FaithInvest

FaithInvest is delighted to be attending #SOCAP24 - Catalyzing Systems Change - in San Francisco. Among many great sessions today we had the privilege of hearing from climate icon Christiana Figueres, who, as the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, tirelessly led the way to the Paris Agreement in 2015!

Did you know that we offer free, confidential assessments of faith-based organisations' Investment Policies and Guidelines (IP&Gs) with the aim of assessing the extent to which they are aligned with their faith values? We also have a host of resources to guide you on implementing faith-consistent investing, including our latest publication on governance best practice, as well as inspiring case studies. Visit our Resources page or contact us at info@faithinvest.org to find out more! https://bit.ly/4dTSHms

Last chance to sign up! Our Faithful Finance course starts next Tuesday October 29! All previous participants surveyed said they would recommend it, and the biggest benefit they cited was the growth in their self-confidence around investing in line with their values. Yes, we're talking about our four-week, live-taught online course, 'Faithful Finance: An Introduction to Aligning Investments with Faith Values'. Aimed at faith organisations, the course will provide you with the practical tools and strategies you need to integrate faith values into your investment policies and practices, enabling you to manage assets in ways that align with your beliefs. It costs £295 per person. Find out more and register at https://bit.ly/3BRocjL.

FaithInvest Executive Chair Dave Zellner continues his series of thought pieces challenging the myth that faith-consistent investing inevitably leads to lower returns. In his latest article, he examines how focusing on a sustainable economy – one that balances three key pillars, social cohesion, long-term prosperity for all, and environmental health – can provide a roadmap for identifying investments that are positioned for long-term success. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eFyrBzY6 And join our subscriber network to be part of the fast-growing Faith-Consistent Investing Movement, get early access to news and resources, and to meet and share experiences with like-minded organisations: https://lnkd.in/eTSUc8aE

Faith groups – and other organisations – seeking to invest for social or environmental impact face a minefield of choices when it comes to figuring out how to deploy their funds. What are the key global problems they are trying to solve? What kind of interventions could achieve meaningful change – on either poverty or climate change – which FIIND Impact argues are inextricably linked together in a fascinating new report, 'Can you help solve multidimensional poverty with your investment portfolio?' The report argues that traditional approaches to poverty reduction through charitable giving are insufficient, and that strategic investment can play a crucial role in addressing global inequality. To that end, it investigates effective and investable impact investing solutions for reducing global poverty in eight key areas, which it calls multidimensional poverty soution groups, and makes the case that investing in these areas can help reduce poverty – and often will have knock-on beneficial impacts on other critical areas as well. Read more in our article where we take a closer look at this immensely useful report and conclude that it provides an excellent tool for investors seeking to understand more clearly the nature of critical issues involved in global poverty, and also offers practical ideas for the kind of investable interventions that could help. Sophie Robé, CFA FIIND Impact Maarten Toussaint https://bit.ly/40kZgLF

In the world of investment management, a persistent myth has taken root: that faith-consistent investing (FCI) inherently results in suboptimal investment returns. FaithInvest Executive Chair Dave Zellner challenges this misconception and explores why FCI can actually lead to better long-term investment outcomes. https://lnkd.in/eU7kdkBB Dave Zellner

There's just one week to go until our course – Faithful Finance: An Introduction to Aligning Investments with Faith Values – starts on October 29! This live-taught, four-week, online course guides you through the process of faith-consistent investing, and provides the practical tools, strategies and, above all, confidence to enable faith-based organisations to manage their assets in ways that align with their values. – Starts on October 29 – Costs £295 per person – 100% of past participants surveyed say they recommend the course! – Find out more at https://bit.ly/4gyBXnl #FaithConsistentInvesting

They say money talks. What does your money say about you? Growing numbers of faith-based organisations are seeking to ensure their #investments are aligned with their #faith values. But actually putting this into practice can be challenging – especially if you're not sure how to start. That's why we created our four-week Faithful Finance training programme – and the next course begins on October 29! An Introduction to Aligning Investments with Faith Values is a dynamic, live-taught course that is delivered online and will enable you to dive deep with confidence into the world of faith-consistent investing. You will learn: – The foundational principles of faith-based investing.  – How to engage with financial intermediaries with clarity and confidence.  – How to go further on the faith-consistent investing journey.  It's specifically designed for employees, board or committee members, or organisation volunteers involved with financial management or oversight for any faith-based organisation. The cost is £295 per person (a limited number of bursaries are available). The next course begins on 29 October 2024. Register at https://lnkd.in/em4_46T2

Could a proposed tightening of disclosure rules by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority be a game changer for the #fossilfuel industry's ability to raise funds for new projects? The FCA is currently consulting on requiring gas & oil companies to report on how any new projects meet #climate goals as part of the prospectus they must produce to support fundraising. The consultation – which closes this Friday October 18 – involves introducing a new Atomospheric Viability Test, which would detail how the development of any new project would be consistent with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, not pose a risk to the remaining carbon budget and protect overall market integrity. Proposed by Carbon Tracker, its director Mark Campanale says there is currently no requirement in the current disclosure requirements, known as the Competent Person's Report, for the viability of fossil fuel reserves to be tested against the Paris climate goals or the UK Climate Act. 'This leaves investors unnecessarily exposed because of over-estimation of the realisable value of reserves and under-estimation of depreciation charges on capital items such as drilling rigs,' says Mark. 'We believe companies should explain why they believe their fossil fuels will be developed, given our climate goals, which is why we proposed the introduction of the Atmospheric Viability Test in the CPR.' While the proposed new rules apply to companies seeking to list on UK regulated markets or primary multilateral trading facilities, Mark says this is important because the UK is the world's most important financial centre for fossil fuels, along with New York. Read the story in full at https://lnkd.in/eiZVJnXe The consultation closes this Friday October 18.

Each week we post commentary on issues around values-driven and faith-consistent investing. Our latest offering is FaithInvest's Mathew Jensen, CFA's key takeaways from the Voice of the Asset Owner survey by global investment data provider Morningstar. The survey found that 'two thirds of assets owners globally say that ESG has become more material in the last five years', and the percentage of respondents who had half or more of their assets 'reflecting ESG considerations' has increased every year since the first survey in 2022, to 35% today, with the highest results in Europe (45%) and lowest in North America (37%). However, 'impact on returns' was listed as the top barrier to pursuing an ESG investment strategy – a topic we've discused in our FCI Interest Group. Mathew writes: 'We recently shared an observation with a faith-based asset owner that the first barrier, 'impact on returns', should be crumbling under the weight of evidence, which may account for the decline in the 'fiduciary concerns' barrier, but this otherwise suggests the opposite, it has increased as a barrier.' Read the full post for more of Mathew's takeaways from the report: https://lnkd.in/eyV2sT2z