LP round up: horseshoe does the trick for Pimco and other distressed managers
Institutional investors poured $2.7 billion into credit this week through 14 managers, according to board documentation seen by Creditflux

Pandemic underlines importance of the S in ESG as compliant companies outperform
For years, assessing environmental risks has been at the forefront of ESG (environmental, social, governance) investing, but there’s been a greater appreciation of the ‘S’ in ESG since the market sell-off in March

NNIP launches corporate green bond fund
NNIP Investment Partners has launched a green bond fund focused on corporate borrowers, following dominance by this issuer group in the green bond market last year

Elfa partners with LMA to develop standardised ESG disclosure topics
The European Leveraged Finance Association, in partnership with the Loan Market Association, has launched an engagement programme to develop a standard set of material ESG disclosure topics on which issuers and borrowers can be expected to report publicly

Managers face ESG disclosure pressure under ‘ambitious and demanding’ EU regulations
New rules finalised by the European Union will shake up the way managers approach environmental, social and governance investing, sources say. The ambitious initiative is relevant for funds which have a specific ESG mandate — but will also be applicable to firms without an express ESG or sustainability focus.

UK charities join forces on hunt for ESG managers
Three UK based charities are joining forces in the hunt for a manager to oversee a £32 million ($41.6 million) portfolio with a strong focus on environment, social and governance (ESG) criteria as well as impact investing  

Danish pension backs green bonds
Sampension is set to boost its green portfolio, by allocating DKK300 million to German and Irish green bonds

S&P acquires ESG rating business from RobecoSam
S&P Global has acquired an ESG ratings business from RobecoSam, according to an announcement. The acquisition includes that of SAM Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA), an evaluation tool.

Investors increasingly see ESG as fiduciary duty, State Street survey reveals
North American investors are most likely to view ESG as a fiduciary duty, while European investors are driven by regulation, performance and reputational risk, according to results from a survey conducted by State Street Global Advisors

ESG integration is part of fiduciary duty, finds UNPRI
The United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI) report ‘Fiduciary Duty in the 21st Century’, published late last month, concludes that ESG is a source of investment value, ending debate that using ESG criteria might violate fiduciary duties.

Federated's US and European businesses launch high yield impact funds
Federated Investors, Hermes Investment Management and UBS have joined forces to launch new high yield credit funds, which are in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) framework. The vehicles take the form of a Ucits offering and a mutual fund

Danish pensions join forces on green strategy
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has announced that Danish pension funds are set to commit DKK350 billion in green investments, during an event prior to UN Climate Summit in New York  

Schroders appoints head of sustainable credit
The hire, Schroders anticipates, will "deliver the very best in ESG credit investment solutions for clients"

US credit managers make ESG breakthrough after taking a first step via UNPRI
Incorporating a framework for investing in companies based on environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors is a challenge that US credit managers are accepting in growing numbers

THL updates credit investment framework to include ESG
THL Credit Advisors has announced that it has developed an investment framework for assessing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in analysing credit quality and risk factors

Green bonds and international credit deliver double-digit returns for Swedish pension
Second Swedish National Pension Fund (AP2) reached SEK 367.4 billion in the first half of 2019, with investments in fixed income generating double-digit returns, according to its half year report  

Lombard Odier expands sustainability team
Lombard Odier has bolstered its sustainability capabilities with the appointments of Christopher Kaminker and Ebba Lepage  

Goldman Sachs creates sustainable finance group
Goldman Sachs has launched a sustainable finance group, to deliver sustainable growth solutions to the bank’s clients, according to documents seen by Creditflux.  

Dutch development bank creates ESG and impact standing committee
The Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO) has created a standing committee for impact and environmental, social and governance investing

Italian pension fund looks to build its exposure to bonds
Mediafond has launched a request for proposals in which it seeks out a manager to oversee a bond portfolio

Investor requirements rather than performance is driving ESG push: Creditflux survey
Only 14% of respondents to Creditflux's global credit ESG survey said performance was the main reason they were adopting envoronmental, social and governance-themed strategies

EIB and Amundi form green partnership for high yield, private debt and securitisations
Amundi and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have teamed-up to launch Green Credit Continuum (Greco) programme with the aim of raising €1 billion over the next three years for green credit initiatives

UK pension scheme quits tobacco
Nest is set to go tobacco free across all its investments, with the largest UK pension master trust expecting that the process will take up to two years.  

BNP Paribas AM hires Robeco investment specialist for quant strategies
BNP Paribas Asset Management has appointed Grégory Taïeb for the newly-created role of investment specialist within the firm’s multi-asset, quantitative and solutions investment group, which includes investments in credit.