Publications by Tag: Financial Services
Blog
How ESG Works in Private Equity
Virginia Terry, Director, Advisory Services
At a recent New York event that BSR co-hosted with Morrison & Foerster and Private Equity International, speakers from BSR, KKR, The Carlyle Group, Morrison & Foerster, and Generation Investment Management discussed how to integrate ESG considerations into the private equity lifecycle. With its long-term investment horizons and its ability to work directly with portfolio companies to improve performance, private equity is ideally suited for ESG investing. Ultimately, thoughtful management of ESG issues is critical to the success of long-term private equity investment. Read more
For Financial Services Companies, Women Represent an Enormous (Missed) Opportunity
Chhavi Ghuliani, Manager, Advisory Services
As BSR’s recent report on the topic highlights, the world’s working poor need access to a range of formal financial products and services—including credit, savings, insurance, and remittances—in order to invest in economic opportunities, manage their money more effectively, and reduce risks related to illness or loss of employment. Read more
Staff Spotlight: Celine Suarez
Celine Suarez, Manager, Advisory Services
Our staff spotlight on Celine Suarez. Read more
How to Create Financial Inclusion for Workers in the Supply Chain
Chhavi Ghuliani, Manager, Advisory Services
We recently hosted a virtual roundtable on the topic of financial inclusion in the supply chain. Funded by Citi Foundation and co-hosted by Microfinance Opportunities, a non-profit that focuses on financial education, the two-hour event provided participants with an opportunity to share case studies, ask questions, and discuss challenges on bringing formal savings and remittances, among other vital financial services, to low-income workers in the supply chain. Read more
Where BSR Will Be in June
June is shaping up to be a busy month for BSR staff around the world. Here’s a few of the place we’ll be—and events we’re hosting. We hope to see you there! Read more
BSR Conference Session Summaries
BSR Conference Session Summaries
BSR Insight Articles
How Wireless Technology Can Support Social Impact
Marshall Chase, Manager, Advisory Services
A new report by BSR and CTIA–the Wireless Association explores opportunities to use wireless services to support health care, financial inclusion, education, and community empowerment. Some of these opportunities include: Read more
KPMG Report Picks 10 Sustainability ‘Megaforces’
Population growth, material resource scarcity, climate change, and energy and fuel are among the issues in sustainability that could have significant impact on the business landscape over the next 20 years, according to a recent report by KPMG International. Read more
Investor Insights: Improving ESG Disclosure by Chinese Companies
Lindsey Lim, Associate, Advisory Services
Cross-sector collaboration is needed to create effective, industry-specific ESG disclosure guidelines for Chinese listed companies. Read more
Incorporating the Value of Nature
Linda Hwang, Manager, Research
In January 2011, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Dow Chemical launched a five-year collaboration that aims to help Dow and other companies implement models that incorporate the value of nature into business goals. Last week, TNC released the first annual update on this partnership, outlining the activities undertaken to date. Some of the highlights: Read more
2012: Sustainability Steams Ahead in Uncertain Times
Aron Cramer, President and CEO
History moved fast in 2011, even as the economy was stuck in neutral, and 2012 promises to be a wild ride. Exactly how it will play out is hard to say. 2011 provides ample evidence of how difficult it is to foresee specific changes: Last January, few anticipated the Arab Spring, and Hosni Mubarak was ejected from office before the end of February. And early in 2011, any mention of the "Occupy Movement” was more likely to be considered a good name for a new indie rock band than one of the most potent political forces seen in years. Read more
Climate Change Adaptation: Building Resiliency
Tiffany Finley, Associate, Advisory Services
Today, BSR is releasing the final four industry briefs in its “Climate Change Adaptation” series, which provides insight on climate-related risks and opportunities, actions companies are taking, and recommendations for how companies can lead their industries’ adaptation measures. Read more
The Future of Business-NGO Relationships
In my new role as BSR’s Director of Stakeholder Collaboration, I am focused on building relationships with NGO colleagues globally to bring their insights to our member companies and develop next-generation stakeholder engagement approaches that are outcome based and take into account trends in the field. BSR created this position to deepen relationships with civil society and foster collaboration between stakeholders and business. Read more
Why Is Living Wage So Complex?
