Sustainable Finance

Sustainable Finance - Published on 17 November 2020

2020 dividends: the second wave of covid-19 could dampen bank expectations

The third-quarter rebound in the economy that followed the end of the first lockdown, enabled banks to improve their results. With a stronger balance sheet and profits in their pockets, they want to be able to pay dividends to their shareholders – an indispensable condition for remaining appealing...

Sustainable Finance - Published on 27 October 2020

Exclusions from the most controversial oil and gas projects signal a broader movement

A study published on October 20th by the Australian Institute IEEFA - which specializes in the economic and financial analysis of the energy sector - examined the policies of 50 major investors who exclude oil sands and Arctic gas drilling. Their conclusion: an exodus of financial flows from fossil...

Sustainable Finance - Published on 13 October 2020

The LuxFlag ESG label — overwhelmingly awarded to Danske Bank funds — wants to play an important role on the European market

LuxFLAG, a Luxembourg-based organization that awards sustainable finance labels, issued a press release at the end of September announcing that it had labelled 100 new funds. It has, thus, passed the threshold for labelling 300 funds (ESG, Environment, and Microfinance). Interesting fact: 82 of...

Sustainable Finance - Published on 03 September 2020

COVID-19: More than $100 billion in dividend payments have been lost due to the pandemic

Many companies have chosen to cut or suspend dividend payments due to pressure from governments or their own cash flow situations. According to Janus Henderson's study, global shareholder payouts decreased by 22% in the second quarter of 2020 and by as much as 57% in France. This was the worst...

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Sustainable Finance - Published on 10 July 2020

Financial markets continue to rise, contridicting the reality of the global economy

The economy is collapsing, American unemployment figures are skyrocketing, and business prospects are poor…and despite it all, financial markets are soaring. Backed by stimulus packages and new money injected into the system, stock markets seems to be in a rapid recovery. This is a risky assumption...

Sustainable Finance - Published on 19 June 2020

Bank of America commits $1 billion to reducing economic and racial inequalities

Following the death of George Floyd in the United States, the anti-racism movement, led by Black Lives Matter, has moved Bank of America to fight against inequality. Over a four-year period, the company plans on donating $1 billion to projects focused on education, health and economic development in...

Camion charbon glencore Australie Glencore

Sustainable Finance - Published on 19 May 2020

The Norwegian sovereign wealth fund blacklists Glencore, Anglo american

The Norwegian sovereign wealth fund introduced new criteria-based exclusions to divest itself from coal. Strongly committed to the fight against global warming, the fund recently classified large coal mining companies on the same level as high-emitting utility and oil companies. For now, Glencore...

Sustainable Finance - Published on 21 April 2020

Controversy mounts over Blackrock’s environmental and social advisory role for the European commission

The European Commission recently hired BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, to help advise on environmental, social and governance standards concerning banks. This was a startling decision for the European NGO Finance Watch, which estimates that BlackRock is set to act as judge and jury in...

Sustainable Finance - Published on 03 April 2020

Coronavirus : Rehumanize finance to reprogram high frequency trading

Since February 20th, global markets have dropped an average of 30% due to a massive plummet that was soon followed by a temporary upswing. The cause of these massive fluctuations is High Frequency Trading (HFT), a system controlled by pre-programmed algorithms which overreact to even the slightest...

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Sustainable Finance - Published on 25 March 2020

As Covid-19 brings the world to its knees, could this be the opportunity for a new beginning?

“To stop the virus, we must kill the economy”, stated one American finance expert, and it is the remedy being applied by an increasing number of countries. Stock markets are plummeting, companies are closing their doors, people are going into confinement and consumption – the economic motor of...

Sustainable Finance - Published on 13 March 2020

Taxonomy : Europe agrees on a “green list”… but hesistates on nuclear energy

The European Commission has been committed to directing financial flows towards activities that will allow Europe to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. A group of experts recently submitted a list of key sectors for investment in order to achieve this goal. Nonetheless, nuclear energy—which emits...

Plateforme ExxonMobil sur le champ D Hebron au Canada

Sustainable Finance - Published on 14 February 2020

Investor payouts show oil majors live well beyond their means

The largest oil companies live well above their means, according to a study by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). Despite their steadily declining economic weight, oil majors continue to pay out generous dividends to shareholders every year, at amounts greatly...

Valdis Dombrovskis Commission europeenne CCO

Sustainable Finance - Published on 05 February 2020

The European Commission begins work on non-financial reporting standards

Valdis Dombrovskis, vice-president of the European Commission, wants to create non-financial reporting standards for companies. He recently announced the launch of the Commission’s preparatory work on these standards. This project would complement Europe’s action plan on sustainable finance by...

Sustainable Finance - Published on 28 January 2020

Australia is burning and the stock market are surging: does the climate not have a price?

The gap is widening between stock markets indices and the real world. This is striking in the case of Australia and France. In the first case, Australia is on the verge of going up in flames while the national stock exchange breaks records. In France, the longest social crisis in history has not...

Sustainable Finance - Published on 22 January 2020

Larry Fink, CEO of Blackrock, wants to move the world's largest asset manager towards sustainable investments

According to Larry Fink, global warming is one of the most significant crises of our time. In his annual letter to clients, the CEO of BlackRock announced that he wants to expand his share of sustainable investments and his desire to push companies towards a low-carbon model, even if it means voting...

Sustainable Finance - Published on 17 January 2020

"I haven’t heard very much from the Australian investors in terms of talking about the fires", says Fiona Reynolds, CEO, PRI

The bush fires ravaging Australia are increasing citizen pressure on government and economic actors to accelerate the climate transition. Some steps could be taken, says Australian Fiona Reynolds, CEO of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), but inaction from both the financial and...

Sustainable Finance - Published on 16 January 2020

With disclosure regulations, European Sustainable Finance is taking shape

The European Commission published a substantial plan outlining European disclosure regulations; a key document for the development of sustainable finance. Laid out in a clear and pedagogical manner, the plan’s reporting disclosure should be the impetus for a new standard on impact and risk...

Sustainable Finance - Published on 26 November 2019

The European Investment Bank makes a historic decision to stop fossil fuel financing

This month, the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced that it will stop funding new projects related to fossil fuels, including gas, from 2022 onwards. This decision has been hailed for its contribution to the fight against climate change.

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Sustainable Finance - Published on 23 October 2019

The crisis in Ecuador demonstrates the risks of an unjust transition on the poorest populations

The Indigenous and most vulnerable segment of Ecuador’s population set the streets ablaze after a presidential decree ended subsidies that effectively doubled the price of fuel. The decision was a condition imposed by the IMF in exchange for a several billion-dollar loan.

Sustainable Finance - Published on 15 October 2019

Blackrock, Vanguard, JP Morgan : big investors declare climate engagement but rarely vote in its favor

The American organization Majority Action recently reviewed the voting trends of the world’s top 25 asset management firms’ shareholder resolutions, as they pertain to the climate. The result: major actors, such as BlackRock and Vanguard voted almost systematically against climate-related...