Fund EcoMarket
the sustainable, responsible and ethical investment information hub
the sustainable, responsible and ethical investment information hub
With the ethical and social aspects of coronavirus being plain to see and markets wobbling horribly we have started to pull together some early comments published by the sustainable, responsible and ethical investment fund mangers that partner with Fund EcoMarket. Su and I will be writing out to all of our partner fund managers asking […]
This has undoubtedly been a memorable (and pretty miserable) week, month and indeed quarter. My first thoughts, when the horrible seriousness of Coronovirus started to become clear, may however have been a little different from some in that they were not entirely negative… Aside from the fears about relatives – my mother-in-law is recently bereaved, […]
Sustainable Finance Taxonomy report ‘Financing a Sustainable European Economy’ Technical Report published 9 March 2020 On 9 March 2020 the EU TEG (Technical Expert Group) on sustainable finance produced their final report which sets out a ‘taxonomy’ of sustainable business activities. This significant development will help investors to recognise those business activities that should be […]
Once a year we gather ideas about what we could usefully add or alter on the Fund EcoMarket filter options – ahead of doing our annual research update for all funds. As always there were dozens of options that we could have added, but in the interest of not letting the fund tool become too […]
BlackRock founder and CEO Larry Fink has been making headlines this week with the announcement on Tuesday (14/1/20) that BlackRock are making major changes to their business, putting sustainability – and in particular climate change – at the heart of their business operations. This is a welcome and important development. Some commentators have pointed out […]
The following list is of the top individual filter searches carried out on Fund EcoMarket from 1 January to 31 December 2019. This information is derived from Google Analytics, which recorded 34,087 filter options having been selected over the twelve month period. This information showed the breadth of different issues people were interested in as […]
Fund EcoMarket use doubles in 2019 2019 was a great year for Fund EcoMarket, the SRI Services’ fund tool! Not only were we joined by many new sponsoring partners (see image) who make it possible for us to keep our intermediary support site free to use (and ever expanding), but user numbers also grew rapidly […]
I am delighted to announce that our event videos are now live on the SRI Services YouTube channel. Each session was recorded – so for anyone who was unable to attend this is the next best thing. (nb The event was CPD accredited so you may like to keep a record of the sessions your […]
Just a brief note to let you know about some of the changes we have made to Fund EcoMarket recently. Changes to functionality You can now… Use the new map on our ‘Find an Adviser’ area – which enables potential adviser clients to find local advisers more easily. You can now use the Search ‘recently […]
The Investment Association’s long awaited Responsible Investment framework launched today (18 November 2019). Although I am yet to digest the detail, this looks entirely constructive to me. The IA team have differentiated between different fund options sensibly {thereby avoiding the ‘binary thinking trap’) and recognised the relevance of both individual funds and fund management companies. […]
Recent media coverage, generated in part in response to a recent report by SCM*, indicates that greenwash fears are growing apace. This is of course a huge shame as when we talk about funds that focus on environmental, social and ethical issues we would all much rather be talking about their benefits relative to their […]
Although this fund tool is intended mainly for use by financial services intermediaries you may be aware that we have had a ‘Find an Adviser‘ page on the site since launch, so that people can find a financial adviser who offers advice on this area if they so wish. To make finding an adviser even […]
FCA statement on climate change and green finance
The news that a third of XPS pension schemes either have an IFA or are likely to be looking for one is important news for the ESG/SRI community – and I’d like to thank Mike Clark (Ario Advisory), who spoke at our event last Wednesday, for bringing the following to my attention. This, to […]
With another Good Money Week just ended I am delighted to share the news that our event last week appears to have been viewed as a big success. The videos will be with us shortly, but in the meantime here are a few highlights: Our SRI Services and Partners event was held at the Barbican […]
For those of us who love a good list – here are the top 100 searched carried out on Fund EcoMarket from 1 January to 1 September 2019 … once again highlighting the need for a combination of ‘conventional financial’ and ESG / SRI policy and strategy information! These resulted from a total of 21,219 […]
SRI Services is delighted to announce that we have been working with interactive investor in the development of their ‘ACE’ list of ethical, sustainable, ESG, impact and responsible investment funds. The list, which is now live on their website, shows all the funds in this sector (none are excluded) alongside ‘jargon free’ classifications. Each fund […]