Roger McElrath, Manager, Advisory Services
Ever since the United Nations adopted its new human rights framework, companies have had an added impetus to ensure that the treatment of their employees, workers in supply chain partners, and people in local communities is just and in accordance with international standards. Read more
Bringing Access to Finance to Supply Chain Workers
Chhavi Ghuliani, Manager, Advisory Services
Approximately 2.5 billion adults do not use formal financial services to save or borrow money, and 90 percent of them live in the developing world. Companies across all sectors can work through their supply chains to address barriers to access by offering financial education programs and products through automated payroll and direct deposit schemes. This can ensure that workers are paid the right amount and at the right time, and prevent fraud that sometimes occurs in factories and erodes take-home pay. Read more
BSR Around the World
From helping the world’s largest shipping company develop a sustainability strategy to building a multi-stakeholder coalition to address the challenge of conflict minerals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we work with business in all sectors and regions to redefine leadership in sustainable business. Read more
Partnership Innovation: It Takes a Supply Chain to Improve Women’s Health
Over the past six weeks, I have traveled from meeting to meeting in Washington, D.C., Bangkok, and Geneva to develop opportunities for BSR to partner with funders and others to provide resources to tackle challenges as diverse and broad as childhood nutrition, climate change adaptation, and energy efficiency. These discussions have gotten me thinking about the importance of innovative partnerships in addressing big challenges, and how business can be more effective in its work with government, civil society, and even private funders. Read more
Conducting Site-Level Human Rights Impact Assessments
Alejandra Martin, Manager, Advisory Services
Although more than 270 companies have human rights policy statements in place, few have implemented the policies, and even fewer have conducted human rights impact assessments at the site level. These assessments are particularly relevant for companies operating in remote areas where local governments and civil society have limited experience interacting with the private sector. Read more
Women and Sustainability: Integrating Women Into Your Business and Sustainability Strategies
Racheal Yeager, Manager, HERproject
Growth in women’s income, education levels, and labor participation rates makes them essential participants in the global economy, and engagement with women and girls increasingly critical to sustainable growth for every industry. Women contribute to the private sector’s social license to operate; market, crop, and supply chain stability; a talented and stable employee base; and market growth and innovation. Additionally, investments in women have a multiplier effect, as women are more likely to reinvest in education, health, and economic activities at the community level. Read more
Trends in Sustainable Investment
Laura Commike Gitman, Managing Director, Advisory Services
Despite the recent economic downturn, sustainable investment is extending beyond the United States and Europe, and into countries where it was previously not widely practiced. Nearly one out of every eight U.S. dollars under professional management in the United States is represented by socially responsible investment (SRI) assets. SRI approaches integrate social and environmental criteria into investment decisions with the goal of aligning financial activities with social and environmental objectives, values, or beliefs, and can include the incorporation of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria by money managers, shareholder advocacy, and community investment. According to a 2010 report by the Social Investment Forum, at the start of 2010, professionally managed assets in the United States following SRI strategies amounted to US$3.07 trillion—an increase of more than 34 percent since 2005, compared to 3 percent growth for total assets under management (AUM). The growth in Europe is even more pronounced, with total SRI AUM increasing 87 percent in just two years, from €2.7 trillion to €5 trillion at the end of 2009, according to Eurosif. Read more
Will Old Europe Become the New World of Sustainability in 2011?
