Investment clients of ABN AMRO will begin to see sustainability scores on a greater range of investments in 2019 after a partnership was agreed with Morningstar.
In an announcement on Tuesday, the Dutch bank said it had signed a partnership agreement with ratings group Morningstar to expand its breadth of ESG ratings data. The ratings that ABN AMRO provides to its clients are based on data provided by Sustainalytics.
The bank said it previously measured the ESG credentials of 4,000 companies and 900 investment funds prior to the deal, but said this would increase to 10,000 companies and 38,000 investment funds as a result of the partnership.
“Sustainability is a core pillar of our bank’s corporate strategy, Sustainable Investment director Vincent Triesschijn said in a statement.
“The increased coverage helps our investment advisers to make meaningful comparisons between companies and funds based on their ESG preferences. It also prepares us to classify companies and investment funds on ESG, subject to future regulation.”
At the end of August, ABN AMRO said it would be encouraging clients “to invest in sustainable investment products and services,” noting that its clients already had some €10.2bn invested in sustainable investments as at the end of 2017.
Triesschijn recently became non-executive chairman of the newly established European Climate Fund, which invests in projects that aim to reduce carbon emissions but do not meet the criteria of mainstream investors.
In a statement emailed to ESG Clarity, Hermen Molendijk, head of Morningstar Benelux, said:
“With sustainable investing seeing rapid growth, we’re excited to make the Morningstar Sustainability Rating available through ABN AMRO, one of the leading banks in Europe.
“The announcement is a continuation of our two companies’ long-standing relationship since 2001.”
