www.wealthandfinance-news.com W&F Ethical Finance Awards 2024 Best Impact-Focused Social Housing Investment Solutions Provider 2024 – UK & Wealth & Finance Social Impact Excellence Award 2024 When considering ethical finance, most may believe that it’s simply a more thoughtful method of generating financial returns. Bighous, however, is an award-winning collective whose charitable activities transcend what one might expect from an ethical finance group. Believing that ethical finance revolves around having a positive impact on the wider community, Bighous has developed a means to deliver measurable services that promise to provide hope to the most vulnerable members of society. Join us as we delve into how, through its unique solutions, Bighous has taken vast strides toward tackling the UK Housing Crisis. Bighous
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Contents 4. Bighous: Best Impact-Focused Social Housing Investment Solutions Provider 2024 – UK & Wealth & Finance Social Impact Excellence Award 2024 6. Carrington Labs: Best AI-Powered Ethical- Lending FinTech Platform 2024 – Carrington Labs 7. Beforepay Group: Ethical Lender of the Year 2024 – APAC 8. BasisPoint+: Best ESG Software & Service Provider 2024 & Wealth & Finance Sustainable Investing Tech Innovators of the Year 2024 9. 1863 Ventures: Leading Experts in New Majority Communities 2024 10. EPFR Inc: Best Fund Flow & Asset Allocation Solutions Provider 2024 - UK 11. EQ Investors: Sustainable Investor of the Year 2024 – UK & Recognised Leaders in Discretionary Fund Management 2024 - UK 12. Global Accountancy Institute, Inc: Ethical Multi-Asset Class Proprietary Trading Firm of the Year 2024 & Wealth & Finance Ethical Finance Innovators of the Year 2024 13. Cross-Border Impact Ventures: Best Health Tech Investment Company 2024 – Canada & Wealth & Finance Responsible Investing Excellence Award 2024 14. KBC Asset Management NV: Sustainable Asset Management Company of the Year 2024 - Belgium 15. Bank Gaborone: Auditing & Ethical Finance Expert of the Year 2024: Kagiso Khutsafalo
4 | W&F Ethical Finance Awards 2024 Best Impact-Focused Social Housing Investment Solutions Provider 2024 – UK & Wealth & Finance Social Impact Excellence Award 2024 Proud to work on projects commissioned by charity partners – projects that see it identifying suitable distressed housing stock that aligns with the unique needs of its companions – Bighous is a highly renowned collective whose insightful nature has allowed it to elevate the quality of housing across the UK. From the moment a property is found, Bighous eagerly begins the renovation process, ultimately creating a space that captures the initial vision of any given charity, before leasing it to them. Following this, charities can begin offering these newly renovated areas to society’s most vulnerable individuals, granting them access to safe environments that are designed to honour their dignity and support their needs. In addition to working alongside organisations who are set on providing housing to those most in need, Bighous also collaborates with charities that grant unrestricted access to mental health support services and trade skill tutelage. These charities essentially work to present disadvantaged communities with the tools to start working – through meticulously crafted bricklaying and carpentry courses, for example, tenants can accumulate skills that are guaranteed to secure them a position in some of the country’s most essential services. As a result of the support provided by Bighous, the social housing sector has seen the national production of over £6.0m worth of housing assets, granting housing to hundreds of individuals over the course of only eight years. Despite these astonishing accomplishments, Bighous has upheld an admirable dedication to further spreading its influence across other areas. The most notable is its commitment to donating a small portion of its revenues to the sponsorship of children in developing countries across the world. Throughout the past couple of years alone, the collective has already established connections with four children – and their families – in regions such as the Dominican Republic, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Burkina Faso through the charity Compassion UK. It’s clear that Bighous has long since recognised its potential to foster continuous positive change on both a national and global scale, and it’s this very realisation that spurs it forward each and every day. So long as it uplifts the lives of only a few individuals, it will continue to provide meaningful services to a wide array of charities throughout the UK. Of course, such a realisation doesn’t simply appear, and ultimately dawned on Bighous from the moment it witnessed first-hand just how dire the social housing system has become. Paolo Casamassima of Bighous expressed how – “When I first decided to invest in social housing, I was appalled by the condition of a homeless shelter in Liverpool, run by the biggest local charity. I thought that a way to distinguish ourselves was to always offer newly refurbished homes, to ensure that rather than just offering accommodation, we offer “Homes” that “Transform Lives”.” To Bighous, there’s a stark distinction to be made between providing the bare minimum, and giving people a place in which they can flourish, and it hopes that, through its dedication, it can offer the latter to the people who need it the most. In short, Bighous offers newly refurbished flats and homes to the vulnerable members of society who have been let down by social housing throughout the years. Those who, without Bighous’s assistance, would otherwise be unable gain eligibility for a tenancy. However, where Bighous differs is in how much care and attention it channels into refurbishment. At present, most properties on the social housing market have yet to experience new refurbishments, often times resulting in them not meeting the regulations for safe housing. It’s an unfortunate truth, but one that Bighous needed to face in order to develop its vision for a better future. Now, it presents people with a more holistic approach to housing – one that combines safety with support to help them build themselves up and re-integrate into the wider world. Though operating the business out of Dubai, Paolo has never lost track of what Bighous was always supposed to be – a conduit for both housing those who have been left behind by society, and address the housing crisis currently facing the UK. When we asked Paolo