Peder Michael Pruzan-Jorgensen, Managing Director, Europe, Middle East, and Africa
European companies, government officials, and civil society representatives have tended to scoff at their American cousins’ approach to sustainability, and also at the perceived fundamental disregard for the environment and human rights in BRIC countries. But as we make our way into 2011, I sense a shift in Europe toward a more somber mood, similar to the sobriety that comes to a soccer team the day after an unexpected defeat by a mignon competitor: heads down, feet dragging, and a realization that something different has to be done. Read more
State of Green Business 2011
GreenBiz's fourth annual "State of Green Business" report presents the top 10 trends and 20 indices for measuring how well companies are improving their environmental performance. According to the report, green business did not die during the recession; rather, companies are diving deeper and investing in longer-term sustainability initiatives. Read more
SRI in the Rockies…and in Emerging Markets
The SRI in the Rockies annual conference is one of the largest gatherings in North America for the socially responsible investment community. At the recent conference in San Antonio, Texas, more than 600 people, including asset owners, asset managers, financial advisors, ESG researchers, individual investors, and representatives of indices, corporations, and NGOs discussed directing the flow of investment capital to catalyze a shift to a more sustainable global economy. Read more
Addressing Financial Inclusion: How ANZ is Using CSR to Access New Markets
Chhavi Ghuliani, Manager, Advisory Services
In much of the developing world, where less than half of the population is served by formal financial institutions and people must rely on their own funds or informal services that charge excessive rates, the lack of access to finance is leading to greater income inequality and slower economic growth. Financial institutions and mobile service providers around the world are addressing this problem by investing in financial products and services targeted specifically at underserved markets. India’s ICICI Bank, Brazil’s Bradesco, and South Africa’s Absa (which is majority owned by Barclays) have begun experimenting with innovative branchless banking models that address some of the barriers to financial access. Read more
Capitalizing on ESG Integration
Mainstream investors are increasingly integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues into their decision-making processes. According to a recent BSR report, this shift is exemplified by increased participation in responsible investing, new ESG products from mainstream institutions, greater access to company data (especially ESG data), and a rise in regulation of ESG reporting. Read more
Will ESG Investing Take Off in China?
Faris Natour, Director, Human Rights
In August, the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) and China Securities Index Ltd. launched China’s first index employing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria. The new Social Responsibility Index, which uses homegrown ESG methodologies to select stocks, has the stated objectives of encouraging listed companies to actively manage their social and environmental risks and opportunities, providing investors with a new investment benchmark, and popularizing the socially responsible investment concept. Read more
Sustainable Business Models: Time for Innovation
Imagine that when you buy a pair of jeans you’re offered an agreement to sign before you pay: “I hereby promise to cold-wash, line-dry this clothing item, and own it for at least three years or ensure it is given away for someone else to enjoy.” When you sign, you are rewarded instantly with a coupon for cash back. The rebate is the estimated financial value of the carbon-dioxide emissions you save by avoiding hot-water washing, and by machine drying your jeans over the lifespan of the item. The clothing company is able to provide this discount by aggregating its consumers’ carbon credits and selling them on the open market. This model provides financial incentives for both the clothing company and the consumer to alter behavior. Read more
Not Just for Heavy Emitters: Why Climate Change Matters to Every Company
Marshall Chase, Manager, Advisory Services
Recently, BSR has fielded inquiries from a range of member companies asking how climate change is relevant to their business. The timing of these questions is obvious: With prospective climate change legislation and policy discussions in the United States and elsewhere, intensive international negotiations culminating later this year, and ongoing stakeholder interest, companies are scrambling to develop or boost their climate change strategies, assess their internal and supply chain emissions, and examine the potential risks and opportunities throughout their operations, value chain, and industry. Read more
Environmental, Social, and Governance Practices in Large Emerging Markets
According to a recent review by the Ethical Investment Research Service, Sustainable Investment Research Analyst Network, and the Social Investment Forum, corporate responsibility practices—especially those related to board practice, bribery, human rights, supply chain labor standards, health and safety, environment, climate change, and biodiversity—are gaining traction in companies based in emerging markets such as Brazil, China, India, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, and Taiwan. Read more
The Value of Using Environmental, Social, and Governance Criteria in Mainstream Investing
Laura Commike Gitman, Managing Director, Advisory Services
