GLEIF Signals Intent to Join Global Project Designed to Digitise ESG Credentials of MSMEs

The Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) have signed a statement of intent to embark on a collaborative initiative to develop digital Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) credentials for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) worldwide.

The initiative, Project Savannah, hopes to lower the barriers to ESG reporting for MSMEs by establishing a common framework of ESG metrics to generate basic sustainability credentials and commence the journey towards meeting UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It will use digital initiatives, such as MAS’s Project Greenprint1, to generate ESG data credentials that can be housed in MSMEs’ LEI records. MSMEs will then be able to transmit verified entity information and key ESG data to their business partners.

Sustainable Fitch Launches Regulations Tracker

Clients of Sustainable Fitch can now access its ESG Regulations and Reporting Standards Tracker, which seeks to bring transparency to changes in the global sustainability disclosures space. The service is offered with Fitch Group, which provides the data backbone of the tracker, enabling companies to stay up to date with changes to compliance obligations.

FIX Protocol Includes Digital Token Identifier

The Digital Token Identifier (DTI) ISO standard has been added to the Financial Information eXchange (FIX) Protocol, the industry-standard messaging protocol for electronic communication. The addition means financial institutions will be able to use the FIX Protocol to send messages with DTIs both internally and externally.

The DTI standard is increasingly being used as it uniquely identifies digital ledgers, digital tokens and cryptocurrencies using publicly available information. It can also be used by regulators to monitor digital asset trades for anti-money laundering and combating terrorist financing requirements, and for monitoring systemic risks arising from trading of global stable-coins and other digital assets. The DTI has also been recommended by ESMA as a risk management measure under the DLT Pilot regime.

ISSB Calls for Feedback on Future Priorities

The International Sustainable Standards Board is asking the financial industry what its priorities for the next two years should be. The umbrella body for ESG disclosure standards organisations said it the four options were to focus on biodiversity, ecosystems and ecosystem services; human capital; human rights; and, integration in reporting.

Bloomberg Launches New SFDR Tool for Asset Managers

Bloomberg’s fund manager clients can access a new tool enabling them to identify assets aligned with the European Union’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR). The dashboard-based offering is available through Bloomberg’s Terminal.

RepRisk Makes ESG Data Accessible from Snowflake Marketplace

RepRisk’s ESG risk data is now available on Snowflake Marketplace, giving sustainable market professionals easy access to the Swiss company’s content without having to adapt their internal processes.

Through Snowflake’s platform, RepRisk says customers can be assured of data security, scalability, assessment and governance. Its data is collated from sources other than corporate self-disclosures to ensure investors are provided with independent information.

ISS ESG Provides US Cyber Risks Visibility for Sustainability Investors

ESG investors are now able to monitor companies’ cyber risks through a new service provided by ISS ESG. The ISS ESG US Cyber Risk Index offers clients visibility into which corporates face the highest risk of digital intrusion based on their cyber security provisions.

ISS ESG, the sustainable investment unit of Institutional Shareholder Services, said the index is based on is Cyber Risk Scores.

ESAs and ECB Call for Better Disclosures from Structured Products

European regulators and authorities have published joint statement calling for better climate-related disclosures on structured financial products. In the report, the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs) and the European Central Bank (ECB) said the lack of climate data on the securities’ underlying assets was of concern and needed addressing.

Breakthrough in European Green Bond Labelling

The European Union has agreed to create standards for its proposed green bond labelling framework, bringing one of the thorniest debates among the region’s regulators closer to a resolution. The proposed standards set the guidelines that bond issuers should follow before they can confidently describe their debt as “green”.

EFAMA Says Green Labelling Plan is Flawed

Industry body, the European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA), has taken aim at one of the European Union’s regulators over proposed labelling laws for green funds. EFAMA said the European Securities and Markets Authority’s (ESMA) recommendation for a numerical threshold system for grading funds’ sustainability characteristics would not eliminate greenwashing. Its offered alternative calls for an evidence-based assessment of funds’ objectives and strategies.