For responsible investors, banks pose a unique challenge. Whereas other companies provide plenty of information about themselves, an investment bank’s activities are so extensive (and its loan book so impenetrable) that investors can often have little idea of what exactly they are funding. Instead, they scrutinise a bank’s policies to see whether its activities align with their own values and…
Investors are reducing their exposure to emerging markets (EMs) despite positive growth signals, leaving plenty of opportunity for those that can buy in to companies at discounted prices, said Andrew Ness, emerging market portfolio manager at Franklin Templeton. Here, Ness discusses how investment in EMs is changing on the back of the global transition towards a cleaner future, and in…
The Belgian Presidency has decided to postpone the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) vote in the Council of the EU today (9 February), following Germany’s announcement of abstention and the need for further discussions among EU Member States. As recently as Wednesday, the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change, the Principles for Responsible Investment and the European Sustainable Investment…
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…