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Financing the Future: An Interview on Banks’ Role in the Green Transition

Financing the Future: Conversations in Sustainable Finance is a Q&A series where we sit down with featured ESG experts from Sustainalytics, sharing their insights on how businesses are using finance to meet the challenges of our transition to a sustainable future. Read on to learn...

esg risk

A Closer Look at Product Governance ESG Risk Management

In 68% of our engagements, product governance is a significant material ESG issue, but it is our experience that most companies underestimate the materiality of this risk to investors. For some industries, product governance represents on average more than 20% of ESG risk exposure, as identified within our ESG Risk Rating framework.

Read on to explore why banks are embracing sustainable finance

Sustainable Finance and Banks: Reduced Risk, Increased Opportunity

Banks will play a key role in the green transition and those that commit to sustainable banking may gain an advantage over competitors, among other benefits. Indeed, banks are uniquely positioned to participate in and benefit from the transition to a green economy.

Nature’s Assets - Why Biodiversity is Good for Business

This ebook investigates the material impacts of biodiversity loss, explores which sectors are highly affected and offers five steps on how companies can measure and manage biodiversity-related issues.

Maximizing Engagement Impact in Fixed Income

Hear from our expert panel on how to maximize ESG impact from Fixed Income Engagement.

ESG Risk Ratings in APAC - Supporting the Corporate Sustainability Journey

Hear from a panel of ESG thought leaders in the Asia-Pacific region on how ESG ratings have supported their sustainability and financial objectives.

cop26 trending themes for investors

COP 26: A Spotlight on Emerging Climate Action Themes for Investors

Reactions to the COP26 Conference and the resulting Glasgow Climate Pact have predictably run the gamut from claims of greenwashing to the celebration of progress in the fight against climate change. Ultimately, any judgement on COP26 may be premature, as the success of the conference will best be measured in time by the extent to which commitments made are put into motion. While we wait to see the concrete actions that materialize, the past two weeks have underscored the importance of several themes that will garner increasing attention and should be considered by sustainable investors.

Read our infographic - 5 Breakout Innovations in Sustainable Banking

Infographic | 5 Breakout Innovations in Sustainable Finance for Banks

This infographic describes five key innovations in sustainable finance, including green deposits, sustainable deposits, green trade loans, green guarantees and letters of credit, sustainable supply chain financing, and offerings for borrowers in industries not traditionally considered green.

Listen to the latest episode of the Sustainalytics Podcast | Aligning Executive Action to Strategy With Sustainability-Linked Compensation

What’s Happening in Sustainable Finance: Market Expectations Rise, Green Bonds Continue to Flourish, and Biodiversity Climbs Up the Agenda

Highlighting the growth of the global sustainable finance market during the first half of the year and the increasing attention on biodiversity among issuer and investors.

COP26 Video 3

COP26 Goal #4 - Work Together to Deliver

Why do ESG research and ratings matter to financial market participants? Ulziitushig (Toshi) Batbuyan, Associate, Oil & Gas Research, talks about how investors can leverage Sustainalytics' ESG Risk Ratings in various capacities.

Exploring the Role of ESG Factors in the Fixed Income Investing Process

While many mainstream investors with an equity focus are applying ESG considerations as a part of their investment decision-making processes, how are fixed-income investors looking at ESG factors to assess corporate credit risk, bond selection, and other related activities?

oil refinery GHG

The Impact and Cost of Air Pollution: U.S. Petroleum Refineries

Investors can examine to what extent petroleum refiners manage their Non-GHG Air Emissions and assess the quality of a company's programs to reduce air pollutants. For instance, examining all the petroleum refiners assessed by Sustainalytics, we observe that only 3% have a strong program to manage non-greenhouse gas emissions.

Green tinted stock market graph, sustainable finance

Simplifying Sustainable Finance – Explaining Green Bonds, Green Loans, Sustainability-Linked Loans and Bonds and More

Explaining the differences between some of the most common sustainable finance instruments, from green bonds and loans to ESG-linked instruments such as sustainability-linked loans.

cop26 goal 3

COP26 Goal #3 – Mobilize Finance

How can governments, companies and financial institutions help to mobilize finance to achieve global climate goals? Mayur Mukati of Sustainalytics’ Corporate Solutions unit discusses the role of sustainable finance in supporting a just and sustainable climate transition.

EU Action Plan SFDR

Momentum Around Principal Adverse Impact Data Remains Strong Despite SFDR Delays

Despite the shifting timelines, we observe that the market momentum around PAIs is not diminishing, quite the contrary. Investors in the scope of the regulation are using the fourth quarter of this year to get acquainted with PAI data and set up their systems. Most investors we speak with want to be prepared in time to be able to monitor PAIs throughout 2022 and adjust their portfolios to boost their PAIs (or rather limit the downside, as these are adverse impact indicators). This means that PAIs may significantly impact stock selection and portfolio construction by fund managers keen to have ‘good’ PAI scores.

Bridge arch against blue sky

Quick Start Guide: Key Considerations for Sustainability-Linked Loans

To help explain sustainability-linked loans, Sustainalytics has developed a quick start guide highlighting key considerations when entering into an SLL agreement.

How Sustainable Finance is Shaping Change in Banking

How Sustainable Finance is Shaping Change in Banking

This ebook highlights key issues for banks, including strategies to embed ESG into lending and investment decisions, and important innovations in sustainable finance.

energy crisis

What ESG Risks Should Investors Consider During the Energy Crisis?

As world leaders prepare to meet in Glasgow for COP26 to discuss accelerating climate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, an emerging energy crisis persists around the world.

SFDR EU taxonomy

SFDR and EU Taxonomy Product Disclosure Rules Finally Released

The publication of these rules marks the end of a prolonged period of uncertainty in the market around final rules and timelines - assuming the RTS will be adopted as-is in a Delegated Act, which turns these rules into regulation. There are several noteworthy aspects to these rules, which we address from our perspective in this article.

biodiversity species

Biodiversity: A Crisis Equaling, Possibly Exceeding, Climate Change

According to the UN’s Convention on Biological Diversity the main drivers of biodiversity loss are habitat loss and degradation, climate change, pollution, over-exploitation, and invasive species. Habitat loss is directly linked to the conversion of natural ecosystems to agricultural lands and unsustainable use of water resources.