Michael Hurley

Final HLEG report marks giant strides for sustainable finance globally

The final High-Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance (HLEG) report was released today, marking a landmark moment for the EU that will also reverberate around the rest of the world.

EU green bond standard should make GBPs mandatory, HLEG urges

An official EU green bond standard should be created this year that would make the recommendations of the Green Bond Principles (GBPs) mandatory and require second opinion providers to be accredited, according to the Commission's High-Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance (HLEG).

Oligopolistic rating agencies must be forced to consider ESG, says HLEG

The European Union should crack down on 'oligopolistic' credit rating agencies by forcing them to integrate environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in their analysis, according to the High-Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance (HLEG).

New ESG index uses machine learning

Deutsche Bank has launched an index that uses 'machine learning' to help select companies with a strong sustainability performance.

PRI, Eurosif urge EU to enshrine sustainability in fiduciary duty law

The UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) and Eurosif have urged the EU to formally recognise sustainability as part of large investors' fiduciary duty, saying that such a definition would remove a key barrier to responsible investment.

MUFG issues €500m green bond

Japan-based banking group MUFG has issued a five-year, €500 million ($612 million) green bond, its first since September 2016.

PRI urges specific ESG policy for infrastructure investors

The UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) has published advice on how investors can integrate environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria across their infrastructure investments.

UK's rail pension fund updates voting policy with focus on climate risk

The £28 billion ($38.92 billion) UK pension fund investment manager RPMI Railpen has published its 2018 voting policy, with "a key focus" on integrating climate considerations into its voting and engagement approach.

Impax assets rise to £11.3bn with acquisition of Pax

Europe's largest biomass plant to grow with fourth renewable unit

The owner of the largest biomass power station in Europe is to convert a fourth partly coal-fired unit to biomass energy generation this year, following a UK government decision on a national renewables incentive scheme.