Blended finance offers a solution that “can help alleviate the technological and market risks” associated with investment in the low carbon economy, according to a report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) and auctusESG. The report Blended Finance: Key to Bridging Energy Transition Gap in Developing Countries emphasises that blended finance is a useful financing tool…
UK-based bank Barclays will no longer directly finance new oil and gas projects, and will require its energy sector clients to produce transition plans or decarbonization strategies by the beginning of next year, according to a new “Climate Change Statement” released by the bank. Alongside its new energy policies, Barclays also released a new transition finance framework, outlining its criteria…
State Street Global Advisors has launched the Article 8 State Street Emerging Markets ESG Hard Currency Government Bond Index fund, which invests in emerging market government bonds. The fund, which deals in USD-denominated bonds, began with an initial investment of $50m (£39.6m) and follows the J.P. Morgan ESG EMBI Global Diversified Index, which puts emphasis on issuers ranking higher on…
Global ESG assets surpassed $30trn in 2022 and are on track to surpass $40trn by 2030 to reach over 35% of projected $140trn assets under management, according to the latest ESG report from Bloomberg Intelligence (BI). The report said the ESG market is set to mature and align with global regulation by the end of this decade. This is despite…
Companies in emerging Asia have low ESG ratings but an increasing willingness and receptiveness for change, according to GIB Asset Management’s Kunal Desai. Crucially, he says in this Green Dream video interview, there is also an understanding that this “can be a potent source of shareholder returns”. Desai, manager of the GIB AM Emerging Markets Active Engagement fund, discusses the shift…
To achieve net zero by 2050, investment in renewable energy must triple by 2030, reaching around $4trn (£3.2trn). However, as the renewables industry expands at pace, so too have concerns about its social impact. Allegations of forced labour in solar supply chains, child labour in battery mineral sourcing, and indigenous rights violations in wind farms highlight the need for a…
Decarbonization-focused VC investor Voyager Ventures announced that it has raised $100 million for Voyager Partners Select I, its second venture fund targeting investments in climate technology startups. Founded in 2021 by Sierra Peterson and Sarah Sclarsic, Voyager Ventures invests in early-stage climate technology companies advancing global decarbonization solutions for sectors including mobility, energy, materials, food, the built environment, analytics, industrial…
Lawmakers in the European Parliament and Council announced today that they have reached a provisional agreement on a directive to delay the adoption of standards for companies to provide sector-specific sustainability disclosures and for sustainability reporting from companies outside of the EU under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). While the deal, aimed at providing more time for companies to…