what Bighous’s larger mission was, he explained that – “At Bighous, we tackle the UK Housing Crisis, partnering with well-known charities and delivering accommodation to those who are in crucial need of care and support, and/or facing significant life challenges. By working with charitable partners, we help ensure our housing provides tenants with a safe place - a crucial step in their rehabilitation which not be possible without a place to stay.” Truly, compassion underpins everything Bighous does, defining it as an ethical entity within its field. Having been featured multiple times across various media outlets, most notably as part of a Sky TV documentary that focuses on housing within the UK, Bighous has evidenced that its commitment to increasing the quality of social housing is unwavering. Thanks to its work, its social impact has overseen it accomplishing a 100% occupancy rate, with over 100 tenants housed over the past year alone. These statistics only exist due to the exceptional sense of willpower that Bighous has demonstrated time and time again, and it’s for this very reason that Wealth and Finance International is pleased to feature it in our Ethical Finance Awards 2024. The work Bighous is doing is already changing lives, and we sincerely look forward to seeing its continued impact in the near future. Contact: Paolo Casamassima Company: Bighous Web Address: https://www.bighous.co.uk/ When considering ethical finance, most may believe that it’s simply a more thoughtful method of generating financial returns. Bighous, however, is an award-winning collective whose charitable activities transcend what one might expect from an ethical finance group. Believing that ethical finance revolves around having a positive impact on the wider community, Bighous has developed a means to deliver measurable services that promise to provide hope to the most vulnerable members of society. Join us as we delve into how, through its unique solutions, Bighous has taken vast strides toward tackling the UK Housing Crisis. Bighous
Best Impact-Focused Social Housing Investment Solutions Provider 2024 – UK & Wealth & Finance Social Impact Excellence Award 2024
6 | W&F Ethical Finance Awards 2024 Best AI-Powered EthicalLending FinTech Platform 2024 – Carrington Labs “Carrington Labs is focused on creating globally applicable AI-based credit risk decisioning and loan management solutions for unsecured consumer lending. ” Artificial Intelligence within the realm of FinTech is regularly used to analyse data for lending decision making, credit risk assessments, and wealth management – and these are just to name a few areas in which AI is relied upon for its assistance. Introducing Carrington Labs, brainchild of Beforepay Group, the platform that is truly taking the industry by storm. Offering an easier, quicker, and more reliable way to power precise credit decisioning and lending solutions, Carrington Labs is here to stay. Carrington Labs leverages deep expertise in credit, data and analytics, a data-driven approach and AI and machine learning (ML) to provide AI risk models and an end-to-end loan origination and servicing platform. Carrington Labs’ solutions prioritise the borrower’s wellbeing, using alternative data and models trained on more than 1.3 individual data points. This provides precise insights to inform credit decisioning and tailor financial products through personalised limit-setting and repayment scheduling for each borrower. By integrating AI responsibly, Carrington Labs aims to help businesses accelerate their growth objectives with solutions that enable rapid and precise lending decisions. “Our customer-centric decisioning and lending solutions allows us to provide clients with the ability to enhance the personalisation of financial products while minimising default risk and maximising lifetime value and revenue for the business. ” Depending on their business needs, clients have the option to use Carrington Labs’ AI risk models and loan origination and servicing solutions together or independently. Carrington Labs’ AI risk models and credit decisioning solutions are built from the ground up on a base of AI and ML, instead of other platforms that attempt to retrofit ML variables into a scorecard architecture. This enables the testing of tens of thousands of features, and the selection of hundreds of features for the final model, each with individual statistically-derived inflection points and weightings. Multiple models can be combined through the ensemble architecture, allowing dedicated logic focused on specific paths to default. This allows for a comprehensive, nuanced view of a borrower’s creditworthiness, expanding credit for underserved groups and reducing the biases found in traditional credit scoring systems. This can work hand-in-hand with Carrington Labs’ end-to-end loan origination and servicing solution that has been optimised to streamline and automate faster loan processing with fewer errors, benefitting both business outcomes and customer experience. To date the platform has issued more than 4 million loans through Australian consumer lender, Beforepay, and averages 35,000 loans originated per week. The purely digital process is expected to enable customers to go from account creation to funds received in as little as 5 minutes, and less than 1 minute for returning customers. Carrington Labs is excited to take its offerings overseas, looking to discuss partnerships with offshore partners and promote its solutions as a new standard for credit decisioning and loan management. Things are truly looking bright for this platform as it continues to use machine learning for the greater good. Winning Best AI-Powered Ethical-Lending FinTech Platform 2024 is no small achievement as Wealth and Finance International strives to recognise and honour individuals, teams, businesses, and services for their unwavering innovation and excellence. We’re sure the rest of the year will bring great things to Carrington Labs’ customers, while further solidifying its name in the realm of ethical lending. Contact Details Contact: [email protected] Company: Carrington Labs Web Address: www.carringtonlabs.com Apr24065 From data-focused predictive models to fast and accurate decisioning, Carrington Labs’ end-to-end solution guarantees a simple, and entirely digital, lending pathway. Carrington Labs has recently won its title in our Ethical Finance Awards 2024, and we’re celebrating its dedication to improving the overall lending experience. Let’s take a closer look.
