Library | Sustainable Finance Practices

Governance and directors’ duties

Resources addressing the specific responsibilities of boards and directors in integrating sustainability into decision-making, ensuring accountability, and promoting long-term value creation.

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Externalities and the common owner

This article analyses how diversified institutional investors use shareholder power to internalise climate-related externalities. It shows that investor activism drives emissions reduction targets, climate risk disclosure, and shifts in corporate lobbying, reframing governance assumptions by prioritising portfolio-wide economic stability over individual firm profit maximisation.
Research
20 November 2021

Corporate governance and equity prices

Harvard Business School
This report examines the link between shareholder rights and corporate performance in the 1990s. Using a Governance Index across 1,500 firms, it finds that stronger shareholder rights were associated with higher valuations, profits, and growth, while weaker rights correlated with lower performance and abnormal underperformance.
Research
12 September 2001

Presidential address: Sustainable finance and ESG issues: Value versus values

This report examines how investor and manager motivations—driven by either financial value or personal values—shape sustainable finance and ESG practices. It highlights definitional ambiguities, performance debates, and cultural differences, calling for clearer research to distinguish pecuniary risk-return considerations from non-pecuniary preferences in ESG investing.
Research
4 August 2023

Sustainable investing in practice: Objectives, beliefs, and limits to impact

European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)
This paper surveys 509 equity portfolio managers on their treatment of environmental and social factors. Findings show most prioritise financial returns, with limited willingness to sacrifice performance. ES constraints from mandates, policies, and client values strongly influence decisions. Beliefs and constraints outweigh fund labels in shaping sustainable investing practices.
Research
12 August 2025

DBS Bank

Commercial Research Providers
DBS Bank India is a digital-led universal bank offering personal, SME, corporate and wealth management services. Features include resident and non-resident (NRI) savings and fixed deposit accounts, remittance, loans, digital payments and credit/debit card solutions. Positions as Asia’s safest bank with a wide India branch network.
Organisation
1 research item

ShareAction's point of no return series

ShareAction
The Point of No Returns benchmark series assesses the world’s largest asset managers on responsible investment across climate, biodiversity, social issues, governance, and stewardship. Published by ShareAction, the series provides rankings, sector-wide analysis, and examples of practice to guide improvement and accountability.
Benchmark/series

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

Aotearoa New Zealand climate standards series

External Reporting Board (XRB)
The Aotearoa New Zealand Climate Standards series is a benchmark series issued by the External Reporting Board. It sets out the framework for climate-related disclosures, including governance, strategy, risk management, metrics and targets, adoption provisions, and general requirements. The series provides entities with a consistent structure to report climate-related risks and opportunities.
Benchmark/series

Unlocking value from technology in banking: An investor lens

McKinsey & Company
The report outlines how banks can link technology investments to value creation. It presents a framework to improve returns through strategic allocation, outcome-based execution, and transparency. It identifies five tech-enabled themes that align with shareholder value drivers such as revenue growth, fee income, and risk mitigation.
Research
22 October 2024

How can we advance climate action on boards?

Climate Governance Initiative
The report explores how board directors perceive and advance climate action. While most recognise its importance and opportunity, competing priorities and knowledge gaps hinder progress. Local Chapters of the Climate Governance Initiative are shown to support action through resources, training, and peer networks across varied global contexts.
Research
9 April 2024

Corporate climate litigation in Australasia: (Re)shaping the private law-climate interface

The report examines how corporate climate litigation in Australia and New Zealand is shaping private law. It highlights legal actions involving directors’ duties, disclosure obligations, consumer protections, and tort law. The analysis shows incremental adaptations in private law to address climate change impacts, especially through anti-greenwashing and climate accountability claims.
Research
9 June 2025

Artificial intelligence in financial services

World Economic Forum
AI is reshaping financial services by enhancing efficiency, reducing costs and unlocking new revenue opportunities. With $97 billion in projected investment by 2027, firms must address risks like misinformation and data bias while prioritising governance, regulation and workforce reskilling to ensure responsible, secure and effective AI adoption.
Research
21 January 2025

Regulating AI in the financial sector: Recent developments and main challenges

The report outlines AI’s growing use in finance—especially in underwriting, fraud detection, and customer support—highlighting regulatory challenges around explainability, governance, and data security. It discusses evolving global guidance and the need for risk-based, proportionate oversight, particularly as generative AI gains traction in high-impact applications.
Research
12 December 2024

Doughnut design for business case studies

Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL)
The Doughnut Design for Business tool presents case studies of enterprises applying Doughnut Economics principles. It supports companies in aligning operations with ecological boundaries and social foundations, offering structured insights into practical implementation and outcomes across diverse sectors and regions.
Online tool/database
4 November 2024

The board playbook: Winning strategies for long-term value creation

FCLTGlobal
This report outlines strategies for corporate boards to foster long-term value creation. It highlights the need for tailored governance, alignment between boards and management, and adaptive practices across geographies. Practical toolkits support board effectiveness through strategic focus, risk management, and director development.
Research
10 May 2025
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