ESG investing continues to gain momentum and prominence among
global institutional investors as they increasingly look to
benchmark not only the performance of funds in their portfolios but
the impact they have on the world.
Mutual funds and ETFs with a focus on sustainability attracted
USD 20.6 billion in net inflows in 2019, four times higher than the
USD 5.5 billion raised in 2018, according to Morningstar. Within
private markets, however, there is still a way to go with only an
estimated one third of private equity firms signed up to the
UN's Principles of Responsible Investment.
A recent survey conducted by Aberdeen Standard
Investments found that North America continues to lag behind Europe
and Asia Pacific, with Merrick McKay, head of European private
equity at ASI, quoted as saying: "The general trend suggests
that private equity firms are regarding ESG as increasingly
important, with firms based in Europe leading the way." He
added: "We are optimistic
