Asset owner makes progress on climate and asset manager information-sharing in first year as Stewardship Code signatory.  Human rights controversies are a systemic risk that should form a central part of asset owners’ stewardship strategies, according to one of the UK’s largest asset owners.   “We are a universal owner and exposed to many economies, regions, sectors, countries and companies,” Valeria…

The Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1700 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2402 with regard to regulatory technical standards (“RTS”) was adopted on June 18, 2024. These RTS set out the content, methods and presentation of information in relation to the principal adverse impacts (“PAIs”) of the assets financed by the underlying exposures on sustainability factors for securitizations and the new rules will…

A selection of the major stories impacting ESG investors, in five easy pieces.  Whole-economy transformation was high on the agenda at London Climate Action Week and beyond. Silent crisis – Among the more significant announcements made at London Climate Action Week (LCAW) was the unveiling of its draft ‘Global Roadmap for a Nature-positive Economy’ by the World Wide Fund for…

The case for allocating to social investment solutions has never been clearer and relevant, according to Big Issue Invest Chair Mark Porter. The 2024 Joseph Rowntree Foundation poverty survey tells us that 14.4 million people are in poverty in the UK. That’s approximately 22% of the population, a level roughly 50% higher than much of the 1970s. This is more…

Developing economies have the ambition to tackle climate challenges, but require investors to step up and capitalise on a plethora of projects. Industry experts have stressed the importance of mobilising finance in Africa and other emerging markets (EMs), urging investors and governments to take action and find ways to overcome perceived hurdles for investment. Speaking at the London Stock Exchange-hosted…

Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, Iceland’s Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, talks about the country’s inaugural green bond issuance, which was promptly followed by the world’s first sovereign gender bond. The sovereign green bond market has come a long way since 2016, when Poland became the first country to issue a €750 million (US$805 million) bond to finance a range of…

Richard Gardiner, EU Public Policy Lead at the World Benchmarking Alliance, says CSDDD offers a rare opportunity to improve corporate human rights risk accountability. The EU’s recently approved Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) has the potential to systematically change the way corporations approach their human rights risks, both within their operations and supply chains. It will do this by…