This year’s winners of the ESG Fund Management and Investors Awards – part of The Asset Triple A Sustainable Investing Awards for Institutional Investors, ETFs, and Asset Servicing Providers 2021 – displayed the can-do attitude of refusing all ifs, ands, buts or maybes that was required to get ESG integration done during the past year in spite of the Covid-19 pandemic’s plethora of headwinds.
Entering the post-pandemic era, the financial industry cannot afford to ease off the brake in the drive to integrate environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria into the investment process. The only way ahead is to accelerate the process and further refine the allocation of financial resources towards the goal of helping the world achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by the mid-century, if not earlier.
Among the proactive Asian asset owners and asset managers in the region, BNP Paribas Asset Management wins the ESG Asset Management Company of the Year – Asia award. Managing over US$600 billion globally, the investment company continues to enhance its proprietary ESG scoring framework and has tripled its issuers coverage during 2020.
In addition, its net-zero global vision-aligned Energy Transition fund, launched in September 2019, receives the Editors' Triple Star award. The fund continues to receive new cash inflow and, in terms of assets under management, has grown from below US$200 million to over US$3 billion. In terms of performance, the fund generated an amazing 167% return in 2020.
BNP Paribas Asset Management’s Malaysian branch takes the ESG Asset Management Company of the Year – Malaysia award for its UN Global Compact-based engagement with corporates on ESG issues throughout 2020.
Sharing the same level of vision, Robeco is “highly commended” as ESG Asset Management Company of the Year in Asia. The Dutch investment company is known for actively sharing ESG-related knowledge with its Asian peers. In March 2020, it partnered with UOB Asset Management to launch the United Sustainable Credit Income Fund, the first bond fund for retail investors in Singapore that focused on achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. In August 2020, the two asset managers also jointly launched a sustainable global equity fund for retail investors in Thailand.
In Taiwan, Cathay Securities Investment Trust takes the title of ESG Asset Management Company of the Year – Taiwan. Apart from relentlessly building its own proprietary carbon emission monitoring framework in 2020, the investment company also encouraged Taiwanese corporates exposed to material ESG risks to improve their ESG-related disclosure and set net-zero goals and commitments.
Taiwan Life Insurance wins the ESG Investor of the Year for Insurers award for its continuing commitment to the financing of renewable infrastructure projects, which stems from its landmark investment in the highly successful Formosa 2 offshore wind farm project. In February 2020, the insurer acquired a minority share in the Changfang and Xidao offshore wind farm project. In December, it also participated in a multi-tranche financing package for CDPQ and Cathay Private Equity to acquire a 50% stake in the 605-megawatt Greater Changhua 1 offshore wind farm.
On the product innovation side, PineBridge Taiwan scoops the Editors' Triple Star award for launching the first ESG-themed quantitative bond fund and quantitative multi-asset fund in the country.
Likewise, China Asset Management takes an Editors' Triple Star award after launching, together with NN Investment Partners, its inaugural ESG-integrated China A-Share Equities strategy in March 2020.
ATR Asset Management in the Philippines and Maitri Asset Management in Singapore are also awarded Editors' Triple Stars for their integration of ESG into the investment process and engagement with corporates on climate-related disclosure.
To see the ESG Investor and Asset Management Company of the Year Awards 2021, please click here.
To see the Asset Management Company Awards 2021, please click here.
To see the ETF Awards 2021, please click here.
For more details about the awards, please click here.
For more information about receiving the awards, please contact [email protected]
