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☆ Here are the top 15 companies to work for in Singapore, according to LinkedIn — most are new on the list
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The list of top companies in Singapore sees a huge reshuffle this year, which is a testament to "Singapore's strong business ecosystem," according to LinkedIn. LinkedIn has released its annual list of top companies in Singapore to work for — and banking and information technology companies dominated the 2023 list. The list of top companies also saw a huge reshuffle this year, which is a testament to "Singapore's strong business ecosystem," according to the professional networking platform. The banking and finance sector in particular, saw 4 companies in the top 5 on the "LinkedIn Top Companies 2023″ for Singapore. It provides financial products and banking services to individuals, corporations, governments, investors and institutions.

☆ At Least 10,000 Foreign Companies to Be Hit by EU Sustainability Rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Dieter Holger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

The estimates exclude foreign companies that are subject to the reporting requirements due to other conditions, such as having an EU bond listing. Foreign companies with EU listings will need to start reporting these disclosures in 2025 if they have more than 500 employees in the EU. Businesses based in the EU that reported under the bloc’s previous sustainability rules must follow the new requirements from 2025. The EU rules call for limited-assurance audits to start, with a goal of eventually moving to reasonable assurance. Other sustainability reporting regulations are also set to go into effect in the next few years.

☆ HSBC: Climate tech investment is currently lower than last year
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHSBC: Climate tech investment is currently lower than last yearMartin Richards, global head of sustainable finance at HSBC Global Commercial Banking and president of HSBC Ventures, discusses climate innovation and the planned energy transition.

☆ The future of ESG is expanding. Here’s how 2 experts define ESG investing and why it matters
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Elizabeth Wood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Experts share how ESG investors can understand and grow with emerging opportunities. Environmental and Social Governance (ESG) investing is adapting to consumer behavior. However, ESG investing has recently come under review for greenwashing or other hidden tradeoffs. Leaders in the field are working to better define and understand what ESG investing is and the good it can do for companies and beyond. During the session "Navigating ESG Investing Challenges" Rebecca Ungarino, senior finance reporter, spoke with Shah and Nikita Singhal, coHead of sustainable investment and ESG at Lazard Asset Management.

☆ Water’s big moment risks getting lost in the weeds
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Antony Currie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The latest is research published last Thursday by the Global Commission on the Economics of Water. The sum, though, is just $140 million, and the U.S. government’s International Development Finance Corporation is pouring in three-quarter of the proceeds. But there is a decent investment case for water without state or supranational support. Without them, water’s big moment risks getting lost in the weeds. Follow @AntonyMCurrie on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSThe United Nations 2023 Water Conference starts on March 22, World Water Day, in New York.

The SFDR defines sustainable investment as contributing to "an environmental or social objective", assessed by indicators such as use of raw materials or production of waste. The people Reuters spoke to said discrepancies among fund portfolios reflected a lack of clarity from the Commission over what constitutes a sustainable investment. Reuters GraphicsReuters GraphicsTEMPERATURE GAUGEMSCI, the finance industry data provider, has developed a way of checking on investment funds' green credentials with its ESG Implied Temperature Rise tool. Among them, for example, are BlackRock's Sustainable Energy Fund, Nordea's Global Climate and Environment Fund and Pictet's Global Environmental Opportunities Fund. "The characterisation of what constitutes a sustainable investment under the SFDR is also a concept that needs further clarifications at European level."

NEW YORK , March 7 (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp's (BAC.N) Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan had a clear message for shareholders on Tuesday: "We are capitalists." The proclamation from the head of the second-largest U.S. lender might seem obvious, but comes at a time when Wall Street titans face more criticism for embracing environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations. The word "capitalism" is mentioned 22 times in BofA's latest annual report spanning 222 pages, rising from 16 times a year earlier. Still, the CEO acknowledged there are concerns about whether companies share profits or pay people fairly and equitably. The lender outlined its ESG goals in the report, including a pledge to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and deploy $1.5 trillion in sustainable finance by 2030.

