 |
Weekly News Round-Up: January 5th, 2018 |
Dear {{ recipient.first_name_or_friend }},
Happy New Year! Below please find news highlights from the past few weeks.
You may notice the new format for the news round-up, as we are now using our email system instead of the listserv for these weekly updates. We hope you like it; please send any feedback you may have. (The listserv is still active for asking questions and interactive dialogue amongst the IEN community).
And, if you haven't already, don't forget to register for the 2018 Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit, Feb. 4-6 in Tempe, AZ!
Have a great weekend,
Nicole
Program Manager The Intentional Endowments Network
|
|
|
|
 |
Sustainable Investing at Endowments & Foundations |
UNC Asheville Looks For Help With Sustainable Investing l Pensions & Investments
-
University of North Carolina, Asheville, is requesting information from investment managers about how to reinvest part of its endowment in sustainable investment options. UNC Asheville's $40.5 million endowment is managed by UNC Management Co., which handles the pooled assets within the UNC system.
Future Ford Foundation Director Weighs in on Role, Impact Investing l Chief Investment Officer
-
While he wraps up 2017 as managing director and co-head of Morgan Stanley’s Global Sustainable Finance team, Roy Swan will open the new year at the Ford Foundation as director of its Mission Investments team.CIO caught up with Swan to talk about his accomplishments, his thoughts on where the most potential future impact investments appear, and more.
The Church Pension Fund Invests in $75 Million Off-Grid Solar and Financial Access Senior Debt Fund l Business Wire
- The Church Pension Fund (CPF), a financial services organization that serves the Episcopal Church, announced this week that it invested $17 million in the Social Investment Managers & Advisors (SIMA) Off-Grid Solar and Financial Access Senior Debt Fund I, B.V. The $75 million fund will provide loans to microfinance institutions, distribution companies, and manufacturers in the off-grid solar sector located in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
CalPERS Calls ESG Criticism ‘Laughable’ l Chief Investment Officer
-
The $344 billion California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) has scoffed at a report from the American Council for Capital Formation (ACCF) that is highly critical of the systems’ ESG investments. CalPERS shot back at the accusations, saying that the CalPERS Investment Office’s investment decisions are based on its fiduciary responsibility to sustain the fund and pay the benefits public employees have earned.
|
|
|
|
 |
Sustainable, Responsible, Impact & ESG Investing |
Bloomberg Briefs l Sustainable Finance
- This week's Bloomberg Brief highlights what trends to watch in the year ahead, from electric cars to carbon pricing; How SunEdison has emerged from bankruptcy; and that China's carbon market shows how far the U.S. is lagging behind, according to CDP's Paula DiPerna.
Women Leaders In Sustainable Finance: Modeling The Future l Financial Advisor
- This is the first article is a series that highlights women leaders in sustainable finance and how they are using their industry experience to incorporate two trends into their roles as investment advisors, asset managers, research analysts and financial services executives.
Break The Sustainable Investing Bottleneck l Investment News
- This article outlines the various bottlenecks and barriers to adopting sustainable investing, including how Integrating sustainable investing requires understanding a new set of products, having deeper conversations with clients about personal values, and altering your own story about how you can deliver for the new investor.
2018 Sneak Peek: What to Expect of Impact Investing l Barron's
- Impact investing—the strategy of investing in companies with the intent of bettering the environment and society while still earning a market rate-of-return—gained momentum in 2017 amid rising investor interest and high-profile opportunities from the likes of alternative-investment firms TPG and Bain Capital Management. This article shares the thoughts of executives at four leading institutions on what's in store for 2018.
2017 Was The Year That ... l Green Biz
-
As 2018 begins, there’s a renewed sense of commitment and forward movement on a range of fronts. In that spirit, this article, in no particular order, outlines some of the storylines that were covered at GreenBiz during 2017 that showed the promise and progress of sustainable business.
ESG, SRI & Impact Investing: Explaining the Difference to Clients l Investopedia
- ESG, SRI and impact investing are industry terms often used interchangeably by clients and professionals alike, with the assumption that they all match in meaning and approach. This article describes the distinct differences between each term that will affect how client portfolios should be structured and which investments are suitable for meeting social impact goals.
Impact Investing: Conservation Gets Finance Boost l Euro Money
- Conservation finance got a boost in December when the Global Environmental Facility (made up of 18 agencies) allocated over $8 million to the Coalition for Private Investment in Conservation (CPIC). CPIC brings together non-profits in the conservation area, including the Nature Conservancy, Rainforest Alliance and WWF, with consultants, impact investment managers and development agencies. Since coming together, the stakeholders have been forming working groups and sourcing projects suitable to be put into conservation investments for private investors.
Impact Investing is Going Mainstream (Opinion) l CTech
-
According to this author, impact investing is no longer just a niche-- it’s going mainstream. That’s the message the Ford Foundation communicated earlier this year when it announced that $1 billion of its $12 billion portfolio would be devoted to mission-related investing. A significant chunk of the Foundation’s existing investment portfolio will be deployed over time into funds seeking to earn not only attractive financial returns but also concrete social returns. By doing so, the Ford Foundation seeks to align its investments with its mission to reduce poverty and injustice.
5 Impact Investing Trends That Emerged From 2017 l Iris
|
|
|
|
 |
Green Bonds |
Bonds Could Spur ESG ETF Growth l Investopedia
-
Bond funds represent a small percentage of the overall universe of ESG funds. When it comes to ESG exchange-traded funds (ETFs), fixed income is also a small, but growing part of that space. Importantly, the potential for ESG fixed income growth could be widespread across corporate bonds, sovereign debt and other parts of the bond market.
ESG & Bonds: A Compelling Combination l ETF Trends
-
With the universe of exchange traded funds following ESG poised to expand, investors should also expect to see more fixed income funds dedicated to virtuous investing. Some ESG bond ETFs came to market last year, according to iShares.
|
|
|
|
|