Sustainable & Positive Impact Finance

Article by Marco Mosca, Managing Director and Head of Coverage, Marketing and Solutions Italy, Societe Generale Securities Services. Private Markets remain the asset class with the best opportunities for development

As chief executive of HSBC Asset Management, I am often questioned about our sustainability strategy. It is hard to answer because people mean different things when they ask. Maybe they want to know what we are doing ourselves as a business, in which case I say we co-founded the One Planet Asset Manager Initiative, were early signatories of the Principles of...

The market shifting away from the practice of excluding investments that don’t meet ESG criteria, to an active integration of investments that do. While this is a definite sign of progress, it still isn’t enough.

How can asset owners adapt to the new market conditions, and what are the main challenges they need to address in the coming years?

The European Commission's objective is to increase the current growth in sustainable finance. However, regulation is necessary and more welcome now than ever. Without a fair explanation on how to deal with accurate data and appropriate indices, it will be difficult to manage ESG asset portfolios efficiently.

To achieve its climate targets by 2030, the EU Commission has adopted an ambitious action plan to channel investments towards a green transition. The public sector and capital markets must invest together to achieve this target.

One of the biggest investment trends over the past decade has been the shift from active to passive investing, with investors being attracted by lower fees and simplicity. Another popular trend is sustainable and responsible investing. Can passive investment strategies supplement active ones to further grow sustainable investing?

Digitalisation is disrupting our daily lives. This is also true for the street lighting market as it paves the way for new use cases by turning the lamppost into a smart asset.

May 2019 - The issue of Sustainable Finance is seeing an unprecedented boom, both on the international political stage and in the mentality of investors and financial market players.