Ethical Lender of the Year 2024 – APAC Above all else, Beforepay Group is committed to its ethical lending approach. In an industry historically fraught with anti-consumer practices, it turns the borrowing process into a customer-friendly, accessible practice, taking many precautions to minimise customer risk. It is the leading Australian FinTech dedicated to a lending process in which everybody wins, customer and lender alike. Beforepay’s core offering is a wage advance product aimed at customers who require extra cash to cover unexpected emergencies, expenses and cash flow challenges. It aims to get customers on their feet while taking steps to ensure that borrowing does not put them at even greater risk. From the original application stage, eligible customers can advance up to $2,000 for a 5% fixed fee. Beforepay understands the pressures of unexpected financial hardship, so it ensures the time taken from application to funds in account takes as little as five–to–seven minutes. Beforepay also aims to not exacerbate those pressures, veering away from charging compound interest and late fees to support customers’ financial well-being. This loan structure is based on trust: trust that borrowing from Beforepay keeps the customer safe from predatory lending practices, and that customers repay in a timely manner. The company takes this seriously, employing data-driven loan analytics, machine learning and AI risk models to assess a customer’s financial stability and creditworthiness, set personalised limits aimed at minimising default risk, and build repayment schedules based on paycycle forecasting. This allows Beforepay to evaluate borrowers who may not have traditional credit history and are therefore underserved by other financial institutions. The value-driven approach that underpins Beforepay’s offering is truly what sets the company apart. It is a mission-driven business committed to providing safe and affordable financial products. Such straightforward products and transparent fee structures speak to the philosophy of customer care behind the company, which bases the lending relationship on respect and personal value. Further to this, Beforepay ensures that each advance is fully repaid before a customer is eligible for another. The company discourages revolving-door debt in an effort to protect borrowers. As well as being an enduringly ethical company, Beforepay is forwardthinking in its business approach. It employs AI, machine learning, uses large alternative datasets, and explores other technological advances to stay ahead of the curve, improving its already robust suite of analytics. Using its native AI risk-scoring model, the company tests over 50,000 variables to select the 400–500 among them that could impact a borrower’s financial stability and creditworthiness. “Our data-driven loan analytics has allowed us to lead innovation in lending and enhance financial access and inclusion in a safe and ethical way. ” In both its consumer and business-focused offerings, Beforepay Group is committed to providing an ethical, transparent, and innovative service. As our Ethical Lender of the Year 2024, APAC, Beforepay Group has clearly made its mark on the world, and we’re sure its success will only grow. It is an exciting time for the company, and as its team looks to form overseas partnerships, we expect big things, and to see lending as a whole change for the better. Contact: www.beforepay.com.au Company: Beforepay Group Web Address: www.beforepay.com.au Apr24065 Between its consumer and commercial arms, Beforepay Group is revolutionising loan products in Australia across the entire lending process. From the beginning of an application to the repayment stage, the company is leveraging AI and machine learning in tandem with an ethical approach to provide the best possible service. Here, we explore Beforepay Group’s successes, values, and innovations to understand the vision behind this award-winning company.
