Passive investing

Giant asset manager has faced criticism from NGOs

UBS is one of many investors with passive exposure to controversial HikVision

The latest fund developments in ESG and sustainable finance

The latest fund developments in ESG and sustainable finance

A US ESG disclosure bill introduced last September proposed that the SEC adopt rules defining ESG metrics for companies. It caused quite a stir. Critics said it would force the “SEC to do the impossible” (Responsible Investor, Jan 16, 2020: https://www.responsible-investor.com/articles/us-esg-disclosure-bill-inches-through-congress-but-faces-senate-hurdle). But the bill is part of a fast-moving regulatory shift to push companies and investors to disclose ESG data so that markets and policymakers can evaluate the implications of tightening rules on economic/societal externalities. The EU Sustainable Finance Action Plan and the G20-backed Taskforce on Climate Related Financial Disclosure (TCFD) are just two large-scale examples of this. At the same time, investors are looking for the ESG datasets that will help them manage risk and reward within this changing environment. In this webcast, Responsible Investor, joined by FactSet and SASB, will explore the question of defining ESG materiality in terms of what is required for reporting and what is valid for different elements of investment strategy. Register to learn more about: ESG reporting standards: What’s the ask? In which jurisdictions? What are the reporting challenges? Defining ESG metrics for durable investment risk and performance use. How can companies, investors, regulators, and vendors help define a sensible and sustainable path forward for ESG information? Speakers Ali Van Nes, Senior Vice President, Senior Director, Regulatory Solutions, FactSet Jeff Cohen, Institutional Product Strategist, SASB Milla Craig, Founder & President, Millani Inc and Board Member, RIA Canada Moderator: Sae Imamura, Events Leader, Responsible Investor Date and Time Wednesday, May 20th 12:00 EDT / 17:00 BST

Responsible Investor is proud to present a new webinar series dedicated to the investment implications of the European Commission’s Sustainable Finance Action Plan. The webinar series is intended to fill the knowledge gap in financial markets with updates about the Action Plan and the European Green Deal proposed in the late 2019. Through the series of three webinars, Responsible Investor will look at the practical implications for investors and examine how green/sustainable finance policy in Europe will impact decision-making of global investors. May 2020 marks two year since the European Commission launched the EU Action Plan for Financing Sustainable Growth. This second webinar of the EU Action Plan webinar series will explore the EU’s major works around green and sustainable benchmarks, including Climate Transition Benchmarks, Paris-Aligned Benchmarks and ESG disclosure for all investment indices. Speakers Sara Lovisolo, Group Sustainability Manager at London Stock Exchange Group, and Member at EU Technical Expert Group on Sustainable Finance Frederic Ducoulombier, ESG Director, Scientific Beta and Director, EDHEC Risk Institute-Asia Moderator: Hugh Wheelan, Co-Founder and Joint Managing Director, Responsible Investor

Data verification, conflicts of interest and onerous disclosure requirements top list of concerns

The pension fund has launched a mechanism for ensuring indexes align with its ESG mission, among other things

The latest developments in Europe’s ambitious sustainable finance policy package

Recent market volatility puts spotlight on carbon intensity measurements