The assets of the nine Bulgarian private pension funds had increased by 56.7 per cent year-on-year, to 2.16 billion leva, as of the end of September 2007, according to data of the state Financial Supervision Commission, IntelliNews agency reported.

The stock of savings accumulated in private pension funds rose by 16.8 per cent on a quarterly basis and accounted for 4 per cent of the full-year GDP projection, IntelliNews said. More than 60 per cent of the increase in the third quarter of 2007 was fuelled by stock price changes. More than 37.4 per cent of all investments of the funds were allocated to corporate stocks as of the end of September 2007.

The number of insured people reached 3.35 million people, 7.1 per cent more than a year before.

Doverie and Allianz Bulgaria were the two largest pension companies, controlling about 63 per cent of the market, Dnevnik daily reported. Doverie insures over 36 per cent of those insured by pension funds, while Allianz Bulgaria controlled 24 per cent.

According to Dnevnik daily the bigger part of those insured by pension funds were men. More men than women were insured by professional and voluntary funds as well. At a conference for the equal rights of men and women held in early November, representatives of the Labour and Social Policy Ministry announced that women's salaries were 24 per cent lower than men's.