According to recent European insurance research commissioned by Aberdeen Standard Investments (ASI), 87% of UK insurers believe that risk management is the main driver of their environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices, whilst only 27% currently see ESG as a business or investment opportunity.
Other drivers include regulation (60% UK respondents), stakeholder management (67% UK respondents) and values and ethics (60% UK respondents).
It was found that asset-liability management, the search for yield in a low-yield environment and solvency-capital requirements are all regarded as more important factors than ESG in defining insurance companies’ investment strategies. It also unveiled that ESG is rarely seen as a driver in its own right and is most often considered an input into the investment strategy rather than its defining factor.
ASI partnered with strategy advisors, INDEFI, to interview 60 insurance companies across Europe’s five largest insurance markets: the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland – covering 42% of the total European insurance market. The purpose of the research was to identify how insurance investors are responding to ESG challenges.
The research also identified that depending on the type of insurer, their regard for ESG is varied. For example, life insurance companies that are long-term investors see ESG as a risk factor over a value creator because the long-term risks of ESG challenges pose significant risks to them. Property & Casualty (P&C) insurers on the other hand have shorter investment horizons and invest mainly in highly liquid asset classes, so feel ESG factors are less significant.
73% of UK life-insurance companies also highlighted stakeholder pressure as a key motivation to develop sustainable practices and offer new products to demanding clients. In comparison, P&C insurers and reinsurance companies were less exposed to this pressure.
Aileen Mathieson, Global Head of Insurance at Aberdeen Standard Investments said:
“Sustainable investment in the UK has predominantly been driven by pension institutions, particularly local-government pension schemes and foundations/religious institutions, giving the UK the longest history of ethical investing. However, large insurance companies are now focusing significantly on this as a result of increased regulatory pressure, demand from their customer base and also corporate commitments to Net Zero targets as well as a willingness to devote capital towards post COVID-19 recovery themes.
“As this pressure continues to rise in the UK, it will encourage all insurance firms to pursue their sustainable investment journey. Some are already beginning to recognise the opportunity to build a competitive edge through sustainable products. This has led to a wave of innovation: from ESG model portfolios offering clients unit-linked solutions entirely composed of ESG-themed products to thematic or impact products that speak to clients’ desire to generate positive impact from their savings. Private market and illiquid credit investments are emerging as particularly suited to insurers’ investment strategies.”
Furthermore, the research highlights that amongst most insurers, the expectations of asset managers are increasing. Today, most sustainable investment policies already extend to outsourced assets (81% of European respondents), and ESG criteria are increasingly included in RFPs (35% of European respondents).
More so than in other European markets, UK respondents, particularly smaller insurance companies, highlighted that they will rely heavily on their asset managers’ expertise and services to stay up to speed with regulatory and market evolutions. In particular, they are looking to their asset managers to address two key challenges: effectively managing risks and contributing to solutions.
Aileen continued:
“It’s crucial for us as insurance asset managers to have a coherent house view on our sustainable practices and demonstrate to insurers how this is integrated and measured within our investment processes. Our actions go beyond the publication of ESG policies and reporting as we help our clients navigate and understand extra-financial risks - particularly regarding climate change - and how to contribute to sustainable objectives through their investments.
“Our ESG analysts work alongside our fund managers to exploit ESG data to improve risk management, ensuring our clients’ solutions are resilient and sustainably fit for the long-term. Most notably, we are seeing some consideration of a shift to climate benchmarks or the inclusion of more specific ESG related mandates in our clients’ equity and fixed-income mandates. We are also seeing an increase in the interest of private ‘impact’ assets and innovative listed instruments such as green bonds, as we integrate country ESG analysis into our government bond strategies. This demonstrates that we are aligned with our clients in our approach as we work together with them to co-construct ESG and impact investment solutions.”
ENDS
Media enquiries
Dannielle McAllister
Dannielle.mcallister@aberdeenstandard.com
0758 400 79850
Notes to editors
About Aberdeen Standard Investments
- Aberdeen Standard Investments is a global asset manager dedicated to creating long-term value for our clients. With over 1,000 investment professionals, we manage £456.9 billion* of assets worldwide and have clients in c.80 countries. (*as of 31 December 2020)
- We are high-conviction, long-term investors who believe teamwork and collaboration are the key to delivering repeatable, superior investment performance.
- Standard Life Aberdeen plc is headquartered in Scotland. It has over 1 million shareholders and is listed on the London Stock Exchange.
- You can access the Aberdeen Standard Investments media centre here
- In April 2021, we announced our intention to rebrand to Abrdn. The new name will be used for our publicly listed company and all client and customer facing businesses. The rebranding roll-out process for the new name and associated visual identity will begin in the summer and progress through 2021, alongside implementation of a full stakeholder engagement plan to manage the transition.
Important Information
For Professional Investors only
The value of investments, and the income from them, can go down as well as up and you may get back less than the amount invested. Past performance is not a guide to future results. Tax treatment depends on the individual circumstances of each investor and may be subject to change in the future. We recommend that you seek financial advice prior to making an investment decision.
The details contained here are for information purposes only and should not be considered as an offer, investment recommendation, or solicitation to deal in any investments or funds and does not constitute investment research, investment recommendation or investment advice in any jurisdiction. Any research or analysis used to derive, or in relation to, the above information has been procured by us for our own use, without taking into account the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any specific investor, and may have been acted on for own purpose. No warranty is given as to the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of the information contained in this communication and no liability for errors or omissions in such information. Readers must make assessments to the relevance, accuracy and adequacies of the information contained in this communication and make independent investigations, as they may consider necessary or appropriate for the purpose of such assessments. Any opinion or estimate contained in this communication, are made on a general basis. No information contained herein constitutes investment, tax, legal or any other advice, or an invitation to apply for securities in any jurisdiction where such an offer or invitation is unlawful, or in which the person making such an offer is not qualified to do so.
Issued in the United Kingdom (UK) by Aberdeen Asset Managers Limited, registered in Scotland (SC108419) at 10 Queen’s Terrace, Aberdeen, AB10 1XL, and Standard Life Investments Limited registered in Scotland (SC123321) at 1 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 2LL. Both companies are authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority.
