Fixes for ESG data management challenges may arise during a “Tech Sprint,” launched by PIMFA WealthTech, a market network and technology platform created via a trade association and principal partner Morningstar. On March 5, they officially kicked off a “Tech Sprint” for innovations in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors, particularly for ESG data management…. Read More >>
Regulators & Policies Decide ESG Plans for Pension Funds
Regulators and policymakers will have greater impacts on the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investment strategies of pension plans than the pushback against ESG investments, according to two recent reports. The findings about regulators and policymakers are based on the Amundi/CREATE-Research annual global survey of pension investors and their investing concerns. For the… Read More >>
ESG Data Will Be Normalized for Investing: Q&A
(Paul Fahey, head of investment data science, asset servicing, Americas, Northern Trust, took questions from FTF News about the concerns that operations staff have about the environmental, social, and governance [ESG] data and factors that they are likely to encounter as part of their support for the investment process. In his post at Northern Trust,… Read More >>
ESG Spurs Wolters Kluwer to Combine Four Divisions
Wolters Kluwer will combine four global enterprise software businesses into a new division, dubbed Corporate Performance & ESG, because environmental, social, and governance solutions are driving growth for the provider of professional information, software solutions, and services, officials say. In March, these four software businesses will be combined: CCH Tagetik (including U.S. Corporate Tax): Corporate… Read More >>
GSAM Settles ESG Policy Woes Case for $4M
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. for its “policies and procedures failures involving two mutual funds and one separately managed account strategy marketed as Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investments.” GSAM officials neither admit nor deny the SEC charges. However, to settle the case, it will “consent to… Read More >>
Northern Trust & EDS Target ESG Workflows & Other News
Northern Trust & Equity Data Science Create ESG Tool Northern Trust and Equity Data Science have launched what they describe as a workflow solution for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data intended to “allow investors to more quickly access and share ESG information,” officials say. The solution is described as an “ESG digitized data aggregation… Read More >>
Not All ESG Funds Are Climate-Friendly: Report
Some environmental, social, and governance (ESG) funds and funds with “climate” in the name contain assets that are inconsistent with their environmentally conscious branding, according to a recent study by ESG Book. The report, “Always check the label,” examined asset data on 420 ESG funds and 95 climate-labeled funds, all of which had at least… Read More >>
Public Pension Funds Should Consider Fighting Climate Change: Q&A
(Investing according to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns is facing a major political backlash. A least 24 U.S. state governments are moving to stop public pension fund managers from making investment decisions based upon ESG principles. Those leading the backlash say that when fund managers apply the ESG filter to investment decisions, it leads… Read More >>
24 States Forbid ESG Investing via Public Pension Funds
A major Republican backlash is underway in at least 24 U.S. states against public pension fund managers making investment decisions based upon environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns and principles. Those leading the backlash say that when the ESG filter is applied to investment decisions, it leads to portfolio losses, which harm pensioners. Non-ESG investments… Read More >>
Get Ready for a Major Battle Over ESG
Call it a fight over conflicting ideological screening methods or a backlash against a backlash. But, regardless of the initial label, a major political battle over environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles is gathering steam. As conservative U.S. states fall in line against the usage of ESG principles for public pension investments, 13 state treasurers… Read More >>