☆ Majority of global asset managers still not investing responsibly, ShareAction says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Industry Insight | Reuters Professional | Energy Crisis Spurs Drive To Address 'Blind Spot' Of Leaky Buildings | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Global asset managers controlling trillions of dollars are failing to invest in a way that will protect climate, biodiversity and people, despite efforts by the industry to promote its sustainable finance credentials, the corporate responsibility group ShareAction said on Sunday. Yet, two-thirds of 77 asset managers surveyed, which control $60 trillion of assets, had "serious gaps in their responsible investment policies and practices," the group found based on an analysis of their policies. "As managers of tens of trillions of dollars ... their decisions have a vast impact all over the world. ShareAction assessed managers on several hundred indicators, including their holdings of fossil fuel investments; whether they have set shorter-term emissions reductions targets and how they integrate biodiversity policies into decision-making. ShareAction also found the portion of managers performing significantly worse than their peers has fallen from 51% in 2020 to 35% in 2023.

☆ Majority of global asset managers still not investing responsibly - ShareAction
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Industry Insight | Reuters Professional | Energy Crisis Spurs Drive To Address 'Blind Spot' Of Leaky Buildings | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

☆ SIGN UP NOW: Making sense of digital transformation in finance and why sustainable investing matters
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Business Insider | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Leaders in banking, fintech, and finserv will discuss the future of finance and the impact of digital transformation. Insider's free virtual event, "Finance Meets its Future," will feature speakers from Amberdata, Lazard Asset Management, and more on March 23, 2023, at noon ET. Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest stories in hedge funds, PE, fintech, and banking — delivered daily to your inbox. Insider's virtual event, "Finance Meets its Future,'' presented by Amberdata, takes place on Thursday, March 23, 2023, at noon ET. Sessions include:Demystifying digital transformation in financeEmbracing digital assetsThe future of payments will be frictionlessNavigating ESG investing challengesSpeakers include:Shawn Douglass, CEO and cofounder, AmberdataSoups Ranjan, CEO and cofounder, SardineAniket Shah, Global Head of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and Sustainable Finance Strategy, Jefferies GroupNikita Singhal, Cohead of Sustainable Investment and ESG, Lazard Asset Managementand more!

FCA officials said the sector will begin adapting ahead of the rules, as it did with similar rules in the European Union. They rejected concern among lawmakers the new regime would create "bubbles" as money flocked to the fewer funds that qualify as sustainable. Lawmakers on the committee examining the FCA's proposals put Cummings on the defensive over his criticism that too many funds will be excluded. Kate Levick, associate director of sustainable finance at think tank E3G, told the hearing the FCA's plan "would remove the significant amount of greenwashing currently in the market". ($1 = 0.8290 pounds)Reporting by Tommy Reggiori Wilkes and Huw Jones; Editing by Mark Potter and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ ESG tops regulatory demands in finance as UK, EU rules diverge - KPMG
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Financial firms in Britain and the European Union remained under significant pressure to comply with diverging environmental, social and governance (ESG) rules over the past six months, KPMG's Regulatory Barometer showed on Monday. The barometer, aimed at helping firms with compliance planning, also tracks the scale of the divergence between UK and EU regulations, with KPMG saying the biggest differences are in areas like customer protection and access to markets. "The volume of emerging requirements for ESG and Sustainable Finance may lead to further divergence despite global standard-setters' best efforts," she said. Being aligned with EU rules would be a pre-condition for Britain if it wanted to regain access to the bloc's financial market. Britain has said it wants to tailor some rules inherited from the EU to better fit into UK markets, while maintaining high international standards.

Some hedge funds, wealth managers, and asset managers are still hiring. Recruiters told us what roles are in demand and what skills can help you land them. Big-name hedge funds like Citadel, D. E. Shaw, and Millennium Management posted double digits in a year that many other investment managers would rather soon forget. Alternative asset managers, meanwhile, are hiring in the private-wealth-management businesses they've spent recent years building out. … if you're in or interested in wealth managementDespite the market downturn, wealth managers are in high demand.

