Ahren Lester

Concern as EU Taxonomy proposals diverge from TEG recommendations

The EU's trail blazing sustainability taxonomy passed another milestone, with the publication of the draft technical criteria, reports Ahren Lester. But divergences from the expert recommendations show that significant challenges face the closely watched 'green' list

Bond round-up: Chile, NWB, LafargeHolcim, Schneider Electric, Vinci ... and more

Asset manager taskforce calls on bondholders to assert their rights

A UK government-initiated taskforce has announced recommendations to strengthen sustainable stewardship in the UK investment industry, including encouraging investors to assert their rights in the bond and private markets.

Asian firms overtake US on emissions disclosure, says Arabesque

The proportion of Asian companies reporting carbon emissions has jumped above that of US firms in 2019, according to a report by sustainability-focused asset manager Arabesque, although European corporates continue to lead.

BlackRock, DWS, Natixis show 'basic' commitment to ESG, says Morningstar

Morningstar has identified Vanguard and Lyxor among asset managers with a 'low' level of commitment to ESG topics, whilst BlackRock, DWS, Natixis and UBS were flagged for their 'basic' approaches.

EU publishes first sets of Taxonomy screening criteria

The European Commission has published the first two sets of technical screening criteria for the EU Taxonomy for sustainable activities, described as an "important step" for the closely-watched green policy instrument.

News round-up: EU offshore wind push, muni green project fund, sovereign ESG data set ... and more

European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans encouraged EU member states to use funds from the €750 billion Next Generation EU fund to make targeted investments in the space to "unlock the necessary private financial flows" to power the expansion.

ESG Ratings in fixed income: A good start

ESG ratings should only be used as a first step when it comes to assessing issuers, a panel at Environmental Finance's ESG and Fixed Income 2020 conference heard. Ahren Lester reports

Green and sustainability-linked loan round-up: Exilion, CapitaLand ... and more

Bond round-up: EU, Unedic, KfW, TenneT, BNG, Schneider Electric ... and more