Thailand Proposes Green Taxonomy to Boost Sustainable Market

Thailand has published proposals for its own green taxonomy to help develop the Southeast Asian nation’s sustainability markets. The draft pilot, put out for consultation late last week, is largely based on the European Union’s taxonomy and will focus first on drawing up parameters for climate change mitigation measures.

Third of Companies Don’t Include Climate Change in Risk Analyses

Almost a third of companies do not take climate change into consideration when analysing risks to their business. An Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) report found that finance departments were among the least likely to regard ESG risks as material. Corporate climate risks and mitigation strategies are metrics that have become increasingly important to investors.

Quality and Access the Main ESG Data Concerns of US Listed firms: Deloitte

Data quality and completeness top the concerns of US listed companies as they beef up their ESG capabilities following the Securities and Exchange Commission’s announcement this year that it would require sustainability disclosures, a Deloitte survey has found. Quality was cited by 35 per cent of surveyed executives as their chief challenge, while 25 per cent said accessing quality data was their main obstacle.

Planet, Accenture Tie-Up to Offer Supply Chain, Climate Risk Insights

Environment-monitoring satellite imagery firm Planet has teamed with IT giant Accenture to provide industries, including financial services, with AI-powered geospatial data tools. The combination of Planet’s high-frequency imagery data captured by its fleet of about 200 satellites and Accenture’s analytics is hoped to provide clients with deep insights into supply-chain and climate risks.

Fitch ESG Unit Expand Ratings on Covered and Structured Bonds

Sustainable Fitch has begun providing ESG ratings for labelled structured and covered bonds with an issuance value of US$100 billion. The metrics are the latest additions to Fitch Sustainable’s ESG Ratings, Data and Analysis unit, which has been offering data on $500bn of labelled and KPI-linked debt.

FCA Urges Refocus of Diversity Data, Reveals ESG Ratings Code Plan

The UK’s financial overseer has urged firms to review their use of data to improve their diversity and inclusion performance. Sheldon Mills, the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) executive director for consumers and competition said firms are focusing too closely on gender and diversity, rather than socio-economic data. The call follows the FCA’s announcement that it would form a code of conduct for ESG ratings firms.

Rate of Annual Sanctions Growth Nears 15%, According to Refinitiv Report

The Russia-Ukraine war has caused rapid sanctions inflation since March in several autonomous sanctions programs, contributing to a sanctions inflation rate of 14.6% year on year, according to London Stock Exchange Group’s Refinitiv Global Sanctions Index (GSI).

Refinitiv’s annual GSI white paper, the second edition of which was released last week, measures and analyses rising hyperinflation of autonomously issued sanctions programmes. The rapid inflation since March marks what Refinitiv describes as a major shift in the volumes of sanctions autonomously issued by national governments or regional bodies. The once-prevalent consensus-based sanctions mechanisms created under the aegis of the UN are an increasingly minor component of the GSI, representing just 2% of overall sanctions.

Companies Linked to Climate Risk Surges in Two Years, Says RepRisk

The percentage of companies whose business is at risk of climate impacts has risen 70 per cent in two years, according to technology provider RepRisk, which uses a variety of geolocated datasets to establish ESG hotspots around the world. Of those, 80 per cent were private companies. The number of companies at risk is now 2,200, 1,500 of which are private, RepRisk said.

ICE Service Enables Disclosure According to TCFD Framework

Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) has unveiled a tool that helps its financial institution clients disclose their sustainability performance in line with Taskforce for Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). The new service pulls in ICE’s climate transition data and analytics, corporate-entity and green bond data.

Investors Fear Poor Reporting Undermines Investment, Trust in ESG

Investors are concerned that corporations’ ESG disclosures aren’t detailed enough. A survey by EY found that about three-quarters of investors didn’t believe the companies in which they invested gave sufficient data-driven insights on which to make decisions. This is undermining the smooth running of capital markets and eroding trust in ESG, the survey stated.