Some hedge funds, wealth managers, and asset managers are still hiring. Layoffs across industries have been dominating headlines in January, and Wall Street has been no exception. Big-name hedge funds like Citadel, D. E. Shaw, and Millennium Management posted double digits in a year that many other investment managers would rather soon forget. Alternative asset managers, meanwhile, are hiring in the private-wealth-management businesses they've spent recent years building out. Emily Landon, the CEO of the Chicago-based headhunting firm The Crypto Recruiter, pointed to the job board Crypto Careers, which has over 2,400 openings.

☆ India, U.S. establish new trade group to bolster supply chains
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and India's Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, poses for a picture before the start of their meeting in New Delhi, India, November 22, 2021. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/PoolNEW DELHI, Jan 12 (Reuters) - India and the United States have established a new working group to build sustainable supply chains and boost bilateral trade, the governments said in a joint statement on Thursday. The United States will also consider India's interest in the restoration of beneficiary status under the U.S. generalized system of preferences program, the statement added. The Trade Policy Forum, revived in 2021 after a gap for four years, will reconvene on a ministerial level before end of 2023. The two countries said they mean to continue to work together on resolving outstanding trade issues.

The study, commissioned by non-profit The Sunrise Project, attributed the higher costs primarily to reduced competition to underwrite government bonds in six states furthest along in restricting financial firms or considering doing so. The restrictions would mean fewer banks seeking to underwrite municipal bond issuance, a common way for cities to raise money. According to the new study, taxpayers in six states - Kentucky, Florida, Louisiana, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Missouri - could have faced up to $708 million in additional interest charges on municipal bonds over the past 12 months. The study based its analysis on a recent Wharton School of Business paper that found Texas taxpayers could have faced up to $532 million in additional interest payments because of restrictions introduced in that state. Reporting by Tommy Reggiori Wilkes and Ross Kerber; Editing by Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Big Investors Expected to Scrap ‘Dark Green’ Labels on More EU Funds
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Dieter Holger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

SFDR rules require EU-marketed funds to be designated as one of three categories: “dark green” Article 9 funds, which aim for sustainability or decarbonization; “light green” Article 8 funds, which advance one or more environmental, social and governance objectives; and Article 6 funds, which don’t have any specific ESG-related objectives. Upgrades and downgrades in classifications typically occur with “similar frequency,” but since September, more than 80% of reclassifications have moved Article 9 funds to Article 8, analysts at Jefferies said in December. At the end of November, there were around $452 billion in Article 9 funds, nearly $4.2 trillion in Article 8 funds and $3.9 trillion in Article 6 ones. In November, BlackRock moved 16 funds representing around $26 billion to Article 8 from Article 9, but also retained 13 dark-green funds valued at about $13 billion. Another challenge is for fund managers to gather and report required ESG data—such as greenhouse-gas emissions, gender pay gaps and water use—for individual stocks and bonds in a fund.

☆ London Stock Exchange Launches First Fund Under New Market for Carbon Credits
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Kristin Broughton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

The London Stock Exchange Group PLC on Monday launched the first fund under its new market for carbon credits, which aims to provide capital to green projects and transparency in an opaque area of sustainable finance. The new market offers a way for companies and investors to purchase carbon credits to offset emissions and meet net-zero commitments. Companies and shareholders, in return for their investments, can receive carbon credits in lieu of cash dividends. Foresight Sustainable Forestry Co. PLC, a London-based investment firm, is the first company to take part in the new voluntary carbon market, the London Stock Exchange said Monday. London Stock Exchange Group also operates the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 indexes and provides financial data.

The transaction is also fraught with regulatory risks, analysts said, though RBC argues that HSBC's Canada business accounts for just 2% of Canadian banking market share. The finance minister has the authority to impose any terms and conditions, the finance department said in a statement. "This regulatory assessment isn't likely to be completed for some time," Calvin Goldman, former commissioner of Canada's competition bureau, told Reuters, referring to the latest deal. QUICK MOVEDespite the expected regulatory risks, RBC was keen to move quickly. RBC is paying 9.4 times HSBC's 2024 adjusted earnings, which KBW analysts said was a steep price, though offset by savings potentials.