8 | W&F Ethical Finance Awards 2024 Best ESG Software & Service Provider 2024 & Wealth & Finance Sustainable Investing Tech Innovators of the Year 2024 BasisPoint+ is a software and service provider which helps investors and companies build enterprise value, explore growth opportunities, and meet regulatory requirements. It does so through proprietary software that combines guided workflows with powerful data analytics to streamline ESG and impact investment processes. BasisPoint+ aims to help its clients enhance their market edge by turning business-relevant sustainability insights into tangible growth. BasisPoint+ offers its clients a one-stop-shop for technology-enabled strategy, compliance, and capital advisory services. Its built-forpurpose software combines several critical functions, such as pipeline management, business intelligence, and report generation into a single, self-guided tool. Users who integrate BasisPoint+ into their investment process save time in deal analysis, uncover new business insights, and minimize frustration in reporting and disclosure. They also benefit from capital markets advice, with access to placement agent services and M&A advisory to help grow their funds and optimize portfolios with sustainability principles in mind. By following BasisPoint+’s guided workflows, users can better meet requirements for leading legal frameworks and self-regulatory standards. Modular components allow users to implement a simple yet market-leading methodology on day one while adding increased rigor as desired over time. The software is continually updated with the latest standards and includes an impressive range of functionalities, like customizable analytical templates for each stage of the investment lifecycle and interactive stakeholder engagement for goal setting and action plan management. Indeed, BasisPoint+ remains a cut above other solutions thanks in part to its connectivity between users as a single source of truth for companies, investment managers, and asset owners. “BasisPoint+ is designed with flexibility in mind, recognising that no two investors or companies will have the same point of view on what sustainability levers are material to their strategic and operational success. Beyond customization of the software, our services and delivery ecosystem ensure we provide the support that’s most needed and value-adding. ” In 2024, the company is primed to further enhance its product feature set and to work closely with standard setters as ESG and impact investing requirements continue to converge. It also has plans to expand its partnership ecosystem, which brings added expertise to BasisPoint+ clients, including for services like independent verification and climate/carbon emissions analysis. Bringing together technical capabilities with capital markets advisory and other targeted support allows BasisPoint+ to serve as an extension of its clients’ teams, helping to improve investment outcomes and identify new deal flow and fundraising opportunities. BasisPoint+ looks forward to bringing more investment managers up to speed with ESG and impact investing capabilities, helping them to create additional value and demonstrate meaningful results. Applying a combination of powerful technology, differentiated services, and an ecosystem of market-leading partners, BasisPoint+ is proud to play its part in the fast-growing sustainable investing space. Its approach is one indicator among many that ESG and impact investing is a priority not only for an organization’s technology strategy, but also for its broader goals for strategic growth. Company: BasisPoint+ Web Address: https://www.basispointplus.com Securities offered through GT Securities, Inc., member FINRA, SIPC. Leading the market in both software provision and investment advisory demands that a business understands complexities across its clients’ functional areas, and the tensions—and opportunities—that arise where those areas intersect. BasisPoint+ is one example of a business pioneering cross-functional solutions for asset owners, investment managers, and companies. We had the chance to speak with CEO of BasisPoint+, Andrew Pemberton, who explained the company’s cutting-edge place within this industry. BasisPoint+
Mar24534 Leading Experts in New Majority Communities 2024 Designed to deliver content and connections to a variety of New Majority entrepreneurs – be they trying to get a foothold in their respective industries, or hoping to boost their pre-existing platforms - 1863 Ventures is a case study in respecting the next generation of business ownership. Having long since identified the needs and potential of New Majority businesses, the collective has positioned itself in the perfect place to foster responsible entrepreneurship across the US. Join us as we delve into how 1863 Ventures intends to help companies scale and support $100B in new wealth by 2030. For a vast array of New Majority entrepreneurs, tackling the immense task that is establishing oneself within the business sphere can quickly become a dreaded factor that many shy away from. After all, the world is so full of brilliant businesses, so what could make theirs stand out? 1863 Ventures exists to pinpoint exactly this. Granting access to a platform that proudly helps New Majority entrepreneurs in fostering quality content and tangible connections, 1863 Ventures places the tools in the hands of its users. In turn, it empowers New Majority founders to create wealth for themselves, while also supporting their respective communities. Through an exceptional level of training, investing, and research, 1863 Ventures has already taken broad strides toward inviting large scale equity and equality into entrepreneurship. Whether it’s offering content, capital, or context to New Majority founders, the platform serves as a waypoint for any in need of economic support. Since its establishment, 1863 Ventures has been acutely aware of how often marginalised founders have been overlooked throughout history, and has put in ample amounts of time and effort to ensure such instances never happen again. Already, 1863 Ventures has served over 4,000 founders, with its efforts having also created over 3,500 new jobs across a plethora of sectors. Enriching its practises with its intrinsic cultural competency, founder trust, and the authentic relationships it has fostered within the ecosystem, the platform promises to be that all too sought after light at the end of the tunnel. It’s this very promise that has seen 1863 Ventures reshaping the lives of over 40 founders through its investments within the past four years alone. And yet, despite this staggering success, 1863 Ventures has made it clear that this is only the beginning. Characterised by its commitment to encouraging the New Majority founders of tomorrow, 