The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has been busy, launching a US$500 million credit portfolio comprised of infrastructure-related corporate bonds, quasi-sovereign bonds and green bonds. The Beijing-based multilateral investment bank noted the venture is part of its main goal to develop infrastructure as an asset class in Asian markets. By creating the portfolio, it’s seeking to […]
While there aren’t consistent definitions around the inclusion of environmental, social and governance issues in investing, factoring them into the investment process is now mainstream, which is increasing the demand for ESG data, according to a report by capital markets consultancy firm Opimas. Institutional investors, such as pension funds, insurers and asset managers, have been at the forefront of that […]
With technology disrupting various industries, the opportunities are clear. But how can companies ensure they’re adopting new technology responsibly, while minimizing risks? A paper published by MFS Investment Management outlines a framework for how to review the ethics of technology when looking at companies as investments. “We don’t really look at any company as being […]
While there aren’t consistent definitions around the inclusion of environmental, social and governance issues in investing, factoring them into the investment process is now mainstream, which is increasing the demand for ESG data, according to a report by capital markets consultancy firm Opimas. Institutional investors, such as pension funds, insurers and asset managers, have been at the forefront of that […]
Sustainalytics, a research, ratings and analytics firm focusing on environmental, social and governance issues, is acquiring GES International, a provider of engagement, screening and fiduciary voting services to institutional investors. As ESG has become a more prominent part of institutional investing decisions, the combination of Sustainalytics’ materiality-focused ESG research and ratings with the services GES provides […]
Fitch Ratings Inc. is launching a new scoring system to show how environmental, social and governance factors affect individual credit rating decisions. Fitch is rolling the ESG relevance scores out across all asset classes, starting with non-financial corporate ratings, followed by banks, non-bank financial institutions, insurance, sovereigns, public finance, global infrastructure and structured finance. According to […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is adopting a new global policy to improve gender equality and increase the representation of women on corporate boards. Under the policy, the CPPIB will vote against committee chairs responsible for director nominations at investee public companies if the boards don’t have women directors. Read: CPPIB highlights efforts to encourage women on […]
The vast majority (91 per cent) of Canadian institutional investors have adjusted their voting and engagement policies to focus more on environmental, social and governance risks, according to a report by marketing agency Edelman. The report, which surveyed 500 Canadian institutional investors, found 65 per cent have made policy adjustments within the past year. As well, […]
Share price dispersion remains prevalent in equity markets, but today’s active managers are having difficulty extracting alpha. They may not be looking in the right places. “A lot of them, I think, have failed in their stewardship responsibilities,” argues Ben Yeoh, senior portfolio manager, global equities, RBC Global Asset Management (UK) Ltd. “I don’t think […]
While many companies are aware of the United Nation’s sustainable development goals, with some mentioning them directly in their disclosure reporting, only 12 per cent of those referencing the goals actually set quantitative targets for meeting them, according to new research by PIMCO. The research, which analyzed how 246 companies interact with the framework of the sustainable development goals, […]