Webinars

With the UN Secretary General’s ‘Decade of Action’ on the SDGs now underway, this webinar will consider approaches to leverage the stability and availability of Islamic finance to achieve more. The Islamic finance sector is booming. From a market of just US$200 billion in 2003, the sector is expected to grow to over US$4 trillion in assets by 2030. Much of these funds originate in the majority Islamic countries in the Arab region, yet the investments are global in scope and impact. As Islamic finance scales up through the next decade across regions, this unique webinar will assess opportunities to develop new ESG and SDG-aligned Islamic finance products across asset classes. Join us to hear from experts on Islamic finance and ESG investing across markets. Speakers Stella Cox CBE, Managing Director, DDCAP Ahmed Al Qabany, Manager, Climate Change Division, Resilience and Social Development Department, Islamic Development Bank Group William Tohme, Senior Regional Head of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), CFA Institute  Moderator Khalid Azizuddin, Reporter, Responsible Investor

新型コロナウィルスの猛威は人々の健康だけでなく、企業の業績も蝕んでいます。多くの上場企業が、類を見ない世界的な経済ダメージからの立ち直りを試みる最中で、株主総会を迎え、投資家は短期的な利益追求へ立ち戻るか、さらなる長期的投資へのコミットメントを深めるかの選択を迫られています。近年日本と世界で見られた目覚ましいスチュワードシップと積極的株主行動の発展は、この危機を前に後退してしまうのでしょうか。RIウェビナーで検証します。 企業がコロナショックに対処し、立ち直るためのサポートを、長期投資家に期待できるのでしょうか？ 今年3月、世界をリードする巨大アセットオーナー3者は、短期リターンへの集中はポートフォリオ上の潜在的に壊滅的なシステミックリスクを無視することだと明言しました。世界市場が動揺する中、長期的アプローチを堅持することは、他の投資家にとってどれだけ納得のいく、確かなことなのでしょうか？ スピーカー：小森博司、年金積立金管理運用独立行政法人（GPIF）、市場運用部次長、スチュワードシップ推進課長 聞き手： 今村沙絵、Responsible Investor、イベント・リーダー

Defensive equity strategies aim to protect investors during a crisis while also providing better risk-adjusted return compared to the cap-weighted index, through exposure to the Low Volatility risk factor. Scientific Beta has launched a new defensive strategy that aims to address two important drawbacks of traditional defensive offerings. • Traditional defensive solutions based on minimum volatility or low volatility strategies are unfortunately not truly defensive in periods of high market volatility, at a time when lower risk is needed most. To address this volatility risk, Scientific Beta provides a highly defensive strategy that targets a constant volatility equal to the strategy’s historical volatility by dynamically reducing the strategy’s market beta during periods of crisis when market volatility is elevated. This feature provides very strong capital protection compared to more traditional defensive strategies. • Traditional defensive strategies also suffer from high carbon exposure compared to a cap-weighted index, which in turn exposes these types of strategies to climate risk. Scientific Beta offers its new defensive strategy with a sharp reduction in carbon exposure compared to traditional defensive strategies and cap-weighted indices without sacrificing the defensive properties of the strategy. Speaker Eric Shirbini, PhD, Global Research and Investment Solutions Director, Scientific Beta Moderator Hamish Stewart, Responsible Investor

The EU’s Technical Expert Group on Sustainable Finance (TEG) released the final report on the new green taxonomy on 10 March. This first webinar of RI’s spring EU Action Plan webinar series will explore the advice made by the TEG, its practicality for investment outcomes, and its effects on other green finance policies and investment products including the EU Green Bond Standard, and the EU Ecolabel for finance products. How are companies and investors responding? Led by Hugh Wheelan, RI co-founder and joint managing director, this Q&A session will look at: What are the most important elements of the March 10 technical guidance from the TEG to the European Commission, and where exactly is the Taxonomy at in terms of applicability and relevance? How are companies already responding to the Taxonomy: market examples. What could this mean going forward: comply or explain: what would comply look like, or why explain, and what would explain look like? How do investment managers view the Taxonomy in terms of investment applicability, reporting, product development and strategic relevance. How will the Taxonomy actually mobilise corporate activity and investment? Speakers: Brenda Kramer, Senior Advisor Responsible Investment, PGGM and Member of Technical Expert Group on Sustainable Finance, European Commission Seb Beloe, Partner and Head of Research, WHEB Asset Management Nicolas Redon, Senior Analyst - Green Finance, Novethic Moderator: Hugh Wheelan, Co-Founder and Joint Managing Director, Responsible Investor

The ocean - or blue - economy is expected to grow at twice the rate of the mainstream economy by 2030, and the economic value of global ocean assets is estimated to already be at over US$ 24 trillion, making the Blue Economy the seventh-largest economy by GDP globally. However, with ocean health and impacts tightly linked to the threats of climate change and other anthropogenic threats, such as over-fishing, habitat destruction and pollution, a large amount of capital is at risk. Are the world's investors aware of ocean-related risks to their portfolios, and are they acting on the opportunities provided by this emerging investment topic? Discussing the findings of RI and Credit Suisse’s market-first research study “Investors and the Blue Economy”, this webinar investigates whether the conditions exist for private capital to flow towards a sustainable use of the ocean. And if not, what needs to change. Speakers: Liesel van Ast, Membership and Regional Co-ordination Manager, UNEP FI Chip Cunliffe, Director Sustainable Development, AXA XL James Gifford, Head of Impact Advisory, Credit Suisse Shally Shanker, Founder & Managing Partner, AiiM Partners Moderator: Dennis Fritsch, Researcher, Responsible Investor