If you are a financial services intermediary who would like to know more about retail ESG, SRI, sustainable and ethical funds this is for you… If you are a UK financial services intermediary who would like to learn about ESG, SRI, Sustainable, Responsible and Ethical investment this free to attend, absolutely unique event is for […]
Here is the link to our latest occasional newsletter – sent out on 18 July 2019. This include comments on and links to information on recent developments in the ESG / SRI market – as well as ‘in house’ news. Also – a big welcome to Aberdeen Standard Investments our newest supporter! … And a […]
For a great overview of the SRI / ESG / Ethical fund market you might like to take a look at this month’s Investment Life and Pensions Moneyfacts deep dive article – attached here – which I am delighted to be quoted in, alongside our good friends at EdenTree, King & Shaxson – and survey […]
Media release 9 July 2019 Use of the Fund EcoMarket (SRI) fund tool has trebled over 12 months – with users indicating growing interest in both sustainability and ethical issues. Figures released today by SRI Services point to rapidly growing interest in environmental, social and ethical investment in the retail (individual) investment market. Use of […]
The ever increasing flow of activity in our area has accelerating further this week with the launch of the Government’s Green Finance Strategy ‘Transforming finance for a Greener future’ and the launch of the BEIS and Corporation of London supported ‘Green Finance Institute’. (2 July 2019). Both are greatly welcome initiatives and we look forward […]
Women in Financial Advice Awards 2019 I am delighted to have been informed that I am a Finalist in this years ‘Woman of the Year Award – Adviser Support Services’ category. This is much welcome recognition of many years spent helping advisers to bring environmental, social and ethical issues into investment planning… Onward & upward! […]
May 2019 saw the increase in use of Fund EcoMarket continue, with 1200 ‘unique users’ carrying out 3177 ‘clicks’ on the various filter options. Pointing, once again, to the importance of being able to combine ethical/sustainable investment & ESG related information alongside core product and conventional financial information in one place the top 50 […]
This has been a long time coming, but happily ESMA has recently (3 May 2019) published the reports that start the process of bringing investment markets into line with the EU’s Climate Action plan through the integration of sustainability and ESG factors throughout the investment chain, including financial advice. The following is ‘cut and paste’ […]
In a month when climate change was constantly in the news it will surprise few to see that Fund EcoMarket users regularly searched for fund options listed as: ‘sustainability themed’, ‘environmentally themed’, ‘environmental policy’, ‘climate change policy’, ‘avoids coal, oil & gas majors’, ‘invests in clean energy / renewables’ . The high ranking of ‘animal […]
For a quick round up of our activity (Feb – April 2019) and other SRI related news (that will hopefully be of use to financial services intermediaries!) here is a link to our latest ‘inSRI’ Newsletter. This includes a big ‘welcome’ to EdenTree our most recent sponsoring partner! https://mailchi.mp/c28ca44c4068/sri-services-and-fund-ecomarket-news-april-2019
On 1 May UKSIF celebrated its annual ‘Ownership Day’ with an event at the London Stock Exchange and the publication of a fund manager survey that looks into how different managers view the oil industry ‘Oil Pressure Gauge’ . Its focus is around ‘responsible ownership’ or what many now call ‘stewardship’ and the role it […]
A growing number of funds are now marketed as being ‘sustainability themed’ or having sustainability related themes (often in addition to ethical, ESG or other SRI strategies). These funds employ many different strategies, methods and ‘lines of thought’. For most, sustainability is demonstrably central to their investment proposition (via various policies, themes and research criteria). […]
After working out that recording ‘live’ videos is not in fact a walk in the park… I am delighted to say that we now have three brand new introductory SRI training videos on YouTube. Before you click through can I please ask you to help us by clicking ‘Follow’ when you go on to the SRI Services […]
If your role involves understanding what financial advisers and others are looking for in the SRI, ESG or impact investment market the following list of ‘Top 50 Fund EcoMarket searches’ for Q1 2019 (January to March) will be of interest to you… (These are of a total of 4849 ‘events’ according to Google Analytics.) 1. […]
The Global Sustainable Investment Alliance (the international network of SIFs, that includes friends at UKSIF and Eurosif) has this week published its biennial global market report covering the period 2016-18 The report shows substantial growth in sustainable and responsible investment assets under management across all areas – with the exception of the EU as a […]
Source: FCA website 12 March 2019 First meeting of the PRA and FCA’s joint Climate Financial Risk Forum Press Releases Published: 12/03/2019 Last updated: 12/03/2019 On Friday 8 March, the PRA and FCA hosted the first meeting of the Climate Financial Risk Forum (CFRF). The objective of the CFRF is to build capacity and share best practice across financial […]
Below is a list of the top 50 filter searches carried out by users of Fund EcoMarket during February 2019. These are from a total of 1,726 ‘events’. If you are looking for evidence of growing interest in this area and the diversity of things people want or need to know about here it is! (I […]
February newsletter link here.
