Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM), one of the world’s largest asset managers, has released its tenth annual ‘Active Ownership’ report, which reveals that over the course of 2020, it increased company engagements by 21 per cent and continued to vote globally, opposing the election of more than 4,700 company directors, as it sought to effect positive change at companies in which it invests.

L&G’s Workplace DC business, together with the L&G Mastertrust, has unveiled its proposed roadmap to achieve net-zero by 2050 across all of the its auto-enrolment default investment options. The initiative builds on L&G’s commitment to net zero by 2050 and coincides with the publication of LGIM’s tenth annual Active Ownership Report.

Allianz Global Investors is reshaping the structure of its dedicated team under the leadership of Matt Christensen, Global Head of Sustainable and Impact Investing, as well as enlarging it with two new hires. 

Geneva-based specialist asset manager Quaero Capital has brought its Luxembourg funds into compliance with the new European SFDR regulation on sustainability disclosure, confirming its strong commitment to responsible investment. 

HSBC has joined the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF) to help the bank measure and disclose its financed emissions as it works to achieve its net zero ambition.

Blank Rome has formally announced its national Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Team, a multi-disciplinary group comprised of more than 25 attorneys from across the firm’s offices and practices who have been advising clients for decades in the areas of environmental compliance and management; natural resources and responsible energy development; human capital management; socially responsible, sustainable, and impact investing; capital markets; and governance best practices. 

Sacker & Partners LLP (Sackers), the UK’s specialist law firm for pensions and retirement savings, has published its fifth guide for trustees on ESG and climate change. The aim of this new guide is to help pension scheme trustees understand and respond to the latest regulatory requirements, focusing in particular on climate-related risks for their pension schemes and related disclosure requirements. 

Aegon Asset Management’s Global Equity Fund is transitioning its investment policy to become the Aegon Sustainable Equity Fund following investor demand.

BNP Paribas Securities Services and its platform Manaos, have partnered with Clarity AI, a sustainability data science and technology company. Starting today, Manaos users have access to Clarity AI’s vast universe of sustainability data and insights.

Green bond issuance has already reached new monthly highs in March. With a week left to go, issuance so far this month totals EUR48 billion, up from the previous record of EUR44 billion set in September 2020.