The 2025 proxy season revealed a decisive shift in shareholder priorities. While the volume and support for environmental and social proposals declined, investors turned their attention to board accountability, pay alignment, and a new frontier: AI governance. See also: What AI really means for asset management: How firms can prepare In the US, shareholder proposals dropped by around one-third. Just…

Alternative asset management firm Ares announced the formation of Tango Holdings, a new joint venture with Shell subsidiary Savion Equity, to invest in solar power generation in the U.S. The new entity is jointly owned by the two firms, with Ares owning 80% and Savion 20%. Founded in 2019, Savion has been focused on the development of large-scale solar and…

The Korean corporate governance reforms could transform its stockmarket faster than the Japanese corporate governance reforms which took off two years ago, according to Alexander Treves (pictured), head of investment specialists for APAC equities at JP Morgan Asset Management. Firstly, reflecting on progress in Japan, Treves said: “The Japanese corporate governance revolution has got so much momentum that we’re very confident…

Building materials giant CRH announced an agreement to acquire sustainable cement alternatives producer Eco Material from One Equity Partners, Warburg Pincus and Green Cement Investments, in a deal valuing the company at $2.1 billion. Launched by the selling consortium in 2022, Utah-based Eco Material was formed from the merger of Boral Limited’s North American fly ash business and near-zero-carbon cement…

Advanced materials company Lyten announced that it has raised $200 million in equity investments aimed at supporting its acquisition strategy, as the company continues to acquire assets from bankrupt EV battery company Northvolt. In addition to the capital raise, Lyten also announced the acquisition of Northvolt’s Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) product portfolio in Stockholm, Sweden, buying the rights to…

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) announced the launch of two new courses, aimed at upskilling sustainability professionals to build expertise in climate and nature-related corporate reporting. Provided through the GRI Academy, the GRI’s education platform, the new courses include “Climate Reporting with GRI and IFRS Standards,” and “GRI-TNFD Interoperability: A Guide for Nature-Related Reporting.” The launch of the new climate…

Fidelity International has launched an ESG-screened global equity index fund, seeded with £320m from discretionary fund manager ebi.  The Fidelity Index World ESG Screened fund aims to track the performance of the MSCI World IMI (Investable Market Index) Screened (Net Total Return) Index, which applies the most common exclusionary screens across ESG pillars, targeting a 30% reduction in carbon emission intensity relative…

The European Central Bank (ECB) announced the introduction of a new measure to manage climate risk within the EU’s central banking system, or “the Eurosystem,” with plans to add a “climate factor” within the collateral framework to protect against potential decline in value of collateral in event of adverse climate-related transition shocks. The new climate factor could potentially reduce the…

By Jessica Camus, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Diginex Ltd. Europe’s Regulatory Leadership and Its Start-up Response Europe has long been at the forefront of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) regulation, with initiatives like the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the EU Taxonomy, and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) setting new benchmarks for corporate accountability. This regulatory leadership has spurred…

Private markets are no longer treated as tactical diversifiers. Among institutional investors operating north of £25 billion in AUM, they’ve become a core component of strategic asset allocation, a place where long-term stewardship, transition finance and influence over the real economy are put into practice. This isn’t a trend driven by novelty. It’s a deliberate shift. Asset owners are allocating…