The British asset manager is boosting its sustainability efforts in the region, amid growing demand for sustainability-focused strategies.
Schroders will establish a regional Centre of Excellence for Sustainability in Singapore, which will house a dedicated team of senior ESG specialists and develop the ESG capabilities of Schroders’ staff in Asia, said the firm in a media statement on Friday.
The education hub will also be open to industry partners across the broader finance ecosystem, and will host training programs for both local and regional clients. «The dedicated senior resources will play a pivotal role in driving Asia-focused ESG research insights, innovation and impact across the region, drawing from our thought leadership in sustainability,» Schroders said.
At the same time, Blue Orchard, the Zurich-based impact investment manager that Schroders acquired last year, will centralize its Asia Pacific activities in Singapore and transform the local operation into a key regional investment research and business hub, the announcement said.
Accelerating Trends
«Investors today choose to vote with their own pockets, and we have seen heightened inflows of funds towards ESG causes and investments globally. We expect the momentum to spill over to Asia, as capital reallocation will create interesting investment opportunities for our institutional and intermediary clients. As we speak, we already see clients in Asia looking to enhance their ESG alignment and deliver positive impact whilst generating returns,» Susan Soh, co-head of Asia Pacific and Singapore CEO, Schroders, said.
Schroders is among the nine founding members of the Singapore Green Finance Centre, launched on Monday by Imperial College Business School and the Lee Kong Chian School of Business at Singapore Management University (SMU). The center hopes to develop the green finance talent pipeline and attract mainstream investment towards climate change.
