Investor approaches to mission-related investing (MRI) are as varied as the social and environmental outcomes they seek to achieve. Based on responses from 148 clients—54 of which are engaged in mission-related investing—this chart book explores trends in the structure, implementation, and governance of MRI programs; investor motivations and perceived challenges; and expectations for future growth […]
September 2018
There is perhaps no better time for social equity investing. Many institutional investors have long sought to promote social equity through grant making and other philanthropic endeavors. With the field of impact investing maturing, these institutions are now increasingly seeking investment solutions to accomplish the same goal.
July 2018
Impact investing – allocations that aim for social and/or environmental change or to solve a problem in the world – has historically stood apart from “traditional,” financial-return driven investing. But increasingly in several asset classes, including venture capital, an exciting convergence of variables is blurring the boundaries, perhaps turning this old distinction on its head. […]
May 2018
Mission-related investing. Socially responsible investing. Impact investing. Sustainability investing. Environmental, Social, and Governance. Also known as: MRI, SRI, II, SI, ESG. The lexicon of mission-related investing can sometimes feel like “alphabet soup.” There is no universal framework for the terminology and the strategies that we include under the umbrella of mission-related investing are expansive—and often […]
September 2017
Sustainable investing and the consideration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors continue to gain prominence. The new 2017 investment guidance for defined benefit (DB) schemes from The Pensions Regulator (TPR) in the United Kingdom has material new ESG content. This follows similar guidance for defined contribution (DC) schemes issued last year. Cambridge Associates has prepared this short piece to summarise this guidance and its implications for pension scheme investment strategy, including how we might help.
September 2017
The practice of sustainable investing and the consideration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors continues to grow. Concurrently, the demand for effective investment policies that facilitate exploration and integration of sustainable investment strategies with primary portfolio objectives is also increasing. However, actually arriving at an actionable policy statement that enjoys broad support and commitment […]
June 2017
Answers to our clients’ questions about market action and the market environment in a few paragraphs every two weeks. No. Market forces and technological innovation have been far more impactful on the energy sector than environmental regulations. Investors should maintain exposure to private energy and publicly listed energy equities, rather than view this event as […]
June 2017
Within impact investing, real assets investments constitute one of the largest opportunity sets. This report presents findings from our analysis of the financial performance of 55 private real assets impact investing funds across three sectors: timber, real estate, and infrastructure. We find that risk-adjusted market rates of return are achievable in impact investing, but note that as with conventional funds, manager selection is key to success. This report also marks the launch of the real assets impact investing financial performance benchmarks, which will track the performance of impact investing funds across the three sectors of focus and will be maintained and updated on a quarterly basis.
May 2017