Aegon AM rebrands high yield bond fund to focus on climate transition

Aegon Asset Management has repositioned its £52m Aegon Short Dated High Yield Global Bond fund to focus on its climate transition investment criteria. The fund has been renamed the Global Short Dated High Yield Climate Transition Fund to represent its new climate transition criteria, and will be categorised as Article 8 under the EU’s Sustainable … Read more

Diversity Project expands Pathway programme as women fund managers share success stories

The Diversity Project Pathway programme, which aims to increase the number of women in fund management roles, has reported that 16 participants from last year’s cohort were promoted to deputy portfolio managers or portfolio manager positions. As a result, the Diversity Project is expanding the programme for 2024 from 60 to 80 participants across 43 … Read more

Over 100 financial firms among early adopters of TNFD recommendations

Financial institutions from across the globe, including Schroders, Robeco, Nomura Asset Management, Mirova, Fidelity International, Federated Hermes and Candriam, are among the early adopters of the Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosures’ (TNFD) reporting recommendations. Announced at the World Economic Forum’s Davos conference, 320 organisations from over 46 countries – including over 100 financial institutions representing … Read more

ESG predictions for 2024: Climate adaptation strategies, transition planning and geospatial expertise

A proliferation of climate adaptation strategies and transitioning planning, alongside an increase in demand for climate tech skills and the integration of financial planning within carbon management platforms, were among the predictions for 2024 by research firm Verdantix. Greater pressure from an increasing amount of regulatory reporting was cited as a primary reason for these … Read more

FCA appoints Godfrey and Dreblow to run sustainable advice working group

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has appointed Daniel Godfrey as chair and Julia Dreblow as vice-chair of a new working group to build capabilities in sustainable finance across the financial advice sector. The Personal Investment Management & Financial Advice Association (PIMFA) will provide the secretariat to the working group. Daniel Godfrey was chief executive of … Read more

Where will ESG product demand be in 2024?

Darius McDermott, managing director, Chelsea Financial Services We’re looking at potentially increasing our exposure to climate strategies. Amid a value rotation triggered by inflation and climbing interest rates, climate strategies have taken a beating, and the financial challenges faced by established renewables companies like Orsted and Siemens Energy have soured sentiment further. However, in the … Read more

‘Significant number’ of boards lack basic sustainability expertise

A review of Fortune 500 European and US companies reveals a “concerning reality” where a “significant number” of boards lack basic sustainability expertise, according to a new report. Competent Boards, which runs ESG education programmes for board directors and business leaders, and the Copenhagen Business School, came to the conclusion having assessed publicly available information … Read more

S&P Global Q&A: Clear frameworks for disclosure needed to progress with SDGs

In the wake of COP28 and the renewed focus on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Richard Mattison, vice chair at S&P Global Sustainable, discusses the difficulties investors have when incorporating SDG metrics into investment portfolios, and looks toward the future to identify how this space will evolve. What are your thoughts on the UN’s … Read more