New York City is taking major steps toward divesting from fossil fuels by hiring investment advisors to review three of its pension plans and make recommendations about divestment. Combined, the three plans have more than $155 billion in assets under management, of which approximately $3 billion is invested in fossil fuel reserve owners’ securities. The […]
Index-provider FTSE Russell is launching the first government bond index of countries in the economic and monetary union of the European Union that adjusts country weights based on climate risk. The index provides a forward-looking assessment of these countries’ climate risks, such as the expected economic impact of transitioning to Paris Accord target greenhouse gas […]
Climate change’s ramifications for real estate, the rise of innovative technologies and the changing nature of stakeholder activism are some of the environmental, social and governance trends to watch as 2020 kicks off, according to an outlook from MSCI. While asset owners have been eyeing the potential effects of severe weather events and natural disasters […]
There are some major disruptions and challenges facing humanity. But, where there are challenges, there can also be opportunities. One example of a disruptive trend is aging, with people living longer. “That’s going to have, I think, pretty big implications for pension plans because we’re going to have to keep paying those benefits even more […]
Have you ever noticed that the language of sustainable investment is rife with acronyms? In my opinion, 2020 will see some of the worst tongue-twisters become popularized parlance. Yet an increase in investors learning these bad alphabet jumbles will be a good thing as it will reflect increasing consensus on what’s important in the rapidly […]
When the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan started to zero in on environmental, social and governance issues, it began by asking why these subjects were worth pursuing in the first place. “We started this journey 10 years ago,” said Barbara Zvan, chief risk and strategy officer at the Ontario Teachers’, during a session at the Canadian Investment […]
The Canada Life Assurance Co. is eliminating plastic drug plan cards, with an aim to move to a completely digital experience for group plan members by 2021. Beginning Jan. 1, 2020, the insurer will begin encouraging its group benefits plan sponsors to opt out of providing plastic drug cards to members. With advancements in digital […]
The rise in alternative investing combined with an increased focus on integrating environmental, social and governance considerations into the investment process is leading pension plans to a natural question: how can they integrate ESG in real estate portfolios? The buildings sector has one of the highest carbon footprints, said Derek Warren, vice-president and portfolio manager […]
The majority (70 per cent) of global institutional investors agree that sustainability will play a more important role in investments over the next five years, according to a new survey by Schroders. The survey, which polled 650 investors responsible for US$25.4 trillion under management, found this response was most prevalent in Europe (84 per cent) and Asia Pacific […]
While medical advancements and drug therapy innovations have been life-changing for patients and plan members, they also come with increasing costs, said Victoria Shaw, drug benefits manager at Alberta Blue Cross, speaking at Benefits Canada’s 2019 Calgary Drug Trends Summit on Oct. 24. Between 2011 to 2017, the number of high-cost drugs doubled. From 2016 to 2017, in […]