ESG investing now mainstream, but who’s holding ‘greenwashed’ portfolios to account? August 24, 2021 Environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns are rising up the agenda of investors, who are increasingly more attentive to the impact of their investments. Beyond financial performance, investors are looking at their portfolios in relation to ESG factors, but how can they assess the ESG credentials of companies and funds when the data is scattered [...]
Investors in EU sustainable funds may end up with oil, mining or tobacco stocks August 20, 2021 If you want to invest in a fund branded as sustainable under new European Union rules, you’re spoilt for choice. But you may end up owning shares in oil companies, mining conglomerates or tobacco firms. Watch the full report.
Investors turn to overlooked data sources to assess firms’ ESG credentials August 8, 2021 A lack of publicly available information on companies’ ESG credentials is prompting investors to turn to overlooked sources to acquire data, new research shared exclusively with City A.M. reveals. Read more: Regulation and investors’ demands push fund managers towards ESG Figures from MBH Corporation shows 89 per cent of UK based professional investors think employee [...]
Mitigating litigation risk: The impact of corporate social performance factors August 3, 2021 | City Talk Much has been written on the merits of ESG investing strategies and their ability to deliver comparable, if not superior, performance to traditional benchmarks. A majority of institutional investors are motivated to employ ESG investing strategies because they believe ESG will improve risk adjusted returns1, yet the circumstances in which ESG leads to better outcomes [...]
City Corporation urges firms to support its socio-economic diversity task force July 28, 2021 The City of London Corporation is calling on financial and professional services firms to encourage their networks and employees to support its socio-economic diversity task force. At a virtual meeting, City Corporation policy chair Catherine McGuinness asked individuals and organisations to get involved by being informed and using their influence to raise awareness of the [...]
Coutts secures B Corp ethical status July 28, 2021 Coutts has secured the sought-after B Corp status, the bank announced on Twitter. The certification attests companies uphold certain social and environmental performance standards, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. The private bank and wealth manager has a history spanning over three centuries and is known to be the banker for [...]
Exclusive: Clim8 is a green investing platform that wants to distance itself from ESG July 22, 2021 Clim8, a London-based sustainable investing platform, is on a mission to challenge ESG funds so that investors can bypass “greenwashing” and find a portfolio of companies that are having a positive impact on climate change. The platform, which launched its app “Clim8 Invest” in March, today announced it has closed its third funding round. The [...]
Regulation and investors’ demands push fund managers towards ESG July 20, 2021 Regulatory imperatives and investor demand are driving an increased focus on environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) principles, according to a PwC report published today. The study found that three-quarters of the fund managers questioned – holding £15.5 trillion in assets – are being influenced by investors and policymakers to drive sustainability outcomes. Regulation 76 [...]
Zurich UK switches $1bn into new ESG benchmark to cut its carbon emissions July 20, 2021 Zurich UK has switched almost $1bn (£73m) of its investment portfolio into a new ESG benchmark in a bid to reduce its carbon emissions. The insurance giant said, in an announcement today, the new benchmark will deliver a 30 per cent reduction in emissions as well as “enhanced” ESG outcomes, compared to its parent index. [...]
FCA warns fund managers to improve their “poor-quality” ESG applications July 20, 2021 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has told fund managers that their “poor-quality” ESG fund applications must improve. The UK watchdog said it has received “numerous” applications with a sustainability focus that were “poorly drafted” and fell below its expectations. “They often contain claims that do not bear scrutiny,” the FCA wrote in a letter to [...]