Sustainable Investments, geopolitics, other!
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Articles by Lorenzo Saa
AI and ESG: Part Two: Risk and Governance
Institutional investors need to grasp its E, S and G risks quickly to use and invest in AI effectively, says Lorenzo Saa, Chief Sustainability Officer of Clarity AI. The potential rewards of AI are enormous, but they do not come risk-free. Just as smoke alarms safeguard our homes, the modern economy needs to install early warning systems and guardrails that will enable us to safely power ahead with the use of AI.
AI and ESG - Part One: Opportunities
Lorenzo Saa, Chief Sustainability Officer of Clarity AI, considers the possibilities when the power of long-term capital meets the power of technology. AI is already revolutionising how we live, work, and play, and it’s set to radically transform global progress on sustainability. It is no surprise therefore that business leaders such as Google CEO Sundar Pichai predict that its impact on human society will be as profound as the discovery of fire.
Part II: ESG factors and returns - a review of industry research since 2021
Since our 2021 review of selected industry research on the connection between ESG factors and returns at a portfolio and equity level, a range of new papers has been published on the topic by leading asset managers and investment banks. This blog summarises our observations on how industry research has developed and some emerging themes. The end of the blog includes links to the research referenced.
Anti-ESG bills in the US will only create confusion for investors
As US statehouses begin their 2023 sessions, we see a growing number of proposed bills that address ESG or responsible investment in some way. Most of these bills see considering and incorporating environmental, social and governance factors – as well as broader practices associated with responsible investment – as harmful or otherwise unwanted. These anti-ESG bills are based on misconceptions about responsible investment’s purpose, its value to investors and beneficiaries, and how it is done.
Continuing the winning streak
Lorenzo Saa, PRI’s former Chief Signatory Relations Officer, reflects on the monumental shifts in responsible investment (RI) during his recently ended 14-year PRI tenure and shares his views on what PRI’s and RI industry’s next ambitions should be in light of the PRI in a Changing World consultation. It is hard to believe how the RI space has changed since the 2008-2009 financial crisis.
UN PRI Reaches 4,000 Signatories
By Lorenzo Saa, Chief Signatory Relations Officer, PRI Responsible investment has gone from strength to strength in emerging markets over the past years, with 50% growth in the number of signatories headquartered there in 2020. We are also seeing strong growth in the insurance sector, with insurance asset owner signatories growing at a rate of 30%.
Can SOEs play a role in global environmental engagement?
By Po-Hsuan Hsu, National Tsing Hua University, Hao Liang, Singapore Management University and Pedro Matos, University of Virginia – Darden School of Business ACADEMIC BLOG Policy makers have dedicated significant attention to companies’ exposure to climate change and other environmental issues.
Talking about the weather: understanding household demand for green investment
By Anders Anderson, Executive Director, Swedish House of Finance and David Robinson, Professor of Finance at Fuqua School of Business, Duke University ACADEMIC BLOG Today the world stands captivated in horror, gripped by scenes of environmental devastation, property damage and the tragic loss of life, as Australian bushfires continue to engulf that continent.
PRI milestone: 500 asset owner members
Home > Sustainability > PRI milestone: 500 asset owner members On the back of a healthy annual growth rate of well over 20 per cent, last week we welcomed our 500th asset owner signatory. This is a hugely significant milestone. Asset owners sit at the top of the investment chain, so there is now a powerful collective force committing to further mainstream responsible investment and lead PRI signatories’ $90 trillion in AUM towards more sustainable returns.
PRI Welcomes 500th Asset Owner Signatory
By Lorenzo Saa, Chief Signatory Relations Officer, PRI On the back of a healthy annual growth rate of well over 20%, last week we welcomed our 500th asset owner signatory. This is a hugely significant milestone. Asset owners sit at the top of the investment chain, so there is now a powerful collective force committing to further mainstream responsible investment and lead PRI signatories’ US$90 trillion in AUM towards more sustainable returns.
Financial markets and decarbonisation
By Ralph De Haas, Director of Research, EBRD and Alexander Popov, Principal Economist, EBRD ACADEMIC BLOG This article provides evidence that economies generate fewer carbon emissions per capita if they receive relatively more of their funding from stock markets as opposed to credit markets.
PRI welcomes 500th asset owner signatory
On the back of a healthy annual growth rate of well over 20%, last week we welcomed our 500th asset owner signatory. This is a hugely significant milestone. Asset owners sit at the top of the investment chain, so there is now a powerful collective force committing to further mainstream responsible investment and lead PRI signatories’ US$90 trillion in AUM towards more sustainable returns. Impact on investment managers Important steps have already been made in this community.
ESG factors and equity returns - a review of recent industry research
By Toby Belsom, Director Investment Practices, PRI and Laura Lake, former CIO, Breckinridge Capital Advisors Asset flows into ESG funds have been a notable feature of capital markets in the last 12 months[1] and this is likely to continue. According to some forecasts, in the next five years half of professionally managed investments may include an ESG mandate.[2] Responsible or sustainable investing has moved from a niche product to a mainstream investment offering.
Do index funds monitor their portfolio firms?
By Davidson Heath and Matthew Ringgenberg, University of Utah Eccles School of Business; Daniele Macciocchi, University of Miami Herbert Business School and Roni Michaely, Hong Kong University and ECGI. ACADEMIC BLOG Over the last three decades, the rise of passively managed index funds has transformed how Americans invest.
How to make ESG issues core to investment manager selection, appointment and monitoring
By Toby Belsom, Director, Investment Practices, PRI, and Diba Ahour, Analyst, Investment Practices, PRI Responsible investment should be at the core of the relationship between asset owners and investment managers. More and more clients want it, regulators demand it and academic and industry evidence supports it. When I entered this industry in the mid-90s, I would never have expected this to become a competitive advantage and a minimum expectation – but it is now becoming mainstream.
PRI reaches 4000 signatories with emerging markets boosting RI uptake
Responsible investment has gone from strength to strength in emerging markets over the past years, with 50% growth in the number of signatories headquartered there in 2020. We are also seeing strong growth in the insurance sector, with insurance asset owner signatories growing at a rate of 30%.
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