1863 Ventures has developed a steadfast framework that hasn’t failed to highlight it as the very best at its craft. To begin, the collective rejects the idea of pitching and optics, and instead channels its focus toward execution and outcomes. Partner this with the fact that it’s one of the few entities to be exclusively run by experienced entrepreneurs, it’s one of the only places to offer rigorous finance and sales training, and it’s one of only 12% of programs focused on scaling businesses and startups alike, 1863 Ventures has become an undeniable master of creating wealth for its alumni and their communities. At its core, 1863 Ventures is an entity that set out to reinvent the ways in which New Majority founders are viewed. For far too long, there has been a negative narrative surrounding these individuals’ contribution to the economy, and it’s this very narrative that 1863 Ventures proudly exists to dismantle. By advancing research in the name of increased investments in founders of colour, the collective has already come leaps and bounds in reshaping the outdated views sweeping the landscape. In doing so, it has proudly carved a new pathway for New Majority entrepreneurs – a pathway that allows them to explore entrepreneurial ventures of their own. Contact: Melissa Bradley Company: 1863 Ventures Web Address: https://www.1863ventures.net/
10 | W&F Ethical Finance Awards 2024 Best Fund Flow & Asset Allocation Solutions Provider 2024 - UK With nearly three decades of experience in financial services, EPFR is one of the world’s leading providers of fund flows and asset allocations data. Its large-scale datasets and insights offer clients an unrivalled understanding of where money is moving across geographies, sectors, industries, and securities. EPFR is uniquely positioned to help the global investment community gain valuable insights and make intelligent decisions based on reliable data. Renowed for the quality, timeliness and granularity of their data and research, EPFR has been honoured in this year’s Ethical Finance Awards as Best Fund Flow & Asset Allocation Solutions Provider – UK. Financial institutions from around the world rely on EPFR’s data and insights to unlock a privileged window of global fund flows, helping them spot inflection points in the market, and put these changes into historical context. EPFR currently tracks over 151,000 traditional and alternative fund shares classes domiciled globally with a total of $52 trillion in assets under management (AuM). Its reliable data services include daily, weekly, and monthly equity and fixed income fund flows and monthly fund allocations by country, sector, and industry to provide clients with a comprehensive understanding of where money is going and why. EPFR also offers several bespoke datasets that include China Share Class Allocations and Stock Flows. EPFR collects financial markets data from thousands of sources around the world, including fund managers and administrators, which undergo robust quality control before being distributed to clients. The data’s breadth and frequency provide clients with an in-depth understanding of portfolio manager and investor sentiment towards asset classes, and the degree to which various factors impact developed, frontier and emerging markets. One major factor currently shaping the financial market is a focus on socially responsible (SRI) and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria goals. Cameron Brandt, EPFR’s Director of Research, says, “For many investors, their stake in mutual or exchange traded funds (ETFs) with SRI or ESG mandates constitutes their only financial point of contact with the actual business of sustainable change. But connecting the dots between putting money in a fund and positive developments in the ESG space is not easy. “EPFR’s increasingly granular flows and allocations data, and the work the company has put into enhancing its stock level datasets, along with customised reports and proof of concepts developed by the research team, give investors and the fund managers they entrust their money to a range of tools for making these connections.” Over the past year, EPFR has set the standard by adjusting and enhancing its Stock Flows database to provide clients with a complete view of how flows from ESG funds influence companies’ investment decisions. Factors such as climate change, natural resources, solar power, renewable energy, and net zero all play a role in shaping SRI/ESG investments globally. Through extensive data analysis and the creation of custom groups of specific EPFR-tracked funds, EPFR has established an effective means of tracking flows into more niche and thematic fund groups. From Solar Funds and Climate Change Funds to Green Bond Funds, EPFR has adopted a tailored approach to navigating the complex SRI/ESG financial landscape. Cameron Brandt says, “In the SRI/ESG context, in addition to the windows opened by EPFR’s enhanced stock-level offerings, the company has stepped up its efforts to educate and inform both clients and non-clients about this theme, its challenges within the fund universe, and trends that are emerging from EPFR’s data. A good example is the joint podcast with Trillium Asset Management in August 2023. The podcast looked at communication issues, the focus on the E part of ESG rather than SRI/ ESG, the absence of data that frames social issues and investment decisions, and the tendency on the part of ESG investors to think that the issues are static when, in fact, it’s a very rapidly moving environment.” Moving forward, EPFR is committed to continually evolving its services to provide insights in a more efficient way. Its Product and Analytics team is currently leveraging feedback to develop interactive dashboards that focus on specific persona workflows and provide clients with more accessible information. This year, EPFR plans to launch dashboards to address the requirements of its sell-side and discretionary buy-side clients. The business will also focus on establishing more strategic partnerships to expand its distribution footprint, achieve better data comprehension, drive the creation of factors and signals, and incorporate valuable data sources. Contact: Todd Willits, CEO Company: EPFR Inc. Web Address: https://epfr.com/ Apr24203 Established in 1995, EPFR provides fund flows and asset allocation data to help financial institutions make informed decisions based on proven facts. Its market-moving data services analyse market trends, investor settlement, liquidity, risk signals, and corporate actions to provide clients with the knowledge of where money is moving and why. Recognised in this year’s Ethical Finance Awards, EPFR offers clients a complete overview of institutional and retail investor flows and fund manager allocations driving global markets.
