Ex-head of British Army to lead Santander’s defence lending Banking The former head of the British Army is set to lead Santander’s bid to bolster its defence lending as the industry experiences soaring demand with nations upping spending. General Sir Patrick Sanders was the chief of the general staff from 2022 to 2024 in the British Army and is set to join the Spanish-headquartered bank [...]
Banking net zero club to change structure after member exodus Banking The global banking industry’s climate group will hold a vote on the future of its structure following a mass exodus of members. The Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) will determine whether it will transform from a membership-based alliance to a “new framework initiative”. It comes after the world’s banking giants fled the group as the financial [...]
How the banking net zero fantasy ran out of gas Banking Over the past year, the world’s biggest banks‘ net zero enthusiasm has quickly and quietly dried up. Top lenders have backtracked, diluted or outright abandoned their environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies. The return of President Donald Trump has been highlighted as a turning point for green finance with firms across the financial industry turning sour [...]
Barclays follows HSBC in ditching net zero banks club August 1, 2025 Barclays has become the second London-based bank to exit the net zero banks club as the financial services industry continues to row back on climate policies. The FTSE 100 giant – which recorded a £1bn profit jump for the second quarter – said on Friday the UN-convened Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) “no longer has [...]
Calm heads make a welcome return to ESG debate July 2, 2025 In May 2022, HSBC’s head of responsible investing, Stuart Kirk, took to the stage at a City conference and did something extraordinary; he criticised the financial services industry’s obsession with climate change. With a degree of candour that would ultimately cost him his job, Kirk said “I feel like it’s getting a little bit out [...]
Fund managers made ‘ridiculously extravagant claims’ on ESG, Aberdeen boss says July 1, 2025 Fund managers have made a “huge mistake” with their “ridiculously extravagant claims” on ESG investing, the boss of asset management giant Aberdeen has said amid a global retreat from ethical funds. Sir Douglas Flint told the City Week conference that investors had adopted a mindset of “we’re not really about investing money, we’re just jolly [...]
Impax’s takings slump after global retreat on sustainability May 22, 2025 Impax Asset Management recorded a slump in revenue in the first half of the year as a global retreat on green policies turned clients away from its sustainability offering. The firm cited a “challenging first half of financial year” with assets under management falling to £25.3bn. This was down from £37.2bn at the end of [...]
Green finance withers as Trump effect spreads April 24, 2025 Financial hubs are ditching green finance, fresh research shows, after President Donald Trump’s return to the White House triggered a global retreat. Centres across the world had their green finance rating reduced in the 15th edition of Z/Yen Global Green Finance Index (GFFI). Despite topping the index, London’s rating reduced 36 points to 598. Zurich [...]
Meet the fund managers: Sticking by ESG as it falls out of fashion September 2, 2024 In this weekly series, investment reporter Elliot Gulliver-Needham sits down with a fund manager for a Q&A. This week, we’re hearing from Yolanda Courtines, manager of the Wellington Global Stewards fund. What makes the fund stand out from its competitors? We have 35 to 45 names in the portfolio, with a history of high returns [...]
Meet the fund managers: ESG investing across the globe August 12, 2024 In this new weekly series, investment reporter Elliot Gulliver-Needham sits down with a fund manager for a Q&A. This week, we’re hearing from Geir Lode, lead portfolio manager on the Federated Hermes Global Equity ESG fund. How does your fund stand out from others in the same market? As a firm and as a team [...]