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Green bonds are hugely popular today, but how did they come into being? Christopher Flensborg, widely known as the ‘father of green bonds’, unravels the entire story: “At one point people started saying, ‘wow, there something’s going on here. We need to get into this.’” Resulting today in a green bond market representing some 700 billion euro in assets.

Managing Director Michael Bushnell explains that within the Cardano Group the role of Lincoln Pensions is to look for the potential issues that might arise in a sponsor company, so that the pension fund trustee is prepared for them. “Climate change and ESG factors give trustees a chance to positively influence the employer covenant in a way that is not generally possible.”

A Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) study sponsored by NOW: Pensions has revealed that women aged 25 will accumulate a workplace pension that is 20% less than men by the age of 65. what’s the reason for this gap and where there could be opportunity for policy interventions to narrow it?

ESG targets, green obligations, contributing to the UN’s climate goals. The foundation for Cardano Development was laid way back in 2005, long before “going green” became fashionable. Since then, this impact investor has grown into the largest collaboration platform for development banks in the world.

Despite the prominence of derivatives across UK pension scheme portfolios, the assessment of ESG factors in derivatives remains relatively nascent.

Twelve leading investment consulting firms in the UK have established the Investment Consultants Sustainability Working Group, with the aim of seeking to improve sustainable investment practices across the investment industry.

It remains uncertain how the delicate process of restarting normal economic activity will proceed. But we can be sure that the range of possible outcomes is wider in the post-COVID global economy than it was in the pre-COVID one.

Why Gold is a useful portfolio construction tool…

We have now entered a new phase in the funding of pension schemes, in which trustees must decide how they manage their scheme strategy in a radically different interest rate environment.

At Cardano, one of the most useful tools we use when thinking about portfolio construction is scenario analysis, and this approach frames our navigation of both the current backdrop and longer-term outlook. As the Covid-19 pandemic continues the future remains uncertain across most frontiers, but by drawing up a range of reasonable scenarios, it is possible to consider the economic implications of each potential development.

Whilst not a huge surprise, the Bank of England’s latest monetary policy plans announcement might consequentially cause some headaches for pension schemes.

Nigel Sillis, provides his response on this update and what it could mean for pension schemes in the long run.