SRI Services was delighted to have had the opportunity to respond to the ESMA Consultation Paper ‘On Integrating sustainability risks and factors into MIFID II’ earlier this week (even though it did seem a bit strange doing so given Brexit…) In brief, the paper (European Securities and Markets Authority – ESMA35-43-1210) proposes ESG/Sustainability related fact […]
Thanks to some fancy footwork from our IT support team we are now able to report on the top filter searches people have used on Fund EcoMarket. Of just over 1000 searches conducted during January 2019 the following were the ‘top 30’ most clicked on options: 1. OEIC/Unit Trust 2. Equity 3. Sustainability Themed 4. […]
The Investment Association announced last week that it is to consult members on Sustainability and Responsible Investment. Their launch release is copied below. The deadline for this consultation is 1 March and although we have already spoken with the IA on this SRI Services plans to respond also. You can download the IA Consultation document here. […]
SRI Services submitted a response to the FCA’s highly welcome consultation on Climate Change and Green Finance (DP18/8) last week. You can read our submission here. Alternatively – here are our 12 key points that we would like the regulator to formally recognise and act on. The role of investors is central to our ability […]
The timing may not be ideal, but it is none the less welcome that the EU (ESMA) is consulting on bringing SRI fact finding into the financial advice process following their consultation last year. You can download their paper on this here. Deadline 19 February 2019.
As mentioned in my blog in October last year the FCA is consulting on climate change and green finance. SRI Services plans to respond to this important paper – both by welcoming it and by responding to those questions that fall within our area of expertise. DP18/8: Climate change and green finance DEADLINE – 31 JANUARY […]
Following on from a rather busy few months here are some news highlights and links to recent activity, published this morning in our SRI Services & Fund EcoMarket newsletter (click this link for formatted version or see text and links below.) ====== SRI Services & Fund EcoMarket news (and beyond!) (For UK based Financial […]
I am delighted to share the videos from our ‘Sustainability and Suitability’ SRI event for those who were unable to attend on the day. Keynote speaker Lord Deben’s climate change speech was a particular highlight.
We were absolutely delighted to welcome Lord Deben (John Gummer) to our SRI Services and Partners event on 3 October 2018. Lord Deben spoke elequently and passionately on ‘Why Climate Change Matters to Investors’ – his speech can be viewed here, on the Fund EcoMarket YouTube channel: (And yes, we concur with the view that […]
SRI Services welcomes today’s announcement, which reads as follows: FCA opens a discussion on the impact of climate change and green finance on financial services Press Releases Published: 15/10/2018 Last updated: 15/10/2018 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has today published a Discussion Paper on climate change and green finance. The effects of climate change and the associated transition to […]
The Bank of England has taken a leadership position on climate change for a number of years. Governor Mark Carney’s ‘Tragedy of the horizons’ speech in 2015 set the scene for how the Bank viewed the issue of climate risk. Their subsequent work on the FSB TCFD framework has put climate change on the agenda for […]
I am not close enough to say whether or not the specifics of this article are correct, yet none of it really surprises me… The financial services community has a reputation for audacity and struggles to earn trust. Reading this article makes the risks associated with the SRI market ‘going mainstream’ very clear. The piece […]
The article below my ‘preamble’ is reproduced with kind permission from ‘Responsible Investor’ – published yesterday (11/9/2018). But first an introduction… Executive summary for retail professionals: In brief, the DWP has announced that they will expect pension trustees to consider ESG risks and opportunities – and specifically reference ‘climate change’ as an area they should […]
Good Money Week 2018 – SRI Services & Partners event ‘Screened, Themed and Engaged 2018 event: Sustainability & Suitability’ We are currently getting ready to celebrate the 11th Good Money Week, putting the final touches to our annual event for financial services intermediaries. Details of the event are below: When? 3rd October 2018 Where? The Mermaid, Puddle Dock […]
I am running rather late with blogs at the moment as there is so much happening – but felt it important to flag the news that the FCA is looking into the area of ESG/SRI in Q1 2019 – as part of their response to the Law Commission’s review of Pensions and Social Investment. None […]
