stanley Kim, Director and Pooled Plan Practice Leader at Transamerica, these efforts build on the company's existing capabilities and 25 years of experience in the market.

"Pooled plans can help simplify many of the challenges that come with offering a retirement plan, making them an important option for employers looking to provide retirement benefits," said Kim. "As demand for these solutions continues to grow, we're working alongside advisors, TPAs and other retirement plan partners to strengthen the support available to employers and expand access to retirement savings for more workers."

Employer demand underscores the opportunity ahead. According to 2026 research from the nonprofit Transamerica Institute, nearly half (48%) of employers that do not currently sponsor a standalone retirement plan say they would consider joining a PEP, MEP or defined contribution group as an alternative.³

To help broaden understanding of pooled plan solutions among employers and advisors, Transamerica is also highlighting these offerings through a new advertising campaign focused on the role pooled plans can play in expanding access to workplace retirement benefits. Additional information about Transamerica's pooled plan offerings is available on its pooled plans webpage.

As retirement needs evolve, Transamerica is combining its 25 years of pooled plan experience with new insights and innovation to help more employers offer workplace retirement benefits and expand access to retirement savings for more Americans.

¹ Employee Benefits in the United States, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, September 2025
² 2026 Recordkeeping Survey, PLANSPONSOR, July 2026
³ Employers, Workers, and the New World of Work, Transamerica Institute, May 2026. Transamerica Institute is a nonprofit, private operating foundation.

About Transamerica
Transamerica believes everyone deserves the opportunity to live their best life. It's what inspires us to be a champion for helping everyday Americans thrive. As a leading provider of life insurance, retirement, and investment solutions for more than 10 million Americans, we help people make the most of what's important to them.

Supporting our customers' financial futures with innovative products and services has been our mission for more than 120 years. In 2025, Transamerica fulfilled its promises to customers, paying more than $52.6 billion in insurance, retirement, and annuity claims and benefits, including return of customer-paid annuity premiums.

Transamerica is part of the Aegon group of companies. Aegon is an international financial services holding company.

For more information, visit www.transamerica.com.

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SOURCE Transamerica