February 2024

US. New York pension fund to divest some Exxon holdings

The New York State Common Retirement Fund will restrict its investments in eight integrated oil and gas companies, including the divestment of a small share of its holdings in Exxon Mobil (XOM.N), New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who oversees retirement assets, said on Thursday. The move follows a review of the companies' readiness to transition to a low-carbon economy, DiNapoli said in a statement. The move amounts to a compromise measure by the third-largest U.S. state pension fund as it and...

US. Sustainable investing has bright future, Morningstar exec says

Sustainable investing has a bright future, as younger generations and those with long-term investing goals, such as pension funds, have expressed interest in it, Morningstar Indexes' head of ESG strategy said at the Exchange ETF conference in Miami Beach, Fla., on Feb. 13. "There's no reason to expect systematic underperformance from sustainable investments, and there's some reason to believe you might be able to get some marginal long-term benefits out of it," Morningstar Indexes' Thomas Kuh said at a panel...

Climate Polarization and Green Investment

By Anders Anderson & David T. Robinson We build a nationally representative sample of retirement savers in Sweden to study how asymmetric updating of beliefs about climate change affects investment decisions. After the intense heat wave of 2018, respondents in regions dominated by a right-wing, anti-climate party grow less concerned about climate change, while respondents outside these regions grow more concerned. Those growing more concerned rebalance their retirement portfolios toward climate-friendly mutual funds; those growing less concerned rebalance out of...

January 2024

Asset Manager, Pension Fund & ESG

By René Maatman & Kleis Broekhuizen  When it comes to sustainability, much is expected of pension funds. Of course, they must ensure value-proof pensions. They are also expected to contribute to the environment, climate, human rights, social justice, and corporate governance. ESG must be factored into investment policy. But how and to what extent? There are varying preferences within the population of pension participants. Politicians, action groups and NGOs have their own beliefs. Pension fund boards must make complex trade-offs. How...

Sustainable Finance and ESG: From Policy Concerns to Transformative Tools

By Peer C. Zumbansen  This article provides an in-depth summary of the inaugural Fall conference on ESG and Sustainable Finance at McGill University, November 2023. The conference was hosted by the SGI CIBC Office for Sustainable Finance (OSF) and the Business Law Platform at McGill’s Faculty of Law. OSF was established under the auspices of McGill’s Sustainable Growth Initiative, a cross-departmental research and collaboration platform committed to cutting-edge scholarship and training on sustainable finance, decarbonisation, green mobility, climate change and...

UK. ‘Drive to reach net zero’ top reason for pension investment in renewable energy

The pursuit of reaching net-zero carbon emissions is the top reason for pension investment in renewable energy, according to research by AlphaReal. When asking UK pension schemes and insurers to select the three main environmental, social and governance (ESG) drivers for investing in renewable energy, almost three-quarters (72 per cent) included ‘measurable targets and benefits including achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050’ in their top three. Climate risk mitigation was the second biggest ESG driver for pension schemes and insurers, chosen...

El rol de los fondos de pensiones para promover mejores estándares de gobierno corporativo

Por Federación Internacional de Administradoras de Fondos de Pensiones El Gobierno Corporativo (GC) es un conjunto de normas, prácticas y procedimientos que determinan y regulan las acciones al interior de una empresa, estableciendo derechos y obligaciones a las distintas partes involucradas. Las buenas prácticas de GC favorecen la integridad de las empresas, instituciones financieras y mercados. Las empresas que adoptan dichas prácticas incrementan su eficiencia, reducen costos, limitan el riesgo y se legitiman ante la sociedad y los mercados, lo...

December 2023

UK. New report finds greening pensions reduces carbon footprint more than stopping flying

Scottish Widows’ latest Green Pensions Report has found that while most Brits are well aware of how to reduce their carbon footprint through changing their behaviours, two thirds (67%) don’t know how to switch to a ‘green pension’. If this information gap were to be addressed by the government, industry and employers, UK consumers could collectively save up to 386 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually through their pensions[1] – the equivalent of 11 return flights from London to New...

UK. Over two thirds of savers unsure how to switch to a greener pension

While most Brits are well aware of how to reduce their carbon footprint through changing their behaviours, more than two thirds (67 per cent) don’t know how to switch to a ‘green pension’, research from Scottish Widows has revealed. Scottish Widows’ second annual Green Pensions Report found that there is growing appetite for responsible retirement savings propositions among employers and employees, with nearly three quarters (74 per cent) of savers expressing a keen interest in obtaining more information about sustainable options for...

Danish pension fund to sell its Tesla shares over union dispute

PensionDanmark, one of Denmark's largest pension funds, said on Wednesday it had decided to sell its holdings in Tesla (TSLA.O) over the U.S. auto company's refusal to enter into agreements with labour unions. The decision is part of a growing Nordic movement to force Tesla to sign collective bargaining agreements with Swedish mechanics, who have been on strike since October. Labour unions in Norway and Denmark this week said they would start blocking transit shipments of Tesla cars meant for the Swedish market. Tesla has a policy of not...