The sovereign debt market is one of the largest asset classes in the world, yet fixed income markets have typically lagged other asset classes in relation to ESG integration. As a result, sovereign debt investors are exposed to a range of climate change risks that are typically not well understood or incorporated into the investment process. Part of the challenge has been the lack of sustainable investment products and viable climate data across a number of areas. This unique webinar will address a number of issues for investors seeking to better integrate sustainability and climate risk considerations into their fixed income strategies: • Global emissions reduction trajectories by sector and country • The macroeconomic implications of climate change • How the FTSE World Government Bond Index (WGBI) is adjusted for climate risk • Updates on performance of the WGBI and the FTSE Climate Risk-Adjusted World Government Bond Index Speaker: Sylvain Chateau, Senior Director, Head of Sustainable Investment Product Management, London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) Moderator: Ella Milburn, Journalist, Responsible Investor

A Responsible Investor webinar presenting the ShareAction/AODP ranking of 75 of the world’s largest asset managers ShareAction has reviewed the responsible investment practices on climate change, human and labour rights, and biodiversity of 75 of the world’s largest asset managers based on data collected through an extensive, TCFD-aligned survey and publicly available information. Join this webinar on the report’s launch date to examine the first in a series of three reports on global trends in the adoption of responsible investment practices within the industry. Report number 1 ranks asset managers on disclosure and management of ESG risks and impacts across their portfolios. This webinar will examine: The results of the first report: which asset managers rank highly and why...and vice versa. The report methodology and interesting findings on risk management and portfolio impact. Why asset managers should up their game on responsible investment, and how they can do so. Speaker: Peter Uhlenbruch, Joint Head, Financial Sector – Research & Standards, ShareAction. Asking the questions: Hugh Wheelan, Co-founder and Joint Managing Director, Responsible Investor.

This webinar will assess ESG data integration by global investors in managing risks and creating alpha across portfolios. The discussion will dig into Refinitiv’s ESG database covering more than 7,000 public companies across all markets to consider how investors are able to use this information across asset classes to boost returns and manage risk. As pressure grows for the integration of ESG factors into company valuation and sustainable and impact investing continues to attract more assets, the call to investors and corporates to address ESG data quality, consistency and accuracy becomes louder. Within these global trends, can ESG scores cut through the noise and boost long-term returns? Join us for this expert update on the state of the art in ESG integration across asset classes. Speakers Hugh Smith, Director, ESG, Investment Management, Americas, Refinitiv Gautam Dhingra, Founder and CEO, High Pointe Capital Management Christopher J. Olson, Principal and Portfolio Manager, High Pointe Capital Management

To kick-off 2020, RI is bringing together global central banking leaders to consider how ESG and climate risk integration into central banking and monetary policy could influence the investment decision-making of global investors. Join the debate on how investors can respond to green monetary policy and a new wave of action on climate targets from the world’s central bankers in the 2020s. Hear from the experts on what’s in store for 2020 as central banks and prudential regulators ramp up action on climate risk and sustainable finance. This webinar is a chance for the global investment community to better understand what’s in store and to discuss investor responses to the greening of central bank balance sheets. Speakers Serafín Martínez Jaramillo, Senior Financial Researcher, CEMLA, Financial System Risk Analysis, Banco de México Romain Svartzman, Economist, Sustainable Finance Division, Banque de France Dr Ulrich Volz, Director, Centre for Sustainable Finance, SOAS Ulf Erlandsson, CIO, Diem Green Credit Moderator Vibeka Mair, Journalist, Responsible Investor ... Background As fiscal policy makers and macroprudential regulators within the Network for Greening the Financial System get down to business, investors are waking up to the potential for climate-aligned monetary policy that could nudge economies towards alignment with the net zero emissions targets committed to in the Paris Agreement.

The fourth and final webinar in this series will focus on defining materiality, consistency in application, ranking and focus of issues. It will cover the role and application of material risk in enterprise and societal risk assessment. Questions for discussion may include: Do material issues identified in sustainability assessments give a fair and true view of non-financial risks? What are the best standards to define materiality that ensure equanimity for all stakeholders? How does a company ensure that wider societal issues are also considered and appropriately prioritised? How can companies and investors encourage a forward-thinking approach to these material issues? How can greater consistency in the application of ESG materiality be developed? In what ways can companies create greater visibility on evolving, longer term issues? How can the results of materiality assessments provide focus and opportunity for corporates to respond to longer term material issues? What are the ways investors can incentivise companies to follow a broader sustainability agenda? Speakers: Alan McGill, Global Head of Sustainability Reporting & Assurance, PWC Ekaterina Hardin, Analyst, Sector Lead, Extractives & Minerals Processing, SASB Anita McBain, Head of Responsible Investment, M&G Investments Lisa Epifani, ESG Engagement Manager, Chevron Kris Frederickson, Manager, Sustainability Disclosure & Stakeholder Engagement, Suncor Energy Daria Goncharova, Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of Non-Financial Reporting Polymetal Moderator: Helen Wood-Gush, Senior ESG Consultant, Responsible Investor