Archive

BlackRock promises 2021 climate vote record improvement

BlackRock has announced it intends to vote more regularly for shareholder proposals on climate action, rather than relying on engagement as it had done in the past.

News Round Up: EU Commission, BlackRock, Nordea, and more

BlackRock, Vanguard climate and social voting records continue to disappoint

Asset managers' proxy voting record on shareholder resolutions for climate and social issues continued to disappoint in 2020, according to a report by ShareAction, with US giants BlackRock, Vanguard and Capital Group among the worst performers.

BlackRock builds climate risk data into its portfolio management software

BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, has created a dedicated climate risk management platform as part of its portfolio management software Aladdin.

EU Commission criticised over conflicts of interest on BlackRock contract

The European Commission did not properly consider conflicts of interest when it granted a contract to BlackRock to advise on the EU's new sustainable finance agenda for banks, according to an opinion by the European Ombudsman.

Asset manager taskforce calls on bondholders to assert their rights

A UK government-initiated taskforce has announced recommendations to strengthen sustainable stewardship in the UK investment industry, including encouraging investors to assert their rights in the bond and private markets.

BlackRock, DWS, Natixis show 'basic' commitment to ESG, says Morningstar

Morningstar has identified Vanguard and Lyxor among asset managers with a 'low' level of commitment to ESG topics, whilst BlackRock, DWS, Natixis and UBS were flagged for their 'basic' approaches.

News round-up: EU offshore wind push, muni green project fund, sovereign ESG data set ... and more

European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans encouraged EU member states to use funds from the €750 billion Next Generation EU fund to make targeted investments in the space to "unlock the necessary private financial flows" to power the expansion.

News Round Up: BlackRock, Tikehau, Moody's, and more

BlackRock backs creation of IFRS sustainability standards board

A proposal that would see the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Foundation establish a sustainability standards board and become a global sustainability standards-setter has received the backing of the world's largest asset manager.