11 | W&F Ethical Finance Awards 2024 Sustainable Investor of the Year 2024 – UK & Recognised Leaders in Discretionary Fund Management 2024 - UK EQ Investors (EQ) is an award-winning B Corp wealth manager dedicated to providing financial advice and discretionary fund management to individuals, charities, small businesses, and intermediaries. At its core, the business strives to make meaningful contributions to its community with sustainable investing that delivers a positive impact. Everyone is different and EQ has adopted a bespoke approach with a range of investment strategies to suit clients’ unique requirements. ‘EQ’ stands for emotional quotient and demonstrates the company’s commitment to recognising its clients’ emotions. Its expert team actively listens to clients to determine what they care about most and help them plan for their future. EQ is comprised of chartered financial planners and investment experts who assist clients in creating a comprehensive plan to secure their financial future. For over a decade, EQ have been pioneers of sustainable investing, striving to seek out investments that make a measurable positive impact and a long-term financial return. EQ promotes businesses that are natural innovators and have an advantage over competitors with a neutral or negative impact on people and the environment. Supporting the wider community is a major part of EQ’s business philosophy. Through the EQ Foundation, its registered charity, the business has donated over £2,000,000 to carefully selected charities chosen by its valued clients and staff. Ben Faulkner, EQ’s Marketing Director, says, “For us, ethical finance is not just investing sustainably, it’s conducting ourselves in an ethical way as well. That’s why in 2015, EQ became a founding UK B Corp, joining a growing global community that uses business as a force for good. Next year will mark our 10th anniversary as a B Corp, and it’s fantastic to see how the movement has grown from the original 62 in 2015, to over 2,000 UK companies, and more than 8,000 worldwide.” EQ offers a wide range of sustainable investment options which can be tailored to suit clients’ individual goals and portfolio of all sizes. With a successful ten-year track record, EQ’s Positive Impact Portfolios are designed to generate long-time returns and address the world’s biggest social and environmental challenges. The Positive Impact Portfolios are mapped around the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and aim to create a sustainable investment plan that clients can be proud of. Through its Future Leaders Portfolios, EQ combines socially responsible portfolios with the growing popularity of low-cost passive funds. For investors wishing to prioritise sustainability, these portfolios invest in the sustainability leaders of tomorrow that perform well against environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria. Future Leaders Portfolios also invest in sustainable sectors such as clean energy, healthcare, and green bonds. Launched in 2022, EQ’s Climate Action Portfolios allow clients to align their financial goals with the global effort to reduce climate change risks and support the transition to a net-zero future. EQ invests in companies that demonstrate climate change leadership and have a credible science-based path to net-zero. These companies are industry leaders with innovative products and services that provide solutions to decarbonisation. In addition to its sustainability standards, EQ also prides itself on its client-first approach and has won multiple awards for its quality of service and investment performance. Ben Faulkner shares, “It is our philosophy to build trusted and long-lasting relationships with our clients. We aim to provide clients with peace of mind regarding their personal financial affairs and ensure they are satisfied with the service they receive. Most of our clients come to us as a result of referrals from established clients who trust us enough to recommend us to family, friends, and colleagues. We have client relationships that have been built and strengthened over decades, and which are now spreading down generations to children, and even grandchildren.” As the public becomes more aware of global issues such as climate change, equality, and wellbeing, the B Corp movement has continued to grow rapidly. This is a pivotal movement in the fight against climate change and the demand for sustainable products and services has never been higher. Although many companies are making the necessary charges, B Corp certification is still a self-elected standard. EQ also supports the Better Business Act coalition which strives to create a greener future for all by making top-down changes to company law. Moving forward, EQ is dedicated to building on its history of sustainable investing and helping its valued clients make a positive impact on the world. Recognised in this year’s Ethical Finance Awards, EQ Investors specialises in taking the hassle out of investing with sustainable solutions designed to deliver long-term returns to clients. We cannot wait to see how EQ continues to shape the future of sustainable investment on its mission to transform the global economy for all. Contact: Ben Faulkner Company: EQ Investors Web Address: https://eqinvestors.co.uk/ EQ Investors
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Apr24030 Best HealthTech Investment Company 2024 – Canada Wealth & Finance Responsible Investing Excellence Award 2024 To some, ethical finance means creating meaningful value for a variety of companies across an endless array of industries. To others, however, it has a much more profound meaning – one that sees it completely transforming the lives of underserved populations. Cross-Border Impact Ventures is one such entity that, through its impact-driven ideology, promises to encourage the delivery of scalable healthcare technology solutions to women, children, and adolescents alike. Join us as we explore how Cross-Border Impact Ventures has completely altered the course of the HealthTech investment sphere. Founded in 2021 in response to Canada’s need for an impact-driven venture capital firm who was prepared to tighten its focus on scalable healthcare technology solutions, Cross-Border Impact Ventures is an award-winning entity that prides itself on what it does differently. While most HealthTech investors may only concern themselves with broader solutions suited to the masses, Cross-Border Impact Ventures instead has its sights on supporting solutions that hold the greatest potential for large scale adoption for the primary benefit of women, children, and adolescents. It accomplishes this through what it defines as a ‘gender lens’ – a scope that channels its investment interest into a more concentrated process. As a result of this approach, Cross-Border Impact Ventures is able to strictly invest in technologies that are both applicable to emerging markets, as well as pre-existing ones. In addition, it also carries out a rigorous assessment process to guarantee subsequent success across both seeking returns and meeting its impact target – improving the lives of 8 million women and children in an abundance of emerging markets across the globe. “CBIV is intent on showcasing that it is possible to make money while doing good things for people around the globe.” When we consulted Cross-Border Impact Ventures on how it aligns itself with its own meaning of ‘ethical finance’, it had this to say – “CBIV - and our Women’s and Children’s Health Technology Fund - is changing the way investors view reaching underserved populations around the world with the newest and most effective health