Board and executive-level efforts to integrate environmental, social and governance issues into pension plans’ investment strategies are frequently thwarted by unclear guidance from plan sponsors and uncertainty about fiduciary duties, according to a new working paper by the University of Pennsylvania. The paper concluded that efforts to implement ESG criteria in investment decision-making are frequently hamstrung […]
Broad support for regulating environmental, social and governance-themed investments in Canada has left the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission playing catch-up with its northern neighbour, says Katie Pries (pictured), president and chief executive officer of Northern Trust Canada. “While the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is working through its regulatory plans for ESG investing, Canada […]
The number of institutional investors using thematic sustainable investment strategies grew by about 20 per cent between 2016 and 2020, according to a new study by the U.K.-based data and analytics firm Coalition Greenwood. Sustainable thematic investment strategies are ones that target areas of investment where social or environmental needs create business opportunities. According to […]
The Chartered Financial Analyst Institute’s draft voluntary environmental, social and governance disclosure standards are vulnerable to greenwashing, warns the Investment Funds Institute of Canada. In an open letter to the CFA regarding its drafted voluntary regulations, the IFIC is criticizing the proposed standards’ failure to define what does and doesn’t qualify as an ESG investment. […]
Two big players in the investment research space are joining forces. Morningstar Inc., a U.S.-based independent research firm is fully acquiring Sustainalytics, a Dutch-domiciled firm specializing in environmental, social, and governance ratings and research. Morningstar already took on a 40 per cent ownership stake in Sustainalytics in 2017 and will be buying the remaining 60 […]
Will we see more products like this in the Canadian pension space?