In this summer series for ESG Clarity, members of the sustainable investment industry tell us how their thinking on this fast-moving industry has adapted over the years and what changes that has led to. Here, Rebecca Kowalski questions whether sustainable finance makes enough difference, admires pension divestment campaigners and discusses ditching the car for Dutch bikes. What … Read more
Lawsuits to block the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) final rule for climate risk disclosures will quickly follow its release, according to analysts at Jefferies. The final rule is expected in October and has attracted much response, with the SEC receiving 15,859 comment letters about its planned push for more data, standardization and disclosure … Read more
Nuveen Investment Management has employed Ted Maa as managing director of private equity impact investment, who will report to Rekha Unnithan, head of private impact investing. Maa has more than 15 years of private equity experience focused on the intersection of energy and climate change mitigation, and will be responsible for identifying, executing and managing … Read more
Banks are feeling the heat – and it’s not just from out-of-control global warming. Customers today are more willing to drop their banks in the pursuit of better products. In the battle for loyalty, banks are on the frontlines of the war for attention. The demand for engaging, digital content has never been higher nor … Read more
On 19 July, Tata Group announced it would be locating its new electric car battery factory in Somerset, with the UK government having seen off a rival proposal in Spain by offering undisclosed incentives to bring the £4bn facility to the UK. The timing of the announcement, the day before voters in Somerset went to … Read more
The significant increase in reporting requirements driven by fund labelling has created substantial challenges for fund managers launching sustainable and impact investing-focused strategies. As such, financial services firms are rethinking the structure and process of their investment, sustainability, risk and compliance teams. The regulatory burden was originally shouldered by the fund managers “intrapreneuring” these new … Read more
On 16 August 2022, the US established the Inflation Reduction Act, providing $500bn in new spending and tax breaks to kickstart the US economy. According to global management consulting firm McKinsey, the act aims to generate investments in green technology, encourage a boost in domestic manufacturing capacity and mandate recipients of the many funding streams … Read more
Private markets investment group Stafford Capital Partners has appointed a head of sustainability. Marta Jankovic joins from APG Asset Management, where she was responsible for the delivery of client responsible investment policy objectives and advised APG’s private markets teams on implementing the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation. She was also a director in BlackRock’s investment … Read more
HSBC Asset Management’s (HSBC AM) energy transition infrastructure team has made its first investment under its Asia Pacific-focused, mid-market, value-added, energy transition infrastructure strategy. The investment is for an undisclosed amount in Tekoma Energy, a solar PV developer with operations in Japan and Taiwan. Following the investment, Takoma Energy will roll out 500MW of solar … Read more
Fulcrum Asset Management has made the strategic equity part of its flagship diversified absolute return strategy fully climate-aligned. Approximately 10% of assets in the Diversified Absolute Return (DAR), Diversified Core Absolute Return (DCAR) and similar strategies, are now invested in companies whose past and potential emissions performance are deemed compatible with the goals of the … Read more