Allianz Global Investors’ Post

David Atkin, CEO of Principles for Responsible Investment speaks with Jane Goodland on the LSEG (London Stock Exchange Group) Sustainable Growth podcast this week, explaining why the PRI and indeed the entire RI movement is not a fad but continues to grow and remain relevant more than 18 years on from its founding. 'The investment community have recognised increasingly that when it comes to risk and value creation there is a whole lot of information that hasn’t been available to investors. These are around ESG factors. And so, we’ve seen this bottom-up response from the investment community that says ‘It’s really important that we understand these externalities, we understand these issues that aren’t presently on the balance sheet but eventually do get onto it […]’. By taking a broader view about what creates value and what creates risk then investors are in a better position to be able to serve their particular constituencies. That idea has continued to resonate as we’ve started to the impact of climate change, and as we’ve started to see social dislocation and we’ve started to see more and more examples of poor governance or good governance that is value enhancing. We’ve now got to a point where almost 5,500 around the world – 100 countries that we have signatories in – have signed up to the Principles. That’s about $120-130 US trillion – that’s more than half the institutional capital in the world that has signed up to the six Principles. And it’s not a fad because the industry would have moved onto other things by now if this thematic was not seen to resonate.' https://lnkd.in/e78v3t-t

Are impact reports useful for anything? And what's the best way to ensure through the year, you're giving investors what they need to validate their trust in you, and encouraging their colleagues to join in? How can you regularly validate your theory of change, and manage it in an agile way? And if you're wondering what even is Impact Measurement, make sure to check out Catherine Clark's and CASE at Duke's Impact Measurement & Management for the SDG's course. cc The Global Steering Group for Impact Investment (GSG), International Foundation For Valuing Impacts (IFVI), The Global Impact Investing Network, Shared Value Project #impactinvesting #strategy #finance #bestadvice #sdgs #climate #business #storytelling #marketing

What Teamwork Means To Me In last week’s post, I announced that I’d been named CEO of Equities News, and that I’m leading an initiative to remake the brand as the place to go for investors, companies and readers for news about impact investing and sustainable finance. I’m pleased to say Equities has already had some successes, including lots of new followers, thanks to you all. I couldn’t be more happy that many of you are joining me on this journey. But a transformation at this scale is a collective effort. To achieve our vision of focusing minds and money on what truly matters, I’m thrilled to introduce two extraordinary people who will play a pivotal role: Annette Ring, our new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), and Parris Kellermann, our Editorial Director. Together, we are forging a path toward a brighter future, where your investments make positive changes in the world. Here are a few words about Annette and Parris. Annette is a vital addition to our team. She previously served as the CMO of TrueNorth, where she was instrumental in building a global brand and working closely with a team of fintech leaders. Her leadership at TrueNorth included spearheading marketing and business strategy for one of the most respected fintech software development companies in the world. Having successfully navigated the complexities of evolving and elevating a brand, Annette brings a wealth of expertise to our team. Her experience in shaping global brands and collaborating with industry leaders aligns perfectly with our mission of transforming the way people think about money and investing. Parris is a seasoned professional with a deep-rooted passion for journalism. Before joining Equities, he served as Managing Editor and head of the news commentary, opinion and analysis team at Dow Jones’ MarketWatch, where he focused on investing, personal finance and economics. His wide-ranging interest and curiosity in these areas were instrumental in shaping the financial and investing narratives at MarketWatch. Parris's mission is clear: He leads our content strategy with the goal of changing the way investing is perceived — as an opportunity for helping others. He believes in changing the way people think about money, emphasizing the impact that smart investments can have on individuals and communities alike. In the weeks ahead, I’ll be sharing more of what we’re up to. A big change will happen in the early spring, when we’ll unveil an intuitive and modern website. But until then, we’ll have other work cut out for us. Please support this endeavor by leaving a comment, subscribing to Equities.com newsletter, and follow our LinkedIn page. Talk to you all next week. #equities #impactinvesting #socialgood #esginvesting

One of the best ways to navigate through the technicalities of the Impact Investing and Sustainability world is through Impact Reports. I've been diving into several ones from different types of organizations, for quite a while, and this from 2150 is one of the most comprehensive and clear I've read. A great model to follow. #impactinvesting #impactentrepreneurship #sustainabledevelopment

