RegTech Insight ESG The latest content from across the platform
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.
Why Data Is at The Heart of Navigating Global Regulatory Divergence
Volker Lainer, VP, Product Management and Regulatory Affairs at GoldenSource. The role of data in financial markets is constantly evolving to fit with trading trends and constant advancements in technology. Back in 2022, we saw new requirements come into force under MiFID II for banks and investment firms to integrate sustainability into their suitability assessments…
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”.
Free Digital Toolkit Helps Private Equity Integrate ESG
A free digital tool that helps private equity firms integrate ESG into their investment processes is hoped to boost the sustainability performance of a market to which financial institutions have huge exposure. The Investor ESG Toolkit was created by UK-based sustainability consultancy Sancroft to help PE firms identify how their investment and risk strategies stack…
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…
Data Poses Challenges for UK Pension Funds’ Climate Compliance
A year after pension funds in the UK were required to begin compiling sustainability reports on their portfolios, a survey has shown that data challenges are making the task difficult. A shortage of emissions data, inconsistencies in reporting and a reliance on estimates are making it almost impossible for funds that hold about £2.2 trillion…
ISSB Nails Down Technicalities of Standards for June Release
The International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) has completed the technical drafting of global reporting standards it plans to make effective for signatories in January. The technical details of the framework have been partly based on the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). They are due to be announced in June and the first disclosures by companies…
SEC’s Gensler Says Regulator is Considering Climate Proposals
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the US is mulling the alteration of some of its climate-reporting proposals, which were announced last year. Chair of the regulator Gary Gensler said about 15,000 comments had been sent from market participants after the proposals were put out for consultation. Gensler said the adjustments were being considered…
French Regulator Wants Tougher Guarantees in SFDR
The French financial regulator, Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), has urged a rethink of part of the European Union’s wide-ranging ESG reporting rules. The AMF wants to see minimal environmental impact standards for ESG-linked funds, arguing that without them, the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) would inadvertently encourage greenwashing.
Mizuho Bolsters ESG Data Capabilities as Japan Toughens Regulations
Japanese financial giant Mizuho Bank has upgraded its ESG data capabilities as the government in Tokyo tightens rules on sustainability reporting and after the bank was implicated in a greenwashing scandal. The financial services major has put in place a disclosures and data verification framework to help it assess the progress and credibility of net-zero…