For those wishing to respond to the current DWP Pension scheme trustee consultation, which will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the way DC schemes view SRI/ESG/Impact investment, here is the link to the current consultation: ‘Consultation on clarifying and strengthening trustees’ investment duties’. Occupational Pension Schemes (Investment and Disclosure) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 In brief, […]
Investment Life and Pensions Moneyfacts magazine’s front page piece this month is devoted to ‘sustainable, responsible and ethical investment’. The editorial, which you can read here focuses on the shifts in regulation that have been a lightbulb moment for investors – who are increasingly recognising the importance of environmental and social issues. The article includes a […]
This morning, 18 June 2018, the Government published its final response to the 2017 Law Commission report on pension funds and social investment. The following information was published today by UKSIF (whilst I was working on our MiFID2 response*!): “The foreword is written by Guy Opperman MP, Minister for Pensions and Financial Inclusion, and Tracey Crouch MP, Minister for […]
EU proposals to include ESG as part of investment and advice processes. 20 June 2018 Update: Our published response can be found here. ===== On 24 May 2018 the EU published draft recommendations proposing the inclusion of ESG within the obligatory advice process as part of their ongoing work supporting the growth of Sustainable Finance. Their draft […]
Yesterday was a big day for those of us who care about how investment and financial services impact the world we live in. The following is a direct ‘cut and paste’ version of a press released issued by the European Commission, complete with links. The potential implications of this are very significant for all in […]
The issue of plastics is never far from our screens at the moment and the public outcry following Blue Planet 2 last year was pretty much unprecedented… Addressing this challenge will take time and needs the support of fund managers and other investors if we are to encourage companies to change what they do within the […]
My newsletters seem to be becoming increasingly rare … however one was eventually finalised and issued today! You can read about Fund EcoMarket updates and SRI news via today’s newsletter here. Topics include recent article links, news and the date of our next Good Money Week event! Happy browsing!
The Green Finance Taskforce published a highly significant (100 page) report on 28 March 2018. The report, which aims to help accelerate ‘green finance’ in the UK , can be downloaded here. The government landing page introduces the report as follows: “In September 2017, the government asked leading finance expert and former Mayor of London Sir Roger Gifford to chair […]
The FCA issued a discussion paper today on ‘Transforming Culture in Financial Services’ – DP18/2. I have written and spoken on this topic many times – as I too believe that retail financial services would benefit from a cultural shift. My concern is that the financial services system as it stands is not particularly conducive to recognising the importance […]
On 8 March 2018 the EU published its response to the Sustainable Finance HLEG (High Level Expert Group) report issued in January. Go to the new EU Sustainable Finance information here. The report is accompanied by an action plan and an event which will be live streamed on 22 March. I am yet to digest the report, however […]
With rapidly growing interest in the area of how investments can have a positive impact I was recently asked by FTAdviser to write a brief article on this topic. In case you missed it amidst all the weather inflicted chaos last week you can view the full article here, or read the text below. ===== Ethical/SRI February […]
The EU High Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance published by far the most welcome document I have seen in a very long time (if ever) at the end of January this year. The HLEG, which comprised 20 experts (6 of whom were from the UK) has brought together a range of proposals that relate to the […]
Our long overdue inSRI newsletter which was sent out today is available here. It includes a range of information, tips and links on the following: Government reviews that are relevant to SRI Industry developments Fund news Fund EcoMarket updates and reminders, downloads Event information (Quilter Cheviot and Transparency Taskforce) A request for comment on how we can improve […]
As readers may already know the government has said it is committed to supporting the hugely diverse (and essential) area of ‘Green Finance’. Part of the process of developing this area involves calling for input in the form of a government inquiry. Written responses were requested for submission by 3 January – they can now be found here. […]
My latest article in Investment Life and Pensions Moneyfacts looks at some of the key messages from UKSIF’s Good Money Week 2017.
It also talks through some of the very different ways investors can offer ‘good’ options for investors, the changing SRI/ESG regulatory backdrop, some thoughts on ‘impact’, the UN SDGs and the great ‘labels and taxonomies’ debate.
