Resources dedicated to the stewardship of investment capital should double as a proportion of total investment resources at industry level, according to a report from the Thinking Ahead Institute (TAI). Commissioned by the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), the report – Putting resources where stewardship ambitions are – shows the industry average stewardship resourcing level is currently around … Read more
In recent years, the global investment landscape has witnessed a transformative shift as investors increasingly recognise the value of incorporating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) principles into their investment and recruitment strategies. No longer merely a moral obligation, DEI has emerged as a powerful force driving financial performance, risk management and investor demand. The case … Read more
A group of 24 investors worth $1.24trn in assets under management (AUM) – including NEST, Rathbones Group and the Church of England Pensions Board – have called on Barclays to clean up their act on fracking and close the loopholes in their energy policy that still allows them to provide significant funding for the controversial … Read more
Mainstreet Partners and Allfunds have launched a sustainable portfolio construction tool designed to deliver comprehensive data insights for asset managers and wealth managers in line with the frameworks of the European Union’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR). The Sustainability Navigator has two main functions; first, it gives the user the option to upload existing portfolios … Read more
In March, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted rules to enhance and standardise climate-related disclosures. But, despite watering the rules down from the original proposal – including dropping a clause that required registrants to report their Scope 3 emissions – the Commission now faces multiple lawsuits, both from conservatives who see the rules … Read more
The rise of green taxonomies, particularly the ambitious framework laid out by the European Union, has been a watershed moment in the fight against climate change, writes Eleanor Fraser-Smith (pictured), head of sustainability, Victory Hill Capital Partners. These classifications aim to establish clear and robust criteria for what constitutes a “green” investment, helping to combat … Read more
The International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) has published the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Taxonomy (ISSB Taxonomy), enabling investors and other capital providers to analyse sustainability-related financial disclosures efficiently. The Taxonomy has been developed to help support dialogue between companies and investors. Informed by market feedback, the Taxonomy enables companies to consistently tag information prepared using ISSB Standards. But, crucially, … Read more
Sustainable funds attracted $900m (£718.6m) globally in net inflows in the first three months of 2024, following restated outflows of $88m in the last quarter of 2023, according to Morningstar’s Global Sustainable Fund Flows report. While overall flows for sustainable funds were positive, in the US, flows retracted by $8.8bn, which Morningstar reported was its ‘worst-ever’ … Read more
Excluding China, Asia ex-Japan recorded net inflows of roughly $622m in the first quarter of 2024, down from $1.7bn registered in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to report by Morningstar. However, China-domiciled sustainable funds experienced their third consecutive quarter of outflows, totalling $367m. As in the previous quarter, the withdrawals were dominated mostly by … Read more
Asia Pacific’s (APAC) economies are vulnerable to nature-related risks, including biodiversity loss, pollution and fresh water availability, according to the Asia Investor Group on Climate Change (AIGCC) and PwC. Research carried out by the organisations revealed 53% – around $18trn (£14.5trn) – of APAC’s Gross Value Add (GVA) is in sectors that are moderately or highly directly … Read more