Nordic financial services group Nordea Asset Management (NAM) impressed the judges twice in this year's Sustainable Investment Awards, winning two fund-related awards.
Winning the award for 'Infrastructure fund of the year' for its Nordea 1 – Global Sustainable Listed Real Assets Fund, NAM believes that adding a layer of sustainability to a real assets portfolio can be a contributor to the green transition and make these assets "fit for the future".
Investments include the UK's National Grid, whose transmission grid plays a crucial role in the UK's shift to renewables, and the Hong-Kong property owner LINK which has substantial carbon-reduction targets across its entire portfolio of retail, office, logistics centres, and car park operations.
"Sustainable listed real assets are well-positioned to outperform during a period of inflation, provide energy solutions and contribute to sustainable development. This includes environmental stewardship such as upgrades to renewable and low-carbon technologies, societal stewardship including affordable housing and infrastructure, and disruptive technological evolution such as 5G data networks," commented Jeremy Anagnos, portfolio manager of Nordea 1 – Global Sustainable Listed Real Assets Fund.
NAM has teamed up with CBRE, a global real assets investment management firm, in order to combine CBRE's real estate and infrstructure expertise with Nordea's Responsible Investments Team and manage the fund of approximately 50 companies.
It is an Article 9 fund under the EU's Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR).
Also winning the award for 'Social fund of the year', the Nordea 1 - Global Climate and Social Impact Fund invests in companies that seek to provide solutions to environmental and social challenges with investments focused on the themes of health and wellbeing, inclusion and opportunity, sustainable living and the ow-carbon economy.
Within these themes, Nordea seeks investment opportunities that contribute to life quality and expectancy and allow people to live productive and fulfilling lives in a fair and safe environment.
This includes life sciences and health companies and companies offering social inclusion solutions. For example, the fund has invested in Bank Rakyat, an Indonesian bank that has over 53 million micro, small and medium borrowers who would be otherwise unable to access financing at affordable rates.
NAM says it has developed its climate-investing expertise over the past 15 years. Its Fundamental Equities Team has more recently expanded this expertise to include social considerations, recognising the interconnection between environmental and social issues.
Christophe Girondel, Nordea's head of institutional and wholesale distribution, commented: "We are honoured that our climate and social expertise have been recognised by Environmental Finance's Sustainable Investment Awards 2023. It is truly humbling to see the years of experience and know-how we've accumulated with our sustainable thematic fund range being acknowledged by the responsible investment community."
