King’s College London’s Business School has developed and launched a programme designed to help ensure that consumers’ interest in sustainable investment is supported by adequate and appropriate advice.
Supported by Aviva Investors and made available free of charge, the programme is designed to help independent financial advisers (IFAs) with their obligations under the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) Consumer Duty rules as well as the changes being introduced this year with the Sustainability Disclosure Requirements (SDR).
King’s Business School’s online course for independent financial advisers, paraplanners and compliance professionals is set to be delivered by a mix of experts with extensive experience working directly with clients and IFAs, as well as leading researchers on sustainable and climate finance.
The programme has been designed to ensure that attendees can manage the increased reporting and changed requirements of the Consumer Duty within their firms; advise clients with more confidence around ESG and sustainability; understand the new SDR and investment labels regulations; and, ultimately, provide better advice.
The programme is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development for Continuing Professional Development purposes. On successful completion of the programme, participants will receive an online badge, which they can post on their social media profiles.
“It is far harder to define the desire to do good with our investments than it is to define a financial goal, and trickier still to measure the difference that our investments are making,” said professor Stephen Bach, executive dean at King’s Business School.
“With the generous support of Aviva Investors, we are delighted to offer a programme that will help IFAs to steer their clients through this complex landscape, so that they can make choices that align with their values.”
Mark Versey, CEO of Aviva Investors and chair of the King’s Business School advisory council, added: “74% of consumers questioned in the FCA’s Financial Lives 2022 survey agreed ‘environmental issues are really important to them’, but this interest is not yet reflected in the proportion of assets invested sustainably. By making IFAs more confident when discussing sustainability with their clients, we can help close this gap and bring more capital to bear on some of the world’s big challenges.”
