This document analyzes the sustainability of the pension system in Spain within the framework of the welfare state. It highlights that pensions are fundamental for providing economic security and reducing poverty among the retired population. However, it warns about the lack of resources to meet long-term pension obligations, with an aging population and other demographic factors as the main challenges.

This paper underlines that the financial strains of the Spanish pension system are evident, with a constant increase in retired people and pension expenditure over time, while affiliations to Social Security have a more volatile behavior.

The document manifests the direct relationship between demographic changes, such as an aging population, low fertility rate and the precariousness of the pension system. It points out that demographic projections indicate a higher proportion of dependent people compared to active contributors, questioning the system’s ability to maintain adequate benefits.

To address these challenges, the paper proposes rethinking the welfare state and adopting sustainable public policies that promote an equitable distribution of resources and emphasizes the importance of increasing the retirement age, extending working life and linking pensions to life expectancy.

Due to the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya and its Economic and Business Studies, three professors in the field of Finance from the institute perform an analysis of the evolution of the financial function and a projection of future scenarios in order to identify challenges and opportunities. Joan Llobet introduces the topic based on an academic vision that has adapted to the substantial changes that have occurred and which takes on the challenge of facing the changes still to come. On the other hand is the article by Jorge M. Uribe, a compilation of the most important events of the past 25 years in order to understand how the financial field is currently structured. Through his experience, we will see how concrete aspects evolve (valuation of assets, quantitative risk management, etc.) in order to profile what they are like today. Finally, Àngels Fitó describes the current context of the financial field, establishing its conditioning factors and future direction.