Praemium expands ESG options
Managed accounts platform, Praemium, has announced the addition of the Australian Ethical Australian Shares portfolio to its separately managed accounts (SMAs) and introduction of its new environmental, social and governance (ESG) screening platform functionality.
The firm said it enhanced its approach to ESG in response to a growing investor and adviser demand by partnering with ESG research house Sustainalytics which would assist with integration of their ESG research and analysis into the platform.
This would mean that Praemium’s managed accounts platform would be able to automatically screen portfolios against nine key screening criteria such as three fossil fuel screens, alcohol, tobacco, gambling, adult entertainment, animal testing and controversial weapons.
At the same time, the addition of the Australian Ethical Australian Shares portfolio to the Praemium SMA would give investors the opportunity to access portfolios via a SMA and invest in an actively managed, diversified Australian share portfolio of companies selected for their ESG credentials.
“The growing interest in ethical investing is only likely to increase as investors look for ways to minimise their environmental footprint. This offers a real engagement opportunity for informed and well-prepared advisers to provide advice and support to help investors align their investment goals with their personal ethics,” Praemium’s head of investment managers & governance, Damian Cilmi commented.
“Praemium’s new enhancements provide advisers with a variety of options to meet the ethical considerations of their clients whether that is building bespoke custom portfolios, utilising an SMA with customised screening services or investing in specialised ESG strategies.”
Australian Ethical’s Leah Willis said: “With Australian’s increasingly wanting to know where their money is invested, our partnership with Praemium offers a fully transparent portfolio underpinned by more than 30 years of ethical investing experience.”
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