ESG investing: SFDR frustrations Apr 26, 2021 By Funds Europe
The EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) came into force in March. It has been said to pave the way for greater transparency in ESG – or environmental, social, and governance – investing, but frustrations remain.
For Funds Europe’s April issue, we learned that transparency in the funds industry is expected to increase over the next two years, as funds have to categorise themselves depending how ESG-focused they are, if at all. As with all regulation, however, SFDR’s implementation is a process.
The second level of SFDR, a crucial part of the EU’s sustainability agenda, is expected to come into play in June 2023, having been postponed. This will include the Regulatory Technical Standards, a further step designed to redefine ESG investing.
By Rachel Fixsen2021-04-22T15:12:00+01:00
Finland’s largest pension insurance company Ilmarinen announced it is investing €170m in a new low-carbon bond fund from AXA Investment Managers (AXA IM), acting as a seed investor for the fund launch.
The Helsinki-based firm said the fund – the AXA WF US high yield low carbon bonds fund – focused particularly on the carbon and water intensity scores of issuers, and functioned according to AXA IM’s ESG standards, setting limits on the weapon and tobacco industries, for example.
Karoliina Lindroos, head of responsible investment at Ilmarinen, said the earnings-related pension provider was happy that more sustainable products were starting to be available in fixed income.
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First published on The Stack, 23 March 2021 by general manager of EMEA for Workiva Inc (NYSE:WK) Bart van Praag.
When the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) came into force on March 10, it might well have been news that passed many businesses by, writes Bart van Praag, General Manager, EMEA, Workiva. After all, at first glance, the regulation only applies to financial market participants (asset managers, pension providers, insurance company investors, etc.) and financial advisors (consulting on investments or insurance). But scratch the surface of the regulation and the implications for business of all types across the EU and the UK become clear.
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Ex-Manulife AM MD Burnett joins impact house ThomasLloyd
Hired to build UK and Ireland wholesale presence
Alan Burnett of ThomasLloyd
Specialist impact investment firm ThomasLloyd has hired former managing director and UK head of wholesale assets and client relationships at Manulife Asset Management Alan Burnett, for the newly-created role of director, wholesale clients UK and Ireland.
Based in London, Burnett will be responsible for broadening and deepening ThomasLloyd s presence among banks, wealth managers, family offices and investment platforms across UK and Ireland.
With more than 27 years experience of building UK wholesale offerings, Burnett spent nearly five years with Manulife Asset Management, where he was responsible for developing the firm s wholesale presence and introducing real assets to the UK wholesale market.