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The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has launched a tool to help financial supervisors, asset managers and financial institutions evaluate the net-zero transition plans of the companies they invest in. Backed by artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the new tool will help investors assess whether companies’ transition plans have science-based targets and a credible pathway … Read more
Further criticism has been levelled at the UK government after regulators approved planning for the Rosebank oilfield, the largest untapped oil field in the North Sea. Owners Equinor and Ithaca Energy were given development and production approval for the site, which could yield up to 300 million barrels of oil, despite widespread criticism due to … Read more
The Criterion Institute has released standards of practice in order to address the “quality of implementation” in gender lens investing. In a report laying out the standards, the financial think tank said that although progress is already being made to support investors to articulate and track impact metrics, more is needed to identify new ways … Read more
Global investor initiative Nature Action 100 has begun engagement with 100 companies worth more than $9trn in market capital, calling on them to meet six expectations related to protecting nature. The initiative, which launched at COP15 last year, comprises 190 institutional investors representing $23.6trn in assets under management or advice. Signatories include AXA Investment Managers, … Read more
Collaborating with our adviser client community over the years, we realised an especially important need. While available sustainable investment solutions were gaining in sophistication, differentiation and quality, a tool was missing to assess clients’ preferences against this increasingly diverse set. We also looked at what had happened in the EU, where the Mifid II requirements … Read more
The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has been advised not to weaken rules around corporate governance for UK companies, amid pressure to dilute the rules from businesses that argue they are too onerous. A review of the UK’s Corporate Governance Code is currently being undertaken by the FRC, which sets the code. The Chartered Governance Institute, … Read more
A number of asset managers are stepping back from pushing for change in their investee companies, but clients are challenging them to do better, according to Paul Lee, head of stewardship and sustainable investment strategy at Redington. In this Green Dream video interview, the head of stewardship and sustainable investment strategy described how the firm’s recently launched … Read more
Too often, the measure of a portfolio’s ESG pedigree is based on a single emissions figure that hides further environmental impacts, such as deforestation; governance concerns, such as poor data protection; and social implications, such as human rights violations. In the world of renewable energy, we are now seeing the emergence of a number of … Read more
Proposals to boost diversity and inclusion in financial services to support healthy work cultures, reduce groupthink and unlock talent have been included in a consultation paper released by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA). The proposed rules aim to see increased diversity and inclusion in firms translate into better internal governance, … Read more
Statements about DWS’ controls for incorporating ESG factors into research and investment recommendations for ESG integrated products were ‘materially misleading’, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), resulting in a $19m fine for the firm. An investigation by the SEC found that DWS marketed itself as a ‘leader’ in ESG that adhered to specific … Read more