Biodiversity has fallen out of the World Economic Forum’s top 10 most pressing risks list for the next two years, as campaigners warn of a “lack of urgency” about biodiversity decline and ecosystem collapse. Biodiversity loss is starting to receive attention on a global scale, however financial think tank Planet Tracker’s latest report has criticised … Read more
It may be too early to have biodiversity-focused funds as there aren’t yet enough companies dedicated to pure solutions in this area, according to Daniel Wild, chief sustainability officer at Swiss private bank J. Safra Sarasin. Biodiversity products can end up looking very similar in terms of holdings to climate or ESG funds, he said, … Read more
J.P. Morgan Asset Management has launched a green social sustainable fixed income strategy in line with the International Capital Markets Association (ICMA) principles. The strategy is available as a Sicav – the Green Social Sustainable Bond Fund – and an ETF – the Green Social Sustainable Bond Ucits ETF. Where green bonds typically have longer … Read more
Aptimus Capital Partners is the new name for European private market investment firm Be-Spoke Capital. Announcing the name change, the Spanish firm stated it is currently looking for opportunities in Europe to deliver strategies incorporating impact and sustainable investment principles. Aptimus focuses exclusively on investing in businesses aligned to core Sustainable Development Goals, and supported … Read more
It’s happening again. Forest carbon credits are being publicly criticized as a source of corporate greenwashing, sparking fierce debate. While careful scrutiny of carbon credits is necessary, the jump to blanket criticisms risks distracting us from several key points: the important role of forests in mitigating climate change and what’s actually being done by companies … Read more
LeapFrog Investments has expanded its climate investment strategy team with three hires in Asia. Saurabh Bajaj joins LeapFrog as director of investments, climate in Southeast Asia working on food-related investments globally, and will be based in Singapore. He brings more than 10 years of experience in food systems and agriculture, having joined from Proterra Investment … Read more
Impact investing and ESG is of increasing interest to private clients in the Middle East and “experiencing significant growth”, according to financial services provider Ocorian. The firm said that this is due to the region undergoing a generational shift. However, this is causing a ‘generation gap’ between family members, with next-generation private clients leading this … Read more
It is not controversial to suggest that it may be a more favourable moment for value stocks. After a decade where low interest rates have flattered growth stocks, their value counterparts have outpaced them by around 14% over the past 12 months. However, less widely discussed is the extent to which this may dent ESG … Read more
It’s lonely at the top with the buck always stopping with a single, strong leader who carries the very heavy and constant burden of difficult decision making. This is, of course, the de facto approach to leadership. A CEO steering the direction, culture, decision making of an organisation. Governance norms now provide for the c-suite … Read more
The Principles for Responsible Investment’s (PRI) stewardship team has issued a series of recommendations to shareholders to up the ante on corporates amid concerns companies are not following through with approved shareholder proposals. The team carried out research analysing 78 majority-supported shareholder proposals from the 2022 proxy season that focused on ESG issues or improving … Read more