ESG
Willis Towers Watson launches euro fund as secure income fund hits £1bn
Willis Towers Watson's secure income fund has reached £1bn of commitments in the UK, as pension scheme demand for long-term sustainable income soars.
Phase in dashboard compulsion gradually, says industry
Smaller schemes should be given more time to prepare data for the pensions dashboard while larger counterparts should be brought on earlier, this week's Pensions Buzz respondents say.
Are DC schemes failing to factor climate risks into investment decisions?
A ShareAction survey has found pension schemes are leaving staff savings exposed to climate-related risks. Kim Kaveh looks at the findings.
PRI toughens up climate risk reporting for UK schemes
Some of the UK's biggest pension schemes will be forced to report on climate risk in line with recommendations from the Taskforce for Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).
Conscious decoupling: GDP and environmental sustainability
Aviva Investors' Abigail Herron says GDP fails to measure the impact of economic growth on the planet's finite environmental resources
Northern LGPS pool commits to zero-emission assets by 2050
The Northern local government pension scheme (LGPS) pool has pledged to completely decarbonise its investments by 2050 in line with the 2015 Paris agreement.
FRC to set higher investor stewardship standards with new code
The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is consulting on a new stewardship code that sets higher expectations for investor stewardship policy and practice.
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Merseyside selects SSGA for £400m smart sustainability investment
Merseyside Pension Fund has allocated an initial £400m of assets to a smart sustainability fund managed by State Street Global Advisors (SSGA).
LGPS divestment campaign heads to Supreme Court
Government rules over ethical investment in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) will hit the Supreme Court as campaigners contest state interference.
Nine ESG Questions You Should Be Asking Your Manager
Industry Voice: Figuring out whether your money is funding issuers that are effective stewards of their corporations, society and the environment starts with asking your asset managers pointed questions about how they incorporate environmental, social...
Fossil free MPs' Pension Fund campaign secures backing of 200 politicians
A campaign to divest the MPs' Pension Scheme from fossil fuel investments has gained the support of 200 MPs and former MPs across partisan lines.
Ethics & alpha: Can investing responsibly enhance returns?
Steve Waygood, chief responsible investment officer at Aviva Investors, takes an in-depth look at the relationship between responsible investing and performance.
How NEST is becoming a more sophisticated investor
The master trust is leading the way on DC investment, getting into illiquid assets and challenging asset managers to do more. CIO Mark Fawcett tells Stephanie Baxter about its evolution
Exclusive: Blackrock launches multi-asset strategic growth fund
Blackrock has launched a strategic growth fund for defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution (DC) schemes which aims to achieve long-term growth with two-thirds the volatility of equities.
Climate change policy adopted by just 5% of top corporate pension funds
While three quarters of the biggest UK corporate pension funds recognise the potential impact of climate change, only a handful have a specific policy, according to Pinsent Masons research.
Govt blocks mandatory climate risk reporting in 'disappointing' response to EAC proposal
The government has rejected the Environmental Audit Committee's (EAC) proposal to make pension fund climate-related financial disclosures mandatory.
LifeSight to adopt 50% ESG strategy for default fund amid DC 'challenges'
Willis Towers Watson's LifeSight is the first defined contribution (DC) master trust to allocate around half of equity investments in the default fund to environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies.
Church of England Pensions Board challenges 55 companies on climate lobbying practices
The Church of England Pensions Board has written to 55 European companies on their climate lobbying practices, and has warned of shareholder resolutions later this year.
Pensions minister calls for schemes to step up environmental commitments
Pension funds can step up their environmental commitments by ensuring they take full account of climate change in their investment strategies, pensions minister Guy Opperman has said.
Hermes appointed for LGPS Central engagement remit
LGPS Central has appointed Hermes Equity Ownership Services (EOS) to run engagement and voting services for the investments of its nine local authority funds.
A wake-up call for pension funds
Catherine Howarth argues that more auto-enrolment providers need to develop their climate-related risk management.
IGCs face stronger ESG reporting duties under FCA plans
Contract-based schemes could face requirements to disclose their firms' policies on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) plans.
ESG could be 'hidden superpower' for member engagement
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues could be the key to greater engagement with members if the power of investments is communicated well, says Emma Douglas.
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