News
Shareholders rebel against top companies ahead of annual meeting season
Bayer, Barclays, UBS...annual meeting season is already in a state of turmoil, with shareholders voting against corporate leadership and asking them to be more responsible. Shareholder activism is strengthening to hold companies more responsible, particularly on the climate issue. Businesses are...
Impact investing: a holy grail for the finance sector
The search for impact investing has spread across the entire finance sector. From specialized management companies to the largest of banks, financial institutions want to be a part of this rapidly growing market, estimated at $502 billion by Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN). However, there is...
Gender equality: the next challenge in sustainable finance
Thematic funds on gender equality are starting to emerge within companies. And it's not an easy task! Women continue to experience difficulties in attaining corporate leadership roles. The management company Mirova has just created a fund that goes against current statistics, by investing in...
Greening the financial system : a new mission for central banks
The fight against climate change can work wonders. It is not only able to transform central bankers into environmental apostles, but also reduces circumspect regulation to concrete considerations of climate-related financial risks. This was demonstrated by the Paris meeting of the Network for the...
Responsible investment could mean a crash test for the mass market
Responsible investing is growing at a rapid pace and is beginning to intertwine with the rest of the finance sector. The challenge is far from being won. Disparity in terminology makes it particularly difficult for investors and salespeople to market it. And lack of standardization concerning impact...
The SEC allows ExxonMobil to axe climate change resolution at general meeting
The basis of the Security and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) recent decision goes against historical trends. While shareholders once again tried to put climate on the agenda of ExxonMobil's General Meeting, the stock exchange watchdog authorised the oil giant to dismiss the resolution, on the premise...
Artificial intelligence: one week after being established, Google's ethics board is already falling apart
Google's ambition was to develop an artificial intelligence program with the US military. But faced with the outcry raised by its own employees, the company has since changed course and set up an ethics committee on this new technology. Impacted by a poor casting of board members, the plan has...
[Inside story] Calls for boycott: George Clooney against the Sultan of Brunei, while Arab States stand against brazilian agrobusiness!
Boycotting is a double-faced geopolitical weapon used by stars like George Clooney to defend human rights but also by Arab states against the Brazilian agribusiness that sells them halal meat!
Despite water stress risks, large companies continue to consume more water
22 March is World Water Day. This basic resource is increasingly abused due to demographic pressure as well as growing industrial and agricultural needs. Despite increased awareness of the risks associated with water scarcity and water degradation, large global companies are only adding to this...
[Infographic] Gender equality is also an economic opportunity
A $5.800 trillion opportunity. This is what greater workplace gender equality could provide the economy, and in doing so, increase global GDP by 3.9%. While equality should not be subject to economic performance, several studies show that inequalities are stalling growth. In some developing...
The plant-based craze sparks the appetite of companies and investors
It's time for agribusiness actors to take the plant-based path. Driven by an activist fund, Nestlé has just separated from the Herta delicatessen division to move towards more plant-based options. McDonald's will soon offer a vegetarian burger, and Danone wants to compete with French organic brand,...
The future of corporate accounting could include ecological debt
In the future, business accounting will have to integrate the degradation of human and natural capital caused by company activities. In any case, this is what many experts are trying to push with a new method of accounting soon to be tested in France.
For investors, the artificial intelligence race has a long road ahead
Startups incorporating artificial intelligence technology are not as numerous as we think. A study conducted by MMC Ventures identified nearly 1,600 such startups in Europe. That’s 40% less than the number of companies claiming to be a part of this sector. Investors are ready to put more money into...
ESG reporting obligations for investors adopted by European parliament
The European Parliament and Council have agreed that EU financial professionals should be required to provide information on the incorporation of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria into financial management. The aim is to use this provision as leverage to reorient financial flows in...
The day the Norwegian sovereign wealth weakened the oil sector’s financial stronghold
8 March 2019 may be remembered the day in which the largest shareholder in the world, Norway’s Sovereign Wealth Fund, announced that it is divesting from “oil exploration and production companies" due to financial reasons!
Sustainability linked loans: a new favorite for companies...and banks
Sustainability linked loans are the new sustainable finance products on the rise. After the stalled growth in green bonds in 2018, positive incentive credits, with rate indexes based on environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria, are experiencing triple-digit growth. This is not a bubble,...
Despite being challenged on climate, top oil companies still link production increases with executive compensation
To maintain a 2°C trajectory, it is a known fact that two-thirds of all fossil reserves have to be kept underground. However, the majority of oil and gas companies screened by Carbon Tracker continue to base executive compensation on the growth of hydrocarbon production and the increase in their...
Climate change could provoke a financial crisis similar to 2008
The current climate crisis could provoke a financial disaster. A group of researchers from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) in the United Kingdom estimate that the link between climate, social and economic risks have been greatly underestimated until recently. According to them, the...
Natural disasters causing insures to lose profits
Almost all Insurance and reinsurance companies have seen their financial results impacted by the numerous natural disasters that occurred in 2018. The increase in economic losses related to climate events is beginning to worry insurers, but not so much in the short-term.
Meeschaert management company launches a social footprint for investments
Meeschaert wants to understand the impact of its investments on employees. The management company has recently developed its own method for calculating the social footprint of its portfolio and is now using this information to engage with companies. Accidents at work, employee turnover, parity......