The Responsible Investment Association of Australasia (RIAA) has increased its focus on the internal governance, program requirements, criteria, and verification processes of responsible funds through its certification program.
RIAA has revised and strengthened its Responsible Investment Certification Program, designed to help consumers choose an investment option that suits their needs.
RIAA has also rewarded Australian Ethical the ‘Whole of Fund Certification' — the highest award level.
Australian Ethical managing director, Phil Vernon, said Australians were increasingly embracing ethical investing.
"Over the course of 2015 our funds under management grew by 35 per cent, inflows doubled and super fund member ship grew 11 per cent," he said.
"Super funds and asset managers are responding to the demand for responsible investment options, but there is a wide variation among the products on offer. Terms like ‘green', ‘ethical', ‘SRI' and ‘ESG' can mean different things, and unless they are certified, it's hard for investors to compare apples with apples."
"As the range of responsible investment products grows, it's important to have external validation of claims to be ethical or responsible. It gives consumers certainty about where they are investing their money."
Governor Bullock took a more hawkish stance on Tuesday, raising concerns over Trump’s escalating tariffs, which sent economists in different directions with their predictions.
Equity Trustees has announced the appointment of Jocelyn Furlan to the Superannuation Limited (ETSL) and HTFS Nominees Pty Ltd (HTFS) boards, which have oversight of one of the companies’ fastest growing trustee services.
Following growing criticism of the superannuation industry’s influence on capital markets and its increasing exposure to private assets, as well as regulators’ concerns about potential risks to financial stability, ASFA has released new research pushing back on these narratives.
A US-based infrastructure specialist has welcomed the $93 billion fund as a cornerstone investor.