Fidelity International has expanded its sustainable investment line-up with the introduction of two new funds classified as Article 9 under the European Union’s SFDR.
The move to launch these new Article 9 funds comes in response to increasing client demand for investment options that contribute to a more sustainable economy. This expansion also seems to counter last year’s trend where some asset managers reclassified their funds from Article 9 to Article 8 due to uncertainties about the new regulation’s compliance requirements.
Fidelity International is a seasoned player in the financial investment space, providing a variety of investment and asset management services to its global client base. Its offerings include mutual funds, retirement savings, wealth management, and more, underpinned by robust research and a commitment to long-term value creation for its investors.
The newly launched funds are the Sustainable Global Equity Fund and the Sustainable Asian Focus Fund. These Article 9 funds have sustainability as their core objective, meaning they are designed to invest in issuers that significantly contribute to and benefit from the transition towards a sustainable economy.
These new funds are part of Fidelity’s ongoing efforts to enhance its sustainable investment framework. Each fund under the Article 9 classification will be wholly invested in ‘sustainable investments,’ defined by having at least 50% of revenues generated from activities contributing to an environmental or social objective according to the EU Taxonomy, Fidelity’s proprietary Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) tool, or a robust strategy to decarbonize towards net zero.
The reclassified Article 9 funds in the announcement include the Sustainable Biodiversity Fund, Sustainable Climate Solutions Fund, Sustainable Eurozone Equity Fund, and the Sustainable US Equity Fund. Fidelity assures these investments meet minimum safeguards and adhere to good governance practices.
Chief Sustainability Officer of Fidelity International, Jenn-Hui Tan said, “These funds are supported by the further enhancement of Fidelity’s sustainable investing framework, including a proprietary dataset which assesses an issuer’s positive contribution to the targets and indicators of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (“SDG”). From this foundation, we have been able to develop a series of fund solutions for clients wishing to align their investments with the transition to a sustainable economy.”
Head of Sales for Continental Europe at Fidelity International, Christophe Gloser added, “Sustainability is one of the biggest and most disruptive megatrends that the sector is facing and one that is impacting our investment decision process. We are committed to providing the best solutions for our clients which is why we strive to further develop relevant products for our clients in the long-term.”
Keep up with all the latest FinTech news here
Copyright © 2023 FinTech Global
