The risks of ESGâs rapid advance in Asia
After years of being in the shadows, sustainable investing is increasingly taking centre stage in Asia. Regional investors will need to assess their priorities and commitment.
Talk to any fund house of note today, and one of the first things they raise in conversation is their commitment to ESG.
Environmental, social and governance-friendly investments are fast becoming go-to product solutions. This in large part down to marketing – it’s good business to be a caring asset manager that can also offer good returns, instead of just the latter.
The emphasis is also a recognition of the way the wind is blowing. Governments and regulators across the world are pushing stewardship responsibilities and rules for companies to declare their environmental standards, both in their own businesses and, increasingly, in their supply lines.
December 16, 2020
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing was a worldwide phenomenon before it caught fire in the United States. ETF investors looking to get international ESG exposure outside of the country can look at funds like the
ACSG seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI ACWI ex USA ESG Leaders Index. The fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities from countries other than the United States.
The underlying index is a capitalization weighted index that provides exposure to companies with high environmental, social, and governance performance relative to their sector peers. MSCI ACWI ex USA ESG Leaders Index consists of large and mid cap companies across 22 Developed Markets (DM) and 24 Emerging Markets (EM) countries.
Outlook 2021: ESG investing to further spread its tendrils
Investors’ willingness to engage on ESG issues is set to continue into 2021, as Covid-19 spotlights the need for sustainability and ESG funds generally perform well.
The Covid-19 pandemic may have cast a dark cloud over the outlook of 2021’s financial markets, but it has given observers a potential silver lining for environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing.
Companies and investors have placed greater emphasis on ESG when investing equities in 2020, as evidenced by more shareholder engagement and active voting, experts told
AsianInvestor. One described by past year as “transitional” for sustainable investing.
Japan Government Pension Investment Fund and Export Development Canada Agree to Push Green Bonds
Posted on 12/14/2020
Japan Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) and Export Development Canada (EDC) have recently formed a partnership to promote and develop sustainable capital markets through a focus on Green Bonds, as well as the incorporation of ESG assessments in fixed income investments. EDC is a financial Crown corporation dedicated to helping Canadian companies of all sizes succeed on the world stage.
In the December 10, 2020, a comment by Marsha Acott, Acting Chief Financial Officer of EDC, in the press release, “Green Bonds are an important component of our annual funding program. They represent a great way of mobilizing funds to have a real impact on advancing clean technology development and responding to the climate change challenge. We look forward to deepening the partnership with the Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF).”
GPIF and EDC form partnership for green bond investment asiaasset.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from asiaasset.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.