☆ India is harnessing renewable energy through the world's biggest solar farm. Here's how it happened.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( James O'Malley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Meanwhile, the world's richest countries pledged to contribute to a fund that would help developing countries deal with climate disasters. Since construction began in 2015, Bhadla Solar Park has slowly grown to cover an enormous 5,700-hectare desert site with solar panels. Sustainable financeThe park was built in four phases, with each field of solar panels larger than the last. "Transmission lines take about ten times as long to build as it takes to put up solar panels," Mukherjee said. "When you see technology costs dropping, sometimes precipitously like they have with solar panels, then the opportunity to do more just grows and grows."

What they want are signals on the pace of regulation that would allow company boards to plan their climate policy. The reality is that not enough has been done in the last 12 months – some would argue we have moved backwards," said Hortense Bioy, Global Director of Sustainability Research at Morningstar. Thomas Hohne-Sparborth, Head of Sustainability Research at asset manager Lombard Odier, said only a small portion of potential investments were credibly aligned towards net-zero. The biggest disruption since last year's Glasgow climate talks has been the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, a major oil and gas exporter. It can be less obvious for some shareholders, however, as this year's high oil and gas prices have rewarded those producing fossil fuels.

☆ Europe is still quietly importing Russian nuclear energy
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

On presenting its latest sanctions package, the European Commission did not propose targeting the trade of Russian nuclear fuel. Hungary and Bulgaria were the most vocal in opposing sanctions on Russian uranium and other nuclear tech last week, according to Rodrigo. "Russian nuclear terror requires a stronger response from the international community - sanctions on the Russian nuclear industry and nuclear fuel," Zelenskyy said via Twitter at the time. Mikhail Metzel | Afp | Getty ImagesThere are 18 Russian nuclear reactors in Europe, in countries including Finland, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic. How 'green' is nuclear energy?

☆ Leaders from Walmart, AB InBev, Honeywell, Carlyle, and more share advice for getting started — and sticking to — sustainability goals
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-22 | by ( Julia Hood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +26 min

Sustainability leaders from Walmart, JUST Capital, Dow, Honeywell, Cognizant, Deloitte, Bank of America, AB InBev, and Carlyle participated. If you're just looking for a science partner, you're going to go and get the science. So then we started building debriefs for our portfolio companies, actually making them sit down and have a conversation with us. Because as long as you do it with integrity, you're going to probably get to the right place. I remember him saying when we talked about the idea, "what you're trying to achieve with that, is somewhere between really, really, really, really hard and impossible."

☆ SIGN UP NOW: How a purposeful approach to ESG governance can build long-term value
▼ + stars: | 2022-05-17 | by ( Business Insider | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Effective corporate governance requires dedicated focus and financial support to build long-term value. On June 14, 2022, Insider is hosting "Financing a Sustainable Future: Advancing Effective Corporate Governance," a free virtual event at noon ET, featuring speakers from Bank of America, Deloitte, and Pfizer. In understanding and prioritizing non-financial determinants of sustainable governance, business leaders and investors can develop value growth and ethical behavior while lowering risk. It will include live conversations with Insider editors, sustainable finance experts, business leaders, and ESG professionals. As public companies continue to adapt and refine their governance practices, this virtual hour-long bootcamp provides a platform for sustainable finance experts, business leaders, and ESG professionals to discuss the purposeful approach of ESG-driven governance.

☆ Execs at Bank of America, Dow, and JUST Capital say being prosperous isn't just about having enough money
▼ + stars: | 2022-05-11 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The event, in partnership with Bank of America, took place Tuesday, May 10. Martin Whittaker, chief executive officer of the nonprofit JUST Capital, said there is now a greater focus on worker well-being than ever. For Karen Fang, the managing director and global head of sustainable finance at Bank of America, prosperity includes access to basics like financial services and digital inclusion. "The definition of prosperity has gone from economic prosperity to social prosperity," Fang said. She said the bank has hired 10,000 workers from these areas, a goal it achieved two years early.

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