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We summarise credible research and reports on sustainable finance and ESG issues. Our summaries, along with our AI ChatBot saves members time reading large reports, to focus on knowledge building and action.

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Evidencing financial materiality of sovereign ESG risk

London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG)
This report analyses the relationship between sovereign ESG risks and credit risk across 70 countries. Using FTSE Russell/Beyond Ratings data and five-year CDS spreads, it finds stronger financial materiality of ESG risks in emerging and high-yield markets, particularly for social and governance factors, with weaker results for environmental risks.
Research
11 October 2023

ESG and global investor returns study

Kroll
This report analyses the link between ESG integration and global investor returns, drawing on cross-regional data and sector comparisons. It assesses how environmental, social, and governance factors correlate with performance, highlighting variations across markets and asset classes. The study provides evidence-based insights on ESG’s financial materiality for investors worldwide.
Research
13 September 2023

How ESG affected corporate credit risk and performance

MSCI Inc.
This report analyses how ESG ratings influence corporate bond risk and performance. It finds that higher ESG-rated issuers show stronger financials, lower systematic and idiosyncratic risks, and better credit quality. ESG ratings provide additional insights beyond credit ratings, especially for high-yield and longer-dated investment-grade bonds.
Research
17 November 2021

MSCI ESG ratings in global equity markets: A long-term performance review

MSCI Inc.
This MSCI report reviews the long-term performance of ESG ratings in global and developed equity markets. It finds that higher-rated companies outperformed peers, driven by stronger earnings growth and dividend yields rather than valuation effects. MSCI ESG indexes also generally outperformed their benchmarks across regions and during crises.
Research
16 April 2024

Externalities and the common owner

This article analyses institutional investors’ incentives to internalise negative externalities across their portfolios. It focuses on climate change, showing how large asset managers influence fossil fuel companies to reduce emissions, disclose risks, and limit lobbying, reframing shareholder primacy by prioritising portfolio-wide welfare over firm-level profit maximisation.
Research
20 November 2021

Companies should maximize shareholder welfare not market value

This report summarises why firms should maximise shareholder welfare rather than market value, noting that investors often have ethical and social preferences beyond profit. It proposes shareholder voting on corporate policy to better align company decisions with investor welfare, particularly where externalities are inseparable from production.
Research
30 September 2017

Chemsec's Sin Producers

ChemSec
The SIN Producers tool identifies companies producing hazardous chemicals, helping finance professionals assess risks in their portfolios. The tool provides concise, structured information for making informed investment decisions, focusing on sustainability and regulatory compliance.
Research

Just transition, environment and social considerations for the aviation fuel transition: An investor guide

Climate Catalyst
This guide outlines environmental, social, and just transition considerations for investors in aviation’s fuel shift. It compares biofuels and e-fuels, highlights regulatory and biodiversity risks, and provides engagement questions to assess companies’ transition strategies, ensuring alignment with climate goals while safeguarding communities and long-term financial stability.
Research
2 September 2025

How can pharma get the few promising drugs in development to patients battling superbugs?

Access to Medicine Foundation
This report examines the barriers to bringing new antibiotics to market, highlighting funding gaps, regulatory uncertainty, and weak commercial incentives. It outlines policy solutions to improve access and development, aiming to address the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by supporting viable pathways for pharmaceutical innovation.
Research
28 May 2024

Sizing the inevitable investment opportunity: Climate adaptation

Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC)
This report estimates the climate adaptation market will grow from US\$1tn in 2024 to US\$4tn by 2050, with US\$2tn driven by global warming. Investment opportunities could reach US\$9tn, spanning emerging and established solutions, largely resilient to climate scenario differences over the next 25 years.
Research
2 May 2025

Guidance for leveraging the Singapore-Asia taxonomy in green and transition financing

Singapore Sustainable Finance Association (SSFA)
This report provides practical guidance for applying the Singapore-Asia Taxonomy (SAT) in green and transition financing. It addresses data gaps, evolving criteria, transition plans, and scenarios where full alignment with SAT is not possible, promoting credible financing practices across Southeast Asia’s key sectors.
Research
10 July 2025

Unlocking the sustainable transition for agribusiness

United Nations Environment Programme
This report examines how entrenched political and market structures hinder agribusinesses from transitioning to sustainable models. It identifies three systemic “lock-ins” and outlines how policy reforms, financial incentives, and political commitment can unlock agribusiness potential to drive food system transformation at scale and pace.
Research
1 July 2025

Does corporate social responsibility increase access to finance? A commentary on Cheng, Ioannou, and Serafeim (2014)

This commentary re-evaluates Cheng, Ioannou, and Serafeim (2014) and finds no robust evidence that corporate social responsibility improves access to finance. Using improved methods and alternative data, the analysis reveals only a cross-sectional association, suggesting firm-level differences—not CSR changes—may explain variations in financing access.
Research
21 February 2025

Mobilising institutional capital towards the SDGs and a Just Transition

Impact Investing Institute
This report outlines pathways for mobilising institutional capital towards the Sustainable Development Goals and a Just Transition. It focuses on investment vehicles, emerging markets, and private asset classes, providing practical recommendations, case studies, and frameworks to integrate environmental, social, and community considerations into scalable, impactful financial strategies.
Research
17 December 2021

Interpreting the corporate standard for U.S. public sector organizations

World Resources Institute
This guide interprets the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Standard for U.S. public sector organisations. It provides standardised methods for accounting and reporting greenhouse gas emissions, supports inventory quality, and addresses public sector-specific scenarios such as leased assets, joint operations, and regulatory compliance.
Research
13 October 2010

Global protocol for community-scale greenhouse gas inventories: Supplemental guidance for forests and trees

World Resources Institute
This supplemental report provides standardised methods for communities to estimate greenhouse gas emissions and carbon removals from forests and trees. It expands the global protocol for community-scale greenhouse gas inventories by offering detailed guidance for accounting Scope 1 emissions and removals, supporting local climate action planning and integration with national inventories.
Research
23 March 2023
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