Ahren Lester

Articles by Ahren Lester

  • Shell climate resolution support welcomed by green investor group

    19 May 2020

    Support for a shareholder resolution demanding Anglo-Dutch oil supermajor Royal Dutch Shell set carbon intensity targets more than doubled compared with a similar resolution in 2018, but still failed to secure enough votes to pass.

  • Siemens Gamesa inks medical research supporting bank guarantee

    19 May 2020

    Wind turbine maker Siemens Gamesa signed an innovative €600 million bank guarantee line to cover the component construction for the world's largest offshore wind farm, with the premium on the deal used to finance a cancer research project.

  • Coalition of 42 global faith groups divest from fossil fuels

    18 May 2020

    Over 40 religious institutions with more than £1.1 billion ($1.3 billion) in assets under management have agreed to divest from fossil fuel companies, in the largest ever joint announcement by faith organisations.

  • SUSI Partners raises €289m at energy efficiency fund close

    18 May 2020

    Swiss asset manager SUSI Partners secured €289 million ($313 million) in investor commitments on the final close of its second energy efficiency fund, slightly short of its target following the economic turmoil wrought by the coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis.

  • Green investor group hails Equinor climate resolution progress

    15 May 2020

    Support for a shareholder resolution demanding Norwegian oil company Equinor to set carbon intensity targets more than doubled, but majority owner, the state of Norway, kiboshed the proposal.

  • Deutsche Bank sets 'ambitious' sustainability targets

    15 May 2020

    Deutsche Bank outlined targets which will see the German lender boost sustainability assets to over €200 billion ($217 billion) by 2025 and issue its first green bond.

  • Nasdaq launches ESG impact tracking tool

    14 May 2020

    Nasdaq has launched a tool to help clients track the environmental, social and governance (ESG) impact of their portfolios and individual investments.

  • Pension funds must do more to push for low-carbon transition, says Lord Deben

    14 May 2020

    The chair of the influential UK Committee on Climate Change (CCC) said the financial sector is beginning to take environmental concerns more seriously, but more has to be done.

  • Corporate sustainable deposits top $2bn at Standard Chartered

    13 May 2020

    Asia-focused bank Standard Chartered announced its corporate sustainable deposit product crossed the $2 billion mark only a year after being launched, helped by a "significant" deposit from EDF.

  • Norwegian oil fund exits stakes in 12 firms on ESG concerns

    13 May 2020

    The giant Norwegian oil fund has excluded a dozen companies from investment due to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns, including mining giants such as Anglo American, Glencore and Vale in which it was a major shareholder.