Many mainstream investors have begun to use environmental, social, and governance criteria (ESG) to inform their investment decisions. According to Thomson Reuters' 2008 survey of 25 global buy-side investors, 84 percent claimed to evaluate ESG criteria. And in a 2009 Responsible-Investor.com survey of 75 respondents representing more than US$28 trillion in assets under management, 60 percent said they use an ESG strategy for at least a portion of their assets, and 73 percent believe that asset owner interest has grown since 2008 as a result of stakeholder, political, and regulatory pressure, as well as risk management. Read more
U.S. Government Admits Fault in Madoff Investigation
Following an investigation into why the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) failed to detect the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme that stripped investors of nearly US$65 billion, SEC Chairwoman Mary Schapiro expressed her regret in a public statement, which also outlined how the commission will reform the way it regulates markets and protects investors. Read more
Winning Back the Public’s Trust in Business
Aron Cramer, President and CEO
The fall of Lehman Brothers last September triggered a collapse in financial markets, and then the real economy. It also signaled a dramatic decline in the public’s trust in business. Read more
Events
BSR Conference 2011: Leadership Required
Leadership in business is changing fast. In today’s global, integrated, and transparent world, business is expected to do more than deliver shareholder returns. At its best, business is a creative force and an integral player in delivering prosperity for 9 billion people, applying game-changing technologies for social benefit, and radically reducing our use of natural resources. Learn more
Virtual Roundtable on Financial Inclusion in the Supply Chain
With global attention turning toward financial inclusion, companies across all sectors have the invaluable opportunity, through meaningful cross-sector partnerships, to offer relevant financial education programs and access to formal financial services among workers in their supply chains. Doing so provides a unique and meaningful way to improve the livelihoods of workers, while benefitting companies with reduced administrative costs. Learn more
Asia Socially Responsible Investment Roundtable
Socially responsible investment (SRI) is the practice of integrating environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and corporate governance (ESG) considerations into the investment process. It is not only a means of risk mitigation for financial institutions, but also a powerful lever for shifting to a more sustainable global economy. Learn more
Reports
Socioeconomic Impacts of Wireless Technology
The rapid adoption of smart phones, machine-to-machine communications, and other wireless technologies are creating exciting opportunities to improve our lives. Read more
Adapting to Climate Change: A Guide for the Financial Services Industry
This primer on climate change adaptation in the financial services (FS) industry summarizes how FS companies are reporting on climate change risks and opportunities. Key risks and opportunities include disruption to owned assets and operations, investment portfolio exposure, and investor and public confidence. The brief outlines current and emerging best practices and guidance for FS companies on how to develop a proactive approach to climate change adaptation, and makes recommendations. Read more
Financial Inclusion in the Supply Chain
Approximately 2.5 billion of the world’s adults do not use formal financial services to save or borrow money. About 90 percent of them live in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Without access to formal financial institutions, people must rely on their own funds or risky informal services that charge excessive fees to invest in their health and welfare and that of their families. Read more
Maximizing Benefits From a Sustainable Supply Chain
Leading companies are working to improve the social and environmental performance of their supply chains by building closer relations with suppliers, developing supplier capacity, and identifying and investing in opportunities for improvements along the supply chain. Read more
Conflict Minerals Reporting Regulations: Who is Covered?
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) draft conflict minerals reporting rules will have significant implications for a range of corporate sustainability issues. BSR has prepared this issue brief to help companies understand how they may be affected and whether they may have to respond. Read more
Sustainable Business Models: Time for Innovation
Business leaders face not only the economic fallout of the financial crisis, they face the substantial challenge of transitioning to a low-carbon economy that is constrained by dwindling natural resources. These pressures also represent opportunities to innovate new business models—including ones that help consumers make sustainable choices. Read about four categories of innovation that, with more development and experimentation, will ensure business success in a reset world. Read more
Sustainable Investment in China 2009
BSR's recently-released "Sustainable Investment in China 2009" is the first research of its kind on the topic, according the World Bank Group's International Finance Corporation, which commissioned the report. Available in a full-length version and as a shortened overview, the report surveys the sustainable investment (SI) landscape in China, identifies the challenges associated with the nascent field, and makes recommendations for speeding up the growth of the SI market. Read more
ESG in the Mainstream: The Role for Companies and Investors in Environmental, Social, and Governance Integration
With Bloomberg launching a new environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data service for its stock data service subscribers, ESG data are becoming increasingly visible and available to mainstream investors and analysts, even if they're not specifically looking for it. Read more
Environmental, Social and Governance: Ready for Mainstream Investing?