Last week we held a PortCo lunch and learn on building sustainable businesses. At Sprint Ventures we have a clearly defined purpose of responsible investing, aligned with our mission to "build a better future". We support our founders with more than just financial capital and host a monthly lunch and learn with an expert across various topics. We were privileged to welcome Dr Elizabeth Armstrong and Nina Hitchins from Ithaca Impact who spoke about how we can all build our businesses more sustainably, and shared these compelling facts: 🌍 Cost of capital is 10% lower in companies that perform well against ESG metric (Source: MSCI) 🌍 Firms that embrace ESG has 19% higher revenues (Source: Forbes) and yield higher returns (Source: Merrill Lynch) 🌍 Companies with consistently high ESG performance tended to score 2.6x higher on total shareholder return than medium ESG performers (Source: Accenture) If you're a founder building an impactful business looking for capital, please get in touch. If you're an investor who believes investing in impact is literally the only way, please get in touch. If you want to learn more from the best, please reach out to Ithaca Impact, who have diagnostic tools, programs and specialised consulting to help you embed sustainability in your business. #venturecapital #responsibleivesting #investingforimpact #esg #unsdgs

We were delighted to deliver a Lunch and Learn session for VC fund Sprint Ventures CEOs last week on why and how to embed #sustainability in business. The data shows clearly that sustainable, responsible businesses perform better across a range of key metrics. To learn about embedding sustainability in your business, or, to book a Lunch and Learn event tailored to your company or portfolio companies, email us at info@ithacaimpact.com #responsibleinvesting #esg #responsiblebusiness #impact #impactinvesting Georgia Barkell Nina Hitchins Chandran Vigneswaran

We know Japan, we do impact investing. Greenwashing measures in Japan; Given this need for more comprehensive ESG ratings and scores, Japan has also stepped-up efforts to improve the transparency of ratings and the methodologies that data providers use. Japan’s FSA finalised a new code of conduct for ESG ratings and data providers in December 2022 and opened it up for endorsement for six months. The draft code aims to ensure that ESG evaluations and data are used reliably throughout the investment chain. It is intended to encourage “…further improvements in ESG evaluation and data provision services based on their initiatives and ensuring flexibility in response to future business model changes.” FSA hopes the code of conduct will improve the transparency and fairness of ESG data and assessment services, as well as the development of the ESG market. ESG data providers operating in Japan will be requested to adhere to the six principles that the code outlines. These six principles relate to the quality of ESG ratings and data, the establishment of basic procedures, the availability of professional human resources to ensure the quality of ratings and data provision services, the development of professional skills, policies to ensure independent decision-making, and how to handle conflicts of interest appropriately. Japan’s FSA has also put forward a series of guidelines to promote ESG investments while combating green washing by investment trust managers (ITMs). https://lnkd.in/df3FxA_9

The concept of 'additionality' sets impact investing apart from ESG by emphasizing the direct, tangible impacts of investments. It ensures that impact investing goes beyond passive screening or risk mitigation, actively contributing to positive change. 💼🌱 Curious to learn more about the core principles of Impact Investing? Learn all about it in our latest article penned by our Senior Editor, Pierrick Ribes, in this link below: 👇 🔗https://lnkd.in/gWugJ5Yg #ImpactInvesting #SustainableFinance #PositiveChange #ImpactInvestment #Transition #Sustainability #SustainableStartups #startupstrategy #BusinessInsights #impactfulleadership #impactfulchange #Innovation

🗯 "Impact investing & storytelling do not mix well". ➡ I've heard this sentence quite a few times. 🤔 But when we think about it, they actually do mix quite well. 😇 Let's talk about impact investing : • The topic is high on the regulatory agenda. • Clients are becoming more and more demanding about the sustainability credentials of products and funds in which they invest. • Public opinion is paying more attention to the topic. ❓ As an asset manager/family office, how to stay ahead in such a challenging environment? 👉 By proving that impact investing is an integral part of your DNA. Being compliant with financial regulations is crucial & expected. To stay ahead, storytelling is needed. Shape your story. Share your story. Your clients need to feel that when working with you, besides working towards building their wealth, they are also impacting the world in a positive way. We all have a story to tell. What's your impact investing story ? #impactinvesting #sustainablefinance #storytelling ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi there. I am Clémence Betesuku, the voice behind The Uplift Agency, a communication consulting firm focusing on capturing impact investing stories.

What is true impacting investing? Yalin Karadogan, Partner at LeapFrog Investments will be sharing his insights on this in a panel discussion at SuperInvestor on the 14th November. Are impact managers inherently better at ESG than generalist managers? Take a look at the agenda to find out more: http://spr.ly/6048ugAOu #SuperInvestor #ESG #impactinvesting