Aktia Launches Rare Dark Green Corporate Bond Fund
01 September 2022 - 6:00PM
Aktia Launches Rare Dark Green Corporate Bond Fund
Aktia Bank PlcPress release 1 September 2022 at 11.00 a.m.
Aktia Launches Rare Dark Green Corporate Bond
Fund
In addition to long-term financial returns, the UI-Aktia
Sustainable Corporate Bond aims to achieve significant social and
environmental benefits by investing in European sustainable
development bonds. Initially, the fund will be available to both
domestic and foreign professional
institutional investors, but it will made available to
retail investors as well at a later stage.
Aktia has launched the new UI-Aktia Sustainable Corporate Bond
fund on 1 September 2022. It is classified as a so-called dark
green fund in accordance with Article 9 of the EU Sustainable
Finance Disclosure Regulation. The fund invests only in green,
social, and responsible bonds as well as sustainability-linked
bonds (SLB), and each investment object is also required to have a
positive net impact, considering, for example, the impact on
society and the environment.
In assessing the sustainability of investment objects the
corporate bond fund uses, for example, the ISS ESG climate risk
analysis as well as company-specific ESG assessments and analyses.
Aktia also utilises ESG data produced by Morningstar
(Sustainalytics). The investment objects’ net impact on the social
and ecological environment are continuously analysed and reported
through the AI-based impact tool developed by the Finnish Upright
Project.
“Aktia has been carrying out portfolio management that takes
sustainable development into account for a long time, and we have
been reporting on the impact profiles of our equity and corporate
bond funds via Upright’s tool since 2019. However, there is a
growing demand on the market for investment products with clearly
measurable sustainability impacts. It is great to be involved in
the creation of this dark green corporate bond fund, which is still
rare even in Europe, and where investment objects do not only
comply with the sustainable development objects but also generate
significant social or environmental benefits,” says Jonne
Sandström, Portfolio Manager of the new fund.
UI-Aktia Sustainable Corporate Bond will initially be available
to professional institutional investors, but the objective is to
make the fund available to retail investors at a later stage. The
fund is also sold to professional institutional investors
internationally through Universal-Investment-Luxembourg S.A.,
Aktia's fund distribution partner in Europe. In Finland, the
pension insurance company Veritas has entered the fund as a seed
investor with EUR 20 million.
“As a pension investor, it is important for us to invest
responsibly but without compromising returns. This fund combines
the skills of experienced portfolio managers and the innovative
mindset of a startup – and it does all this with domestic
expertise. We want to support concrete actions to promote
sustainability,” says Ville
Iso-Mustajärvi, Portfolio Manager at
Veritas.
While UI-Aktia Sustainable Corporate Bond primarily invests in
investment grade bonds, it can diversify up to 20% of its
investments to high yield bonds with a rating of at least BB -. An
exception to this is unrated bonds, in which up to 3% of the fund
can be invested. The largest individual sectors for the fund's
investments are financial services and utilities, with a wide
company-level diversification. Regarding sustainable corporate bond
categories, the majority of investments are directed towards green
bonds.
Aktia has taken ESG issues into account for a long time in its
investment activities. The company also systematically develops its
climate strategy published in 2021. As part of its climate
strategy, Aktia joined the international Net Zero Asset Managers
initiative at the end of 2021. The initiative in support of
emission restrictions, which has become a financial standard,
offers more concrete tools for sustainability work. Aktia has also
participated in CDP’s Non-Disclosure Campaign and the CDP-led
Science Based Targets project. Moreover, Aktia reports annually on
climate change in the CDP portal. In 2021, Aktia became a public
supporter of TFCD (Task Force on Climate-related Financial
Disclosures) and reports in accordance with these recommendations.
As an indication of Aktia's expertise in financial management,
Morningstar awarded Aktia as Finland's best fund house in February
2022. Aktia won the award as the best fixed income fund house for
the eighth time.
Further information:
Portfolio Manager Jonne Sandström, tel. +358 50 362 6775,
jonne.sandstrom(at)aktia.fi
Aktia’s communications: tel. +358 50 305 3475,
viestinta(a)aktia.fi
Aktia is a Finnish asset manager, bank and life insurer that has
been creating wealth and wellbeing from one generation to the next
for 200 years. We serve our customers in digital channels
everywhere and face-to-face in our offices in the Helsinki, Turku,
Tampere, Vaasa and Oulu regions. Our award-winning asset management
business sells investment funds also internationally. We employ
approximately 900 people around Finland. Aktia's assets under
management (AuM) 30/06/2022 amounted to EUR 13.9 billion and the
balance sheet total was EUR 11.9 billion. Aktia's shares are listed
on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd (AKTIA). aktia.com
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