Understand the hurdles keeping environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria from gaining wide acceptance among mainstream investors, plus discover the potential solutions to overcoming the barriers preventing ESG progress in our latest report. Read more
Word from the Street: Water
This brief includes a set of guidelines, described in the Water & Finance Workstream of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Finance Initiative publication “Half Full or Half Empty?”, which companies can use to evaluate their level of risk exposure to water constraints in order to respond to the growing community of investors and financiers who are including water criteria in their investment decisions. Read more
Word from the Street: Toxicity & Health
This brief includes a framework companies can use to evaluate their level of risk exposure to issues surrounding toxicity and health in order to respond to the growing community of institutional investors, investment advisers and investors who have incorporated environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria into their investment decision-making. Read more
Sustainable Investment in China Articles
Principle 5: We Will Work Together to Enhance Our Effectiveness in Implementing the Principles
Looking to China’s Philanthropic Sector to Push Sustainable Investing Forward
BSR Associate Stephanie Tian explores the challenges that Chinese foundations face in terms of driving sustainable investing forward as well as recommendations for how to overcome them. Read more
Case Studies Report
BSR Membership: A Global Network of Sustainability Leaders
BSR is proud to support and partner with our powerful network of member companies, who share with us a focus on building a just and sustainable world. We work every day to provide our member companies with value based on the insights, expertise, and relationships we’ve built through years of hands-on work in the field. Learn more
Sumitomo Trust and Banking: A Sustainable Investment Strategy for China
Our research and analysis enabled Sumitomo to create a new investment model and achieve outstanding performance that has attracted significant attention and serves as a role model for investors in China. Learn more
KKR: Boosting ESG Performance Through a Supply Chain Strategy
We designed a resource guide and trainings to help KKR reward sustainable supply chain practices and improve the ESG performance of its portfolio companies—and set an important precedent for private equity more broadly. Learn more
ANZ: Responsible Growth in the Financial Services Industry
In an era when the bank down the street is often headquartered in another country, the question of a company’s social license to operate has taken on new meaning. In this context, Australia-based ANZ asked BSR to apply its expertise in stakeholder relations in Asia as a key enabler of its strategy for expanding into new markets in the region. The company, which has a strong history of corporate responsibility at home, sought input on how to develop a new, groupwide corporate responsibility strategy to align with its business growth strategy, focusing on new target markets in China, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Learn more
Visa: Aligning and Strengthening Corporate Responsibility Strategy
Visa Inc. undertook the world’s largest initial public offering (IPO) in March 2008. As one of the world’s foremost brands, Visa sought to “place a stake in the ground” as a leader in responsible business at the time of its IPO. Executives sought to create an integrated and strengthened vision of corporate responsibility to achieve greater impact—building on its existing programs in employee engagement, environmental stewardship, community relations, and philanthropy. They engaged BSR to assess the company’s existing programs, analyze strategic options, and prepare a comprehensive corporate responsibility platform. Learn more
Sustainability Matters
Preparing for the 2011 Proxy Voting Season
Proxy voting is an important tool that many investors use to show their support for ESG issues, with a goal of garnering attention for areas they view as critical to a company's business.
Learn moreESG in the Mainstream
In this webinar, you will learn about the latest trends in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) integration among mainstream investors, and what your company should do to both prepare for this increasing investor focus and evolve your ESG communications. Learn more
BSR Review
Women and Sustainability
In response to a question about Saudi Arabia's economic competitiveness in 2007, Bill Gates famously announced to the gender-segregated audience: "If you're not fully utilizing half the talent in the country, you're not going to get too close to the top." View email publication
Other Publications & Events Tagged, Financial Services
- Blog [ 5 ]
- BSR Conference Session Summaries [ 2 ]
- BSR Insight Articles [ 26 ]
- BSR Review [ 1 ]
- Case Studies [ 2 ]
- Events [ 5 ]
- Research Reports [ 11 ]
- Sustainable Investment in China Article [ 2 ]
- Sustainability Matters [ 2 ]
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