technologies within their portfolios, with emphasis on women, children and adolescents. We do this by investing in novel technology solutions that are, among other things, cost effective, easier to use by health practitioners, more convenient - and/or less painful for patients – and, most importantly, will have a material health outcome improvement on their lives.” Powered by selflessness, it’s clear that Cross-Border Impact Ventures is well on its way to securing a better tomorrow for those who have previously been let down by the healthcare sphere. With portfolio companies typically based in North America and Europe – ones that have already pledged to fulfil the promises made through their respective impact goals in low and middle-income countries – Cross-Border Impact Ventures works closely to secure the funding needed to make such a tangible change. Thankfully, the collective has avidly worked to establish connections with a steadfast network of foundations, donors, and investors, allowing it provide support to those hoping to establish new programs across the world. In short, Cross-Border Impact Ventures aims to inspire others to rethink how they could have a positive impact on the wider world, with its previous achievements demonstrating this mentality time and time again. Whether it’s assisting its portfolio companies with their fundraising strategies or playing a key role in helping them to carefully consider their capital structure in creative ways that are bound to attract investors and funders within the health space, Cross-Border Impact Ventures is a master of encouraging others to thrive. For far too long, underserved groups have been completely overshadowed by the masses, leaving them without access to the fundamental healthcare solutions they deserve. Thankfully, Cross-Border Impact Ventures has onboarded the task of reinventing how investors within the sphere have positioned themselves and grants them the opportunities needed to change. Combined, these traits create an awardwinning collective whose impact will surely be felt far and wide the further its influence spreads. We sincerely look forward to the day that, through Cross-Border Impact Ventures’ work, women, children, and adolescents alike can finally gain access to the healthcare they’ve always been owed. Contact: Annie Thériault Company: Cross-Border Impact Ventures Web Address: www.crossborder.ventures “Cross-Border Impact Ventures team, from left to right: Pooja Sikka (Venture Partner), Cyriac Alappat (Principal), Megan Dover (Principal), Annie Thériault (Managing Partner), Donna Parr (Managing Partner), Hamza Kayani (Investment Analyst), Hannah Sharpe (ESG and Health Impact Associate), Tasha Noronha (Partnerships and Operations Manager), Juanita Cortés (Chief Financial Officer)” Cross-Border Impact Ventures
14 | W&F Ethical Finance Awards 2024 Sustainable Asset Management Company of the Year 2024 - Belgium KBC Asset Management specialises in a wide range of services and products, with a focus on providing clients with sustainable and responsible investment funds. The company offers over 200 funds across a broad range of countries that enables clients to invest in socially and environmentally responsible countries. The business has made a commitment to providing a better world for future generations and has made conscious efforts to develop sustainable methodologies in accordance with this. Ellen tells us, “Sustainability is that important to us that it is not part of a separate strategy to us but is instead integrated into our overall corporate strategy and is this embedded in all pillars of that strategy.” “We are, and remain, a pioneer regarding Responsible Investing.” Ellen notes that over the recent years the company has seen an increase in its client’s desire to invest in a socially and responsible way and make positive contributions to the world. Responsible Investing is becoming more and more prevalent in consumer behaviour and KBC Asset Management has, since long, reflected this shift in its offerings. In Belgium, clients are first offered responsible investment funds as their first option and the company is seeing Responsible Investing playing more of an important role. Currently, KBC Asset Management is managing 44 billion euros across responsible investing funds. In order to remain ahead of industry developments, KBC Asset Management must consistently think to the future when making business decisions. The company maintains up-to-date methodologies and considers any current sustainable challenges when developing investment solutions for its clients. In 2023, KBC Group released a Sustainability Report that offers a detailed overview of the company’s targets and methodologies regarding sustainability and the current climate. The report gives an insight into the hard work and dedication that the company has put into minimising its impact on the environment and meeting its client’s environmental expectations. “Everyone invested all the time.” KBC Asset Management holds its client’s interests at the heart and always works to provide excellent services and solutions. Ellen says, “We want to realise a dream, allowing people from all walks of life to benefit from the capital markets.” The company aims to make investing easy, personal, and valuable for its clients so that the industry is accessible to everyone. An example of the level of accessibility attained by KBC is the company’s digital assistant Kate. Launched in November of 2020, the assistant provides personalised, relevant solutions to clients through the KBC Mobile app that eases the investment process. These measurements contribute to KBC Asset Management’s mission of making Responsible Investing a reality for customers from all walks of life. In addition to new innovations, the company recognises that its employees are an important element to retaining its high standards for sustainability. Staff are encouraged to behave respectfully and responsively towards clients in order to achieve top results. Internal programs and training are constantly ongoing to ensure that all employees are providing the most suitable advice and acting with integrity. Ellen tells us, “The foundation of responsible behaviour is integrity, which entails honesty, correctness, transparency, and confidentiality, combined with a sound risk awareness.” High standards of conduct translates into high standards of service exhibited across the company. KBC Asset Management is constantly striving for innovation, aiming to stay one step ahead of its competitors. Through being the industry reference, the company can attain more investors to allow more opportunities for its clients. Speaking on the future of the company, Ellen says, “KBC Asset Management moves together with the markets and the preferences of the client to keep its services up to date. We are exploring various routes that can help us and our clients.” To keep updated on the latest innovations in Responsible Investing, visit KBC’s website. Contact Details Contact: Ellen Jult Company: KBC Asset Management NV Web Address www.kbc.be | www.kbc.com Mar24635 KBC is a banking and insurance group that provides services to 12 million clients across Belgium, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Bulgaria. The company’s goal is to enable its clients to grow and achieve their goals. KBC Asset Management NV, also known as KBC AM, acts as the investment arm of the KBC group and works with retail and institutional investors to provide advisory support and investment fund sales. We speak with Ellen Jult, Senior Product Manager Funds at KBC AM to find out more about the company’s unique investment model.
