Developments and commentary in and around the ESG investment space.

Pictet Asset Services
Pictet Asset Services, part of the Pictet Group, has launched a website for third-party asset managers to help them navigate the upcoming EU Action Plan for sustainable finance.

Chief among new compliance rules is meeting the EU’s Sustainable Financial Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), coming into force in March 2021 requiring extra transparency and reporting obligations at the product and asset manager level.

Pictet's new platform will prompt clients on how to meet five main compliance areas: disclosure (SFRD), taxonomy, UCITS and AIFMD, MiFID II and carbon benchmarks, where requirements will differ depending on which ESG strategies each asset manager is targetting.

The platform will also provide an online self-assessment prospecting tool designed to either support clients transitioning to more ambitious ESG strategies or consolidating their current investment approach, the firm said.

“Our goal is to try to preserve boutique asset managers that don’t necessarily have the adequate infrastructure to tackle these ESG regulatory complexities,” Marc Briol, CEO of Pictet Asset Services said.