Private credit will play a vital role in accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy.According to Rob Horn, global head of the Blackstone Credit Sustainable Resources Group, this role is set to get a whole lot bigger. Horn believes that credit will eventually supply as much as 60 per cent of the estimated $100 trillion needed to decarbonise economies around the world providing for a particularly attractive investment opportunity for private credit. An opportunity to drive attractive risk-adjusted returns, while potentially improving societal outcomes. In this exclusive fireside chat with Fiona Reynolds, chief executive of Conexus Financial and former head of the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment, Horn outlines Blackstone’s view on energy transition as a key investment theme for the firm; its approach to sustainable finance; and what is needed to encourage more institutional investors into this rapidly evolving space.
Divesting from the oil sector has been a boon for La Caisse’s performance, as the Canadian pension giant says its energy investments have earned billions in value-add compared to the benchmark since the inception of its climate strategy. Head of sustainability Bertrand Millot unpacks the fund’s approach in an interview with Top1000funds.com.
The first day of the Fiduciary Investors Symposium at Cambridge University, which brought together more than 70 asset owners from 15 countries, centred around asset owners responsibility to engage with policymakers, the integration of ESG and the sustainable development goals as well as barriers to long term investing.
Thinking and acting long-term and holding their service providers to account on long-term risk behaviours and measures, is one of asset owners’ most enduring challenges. Speaking at the Fiduciary Investors Symposium at Cambridge University a panel of experts highlighted important tools asset owners can deploy to ensure they stay focused on the long-term.
The €9 billion ($10 billion) Dutch fund for disabled workers, PWRI, has introduced a proprietary index that tilts towards companies that prioritise workers’ rights and health and safety issues. It’s a revolutionary approach to reflect the fund’s distinctive ESG priorities and a guide for other investors wanting to prioritise the “s” in ESG.
New Zealand’s largest investors are urging Facebook, Google and Twitter to take more responsibility for what is published on their platforms, following the live-streaming and sharing on social media of last week’s Christchurch terror attacks. They are calling on other global investors to act with them.
The returns we need can only come from a system that works; the benefits we pay are worth more in a world worth living in, argues Marisa Hall from the Thinking Ahead Institute.
The giant Danish fund, ATP, takes a comprehensive approach to ESG including voting and engagement, as well as a large investment in green bonds. Ole Buhl is vice president and head of ESG at ATP explains.
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