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AI will be an important tool for assessing transition plans against the growing range of frameworks
The most acute issue across ESG in recent years has been the relationship between relative outperformers and underperformers and the absolute outcomes that define issues such as success in addressing climate change. Many of the issues in greenwashing come down to promoting as ‘sustainable’ activities that improve on the norm, even if they fall short of what is required to bring about climate change mitigation, nature protection, or sustainable development.
Resetting expectations for ESG
Following the onset of Covid-19, ESG became a hot topic as the ‘next big thing’. With that growth, it attracted both pretenders and detractors. The change in the tone of reporting about ESG has led to some hand-wringing about its future. A UK-based portfolio manager broke down the issue into two parts: “When it comes to “the three-letter acronym ‘ESG’ — people don’t want to talk about it as much because of the news flow from the US. But from an investment perspective and what we do internally, it has never been more important.”
Shari’ah screens complement ESG integration by investors in Emerging Markets
In a new report released with Refinitiv, the RFI Foundation has extended analysis done earlier with INCEIF to investigate the impact of combining Shariah and ESG screens. The new research applies the same methodology and data source with more recent figures covering the period immediately prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic through late 2022, focusing only on companies located in Emerging Markets. The new results show a convergence in the general trends similar to that identified for developed markets in the earlier sample.
FinTech Startups Adopting Responsible Finance & ESG Integration in MENAT: Lessons from the GVI Hub’s 5th Cohort
The RFI Foundation has successfully concluded our 5th GVI Hub Responsible Finance FinTech Program (RFTP) for the MENAT region. During the program, FinTech participants engaged in collaborative sessions to share their insights and experiences in integrating responsible finance and sustainability in their operations.
FinTech Startups Need A Responsible Finance Strategy To Help Avoid Pitfalls As They Navigate ESG
Bain & Company and EcoVadis, as well as IBM, each released research finding operational performance benefit for companies with strong ESG characteristics
Evidence is growing outside of large, listed companies, including private companies, that ESG has operational benefits, but also comes with several barriers to adoption including when companies become overwhelmed by a magnitude of issues and revert to a ‘compliance’ mindset
RFI’s Responsible Finance FinTech Program can help FinTechs who are being pushed to focus on ESG issues get started in the right direction to avoid ESG becoming a distraction, and rather to make sure they see benefits by doing well on the right ESG issues