Low angle view of modern skyscrapers in Midtown Manhattan.
Finance
Financing 1.5°C: In a Booming ESG market, the SEC Has Some Questions
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently made headlines by launching a formal investigation into ESG (environmental, social, and governance) investment products offered by DWS Group, Deutsche Bank AG’s asset management division. The investigation sent DWS shares tumbling more than 12 percent, demonstrating the real-world consequences of a…
The Crisis of Climate Finance: “Access Means Survival”
Unlocking the flow of finance remains one of the key challenges holding back climate progress in the Global South—and threatening to cast a shadow over COP26.
Financing 1.5°C: What’s Driving ESG-Related Mergers?
The investment bank Goldman Sachs recently announced it would pay $1.9 billion for Dutch asset manager NN Investment Partners. In explaining the purchase, Goldman’s CEO David Solomon said that “they have been successful in integrating sustainability, which mirrors our own level of ambition to put responsible investing and stewardship…
Financing 1.5°C: The Big Banks have Set Climate Targets—Now What?
A lot has happened in the financial sector since RMI launched the Center for Climate-Aligned Finance (the Center) a year ago. Particularly in North America, banks increased their climate ambitions: As of June 2020, not one of the 10 largest private banks (by total assets) across the United States and Canada had made a 2050 net-zero commitment.
Banking on Green
In a pivotal year for sustainable development and climate action, world leaders would do well to turn to the proven solutions of the green bank model. The climate crisis may be felt more slowly than the overwhelming immediacy of the COVID crisis, but it involves similar challenges and potentially graver…