15 | W&F Ethical Finance Awards 2024 Auditing & Ethical Finance Expert of the Year 2024: Kagiso Khutsafalo Kagiso Khutsafalo is a Pan-African leader in the auditing field within the financial services industry. She is currently an Internal Audit Executive for Bank Gaborone in Botswana. Amidst an ever-shifting corporate landscape, she is not only an exemplary professional with over a decade of experience, but also committed to integrity, excellence, delivering information transparently and showing a deep respect for the layperson. Here, we explore the attitude and track record that formed the seasoned expert she is today. Kagiso Khutsafalo is a talented, multi-skilled professional. Between accounting, auditing, corporate governance, risk and compliance, her experience speaks for itself, comprising a varied and exciting resume. In all things, she upholds integrity and aims to work efficiently and objectively. In doing so, Kagiso execute her duties ethically, serving businesses transparently, mindfully, and with the greater good at heart. Working ethically means speaking out for what is right, and Kagiso does so by advocating for good corporate governance. She is conscious of workers’ and clients’ needs across the entirety of a business structure and understands the importance of aligning auditing and financial practices with a company’s strategy, goals, and ethos. While raising the bar for outstanding practice in her field, Kagiso promotes an attitude of across-the-board corporate excellence. Concerned with clients’ reputation, Kagiso also upholds standards of customer experience, having worked with businesses to convey the impact of consumer dissatisfaction. Her ethical approach within the field goes beyond internal ethics, extending to fostering positive clientbusiness relationships. To Kagiso, analysing customer experience is an important facet of risk management, which speaks to her support for ethical, morally sound business practice. As an agile, proactive worker, Kagiso relishes the opportunity to engage with professional networks. She sums up this approach poetically: “alone you can walk fast, but together we can walk far.” Staying atop the latest trends, news, and legal developments is no easy feat, but Kagiso shares her support with others and enjoys the benefits of professional communities. She belongs to these, among others; Botswana Institute of Chartered Accountants (Botswana), Institute of Directors (London), Institute of Internal Auditors and Chartered Management Institute (UK). Remaining an active presence among like-minded professionals keeps Kagiso at the top of her game, and sometimes even a step ahead of it. Kagiso’s approach to internal auditing, finance and risk management emphasises simplicity, which is key to ethical working. Providing audiences broken-down, easily comprehensible analyses ensures that everyone is on the same page and that she is working transparently. Using relatable facts and visuals, Kagiso believes in the importance of presenting digestible information. Avoiding unnecessary jargon, opting for plain language, she does not expect an audience to adapt to her expertise, instead tailors information to suit the stakeholders’ needs. It is often said that truly understanding a concept means having the ability to explain it simply. By that measure, Kagiso proves a masterful understanding of her field. Among her professional achievements, Kagiso believes in paying it forward as she volunteered her services to multiple establishments, including non-executive directorship role at the Institute of Internal Auditors Botswana, Treasurer for the Botswana Organisation for Rare Diseases and patronage to Childline and her former primary school. A profound commitment to ethical standards underpins all of Kagiso’s work; she is even willing to donate her time to worthy causes. Kagiso works transparently, ethically, and with both business and customer in mind. Her impressive body of work in the financial sector speaks to great expertise, agility, and a desire to support businesses in achieving their strategic goals. She will no doubt continue this record of award-winning work going forward, bettering the industry and profession in all she does along the way. Contact: Kagiso Khutsafalo Web Address: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kagisokhutsafalo/?originalSubdomain=bw
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