Pension funds and social investment: interim (government) response – 18 December 2017 SRI Services welcomes today’s report, which we view as taking pension schemes a step closer to being better able to meet the ‘Big 3’ (very different, but none the less important) ‘sustainable, responsible and ethical’ client/member aims, which believe are: to better reflect personal ethical values, to make sound […]
12 points from our response to the DWP consultation into ‘where DC schemes invest’
The following points are a boiled down version of our response to the DWP’s recent consultation on the topic of: ‘Where DC pension schemes invest’
A major new report (the Corley Review) has been published considering how the UK can increase investment in ways that have positive social impacts. This welcome report includes 53 recommendations – calls to action for government and the investment community. The report was prepared by an independent advisory group chaired by Elizabeth Corley, Vice Chair Allianz […]
DWP consultation: Disclosure of costs, charges and investments in DC schemes In October the Department for Work and Pensions issued the above consultation. Although focused on costs and charges this consultation is relevant to sustainable, responsible and ethical fund options as it also discusses making it easier for members to find out a bit more about where their schemes invest (both those using […]
I am delighted to share an article that Libby Ashby from Citywire has kindly written about our ‘Screened, Themed and Engaged 2017’ event which she attended. This article was published in Citywire’s Wealth Manager magasine today (3 November 2017). Libby Ashby asks: When will ESG be fully integrated into mainstream investing? Last month […]
Last week we held our annual Good Money Week event at the Museum of London. The event was a great success, well attended and well received. Formal proceedings included presentations from Simon Howard (UKSIF), Guy Turner (Trove Research) and myself (Julia Dreblow) as well as five round table sessions with fund managers (listed below) and a panel […]
With Good Money Week about to start now seems like a fitting time to mention some of the positive work taking place in government and beyond that are likely to drive progress in SRI – sustainable, responsible and ethical investment – over the coming year. (In the interest of sanity I will stay away from commenting on wider political […]
I am delighted to announce that Fund EcoMarket has been shortlisted as a finalist for the following award: The Investment Week (Incisive Media) award category is ‘Sustainable Investment’ – Award for Innovation (Non-Fund). Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on 17 November. Further details about the award ceremony, (now in its 10th year!), can be found here.
This month saw the publication of two SRI/ethical investment articles in ‘Investment Life and Pensions Moneyfacts’ magazine. One was written by Moneyfacts editor Richard Eagling, the other by myself. See here for the ILP Moneyfacts annual ethical and SRI fund survey – Ethical Funds Survey July 2017 See here for my climate risk article (and in particular […]
I have Raj Thamothram of Preventable Surprises to ‘thank’ for bringing this shocker of a story to my attention. In brief – this is a tale of the investment markets rewarding a company for turning its back on green issues and attempting to turn back the clock. There is much to say and many questions to ask – including how […]
I am delighted to announce that Fund EcoMarket is a finalist in the ‘Best ESG/SRI Research’ Investment Week Awards category 2017. As much as we would love to win … given my knowledge of the quality and commitment of CDP, EQ Investors and EdenTree I truly don’t envy the judges! Taking my Fund EcoMarket hat off, for just a moment, I can […]
The EU has recently published its High Level Expert Group (HLEG) Sustainable Finance interim report. This ambitious and significant report covers issues ranging from financing greener infrastructure to the labelling SRI funds. Although mainly aimed at institutions the implication is that the final recommendations will also impact individual (retail) investors. The EU plans to start implementing changes at the start of 2018 […]
Reports in the FT and elsewhere today announce the important news that SwissRe now integrates Environmental, Social and Governance issues across all their equity and fixed income investment assets. They are doing so by using benchmarks based on the highly regarded MSCI ESG methodology. The first section of the SwissRe media release (from their website) is reproduced […]
The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure has today issued its much heralded final report the purpose of which is to establish a framework for company reporting that will enable investors to better assess and manage climate risk. The Financial Stability Board, chaired by Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney set up the TCFD (Task Force […]
Following the success of our ‘sold out’ event last year we are currently work on the plans for ‘Screened, Themed and Engaged 2017’ . This year’s Fund EcoMarket & sriServices ‘Good Money Week’ event for financial advisers and industry professionals will be held in Central London on the afternoon of 19 October. Attendees will hear from – and have the […]
We are delighted to welcome the Law Commission review of ‘Pensions & Social Investment’ published June 2017. This important review, whilst not fully digested yet, appears to support and even advance the view that social, as well as other related ethical and environmental considerations should form part of our pensions investment landscape and decision making. You can […]
Actuaries sent risk warning by professional body (IFoA) regarding material risk of climate change for pension schemes and other clients.
Earlier blogs by Julia Dreblow of sriServices can be found on the www.sriServices.co.uk website, accessible directly via this link.
With the ethical and social aspects of coronavirus being plain to see and markets wobbling horribly we have started to pull together some early comments published by the sustainable, responsible and ethical investment fund mangers that partner with Fund EcoMarket. Su and I will be writing out to all of our partner fund managers asking […]
This has undoubtedly been a memorable (and pretty miserable) week, month and indeed quarter. My first thoughts, when the horrible seriousness of Coronovirus started to become clear, may however have been a little different from some in that they were not entirely negative… Aside from the fears about relatives – my mother-in-law is recently bereaved, […]
Sustainable Finance Taxonomy report ‘Financing a Sustainable European Economy’ Technical Report published 9 March 2020 On 9 March 2020 the EU TEG (Technical Expert Group) on sustainable finance produced their final report which sets out a ‘taxonomy’ of sustainable business activities. This significant development will help investors to recognise those business activities that should be […]