abrdn joins Emerging Markets Investors Alliance

8 December 2021

abrdn announced today it has joined the Emerging Markets Investors Alliance (EMIA), the newest major asset manager to become a part of the not-for-profit organisation that brings ESG policy experts, investors, and emerging market issuers (governments and corporations) together to solve the most pressing global issues by creating sustainable investment solutions.

EMIA works with institutional investors to promote the best practices in governance, environmental stewardship and social responsibility to governments and publicly listed companies.

Engagement around ESG has been a priority for abrdn for years but, particularly in emerging markets, this is an involved and often-difficult process. Working in collaboration with other investors is expected to increase the effectiveness of conversations with governments and large companies and improve the likelihood of positive outcomes.

With over 3,000 participants and the top three member firms managing $2.7 trillion, EMIA is the largest advocacy-focused network of investment professionals. abrdn believes ESG is not static, but an ever-evolving way of making investment better – the firm believes it’s important to share knowledge and continue to learn, so investors and debt and equity issuers can continue to improve. EMIA offers expert education and enables investors to engage meaningfully at the highest levels of policy and industry discussions, so investments can bring about change and make a difference. It encourages institutional investors to take full responsibility for the environmental and social effects of their investments and advocate for better practices.

EMIA promotes high-level engagement with issuers with the aim of advancing ESG best practices adoption. By joining EMIA, abrdn’s EM Debt and EM Equity teams are demonstrating a commitment to participate in working groups with other investors, ESG policy experts, and issuers to improve the impact of investment in areas such as:

Agriculture – deforestation in Brazil, animal welfare, indigenous rights, antibiotics usage

Government Debt & Fiscal Governance – transparency in budgets, public procurement, debt, taxes

Extractive Industries – transparency of payments and contracts, water risks, community consent

Tech, Media, Telecom – data privacy and security, emissions impact, electronic waste

Financials – responsible lending, financial inclusion, customer data privacy, human capital development

As members of EMIA, abrdn plans to contribute to the strengthening of standards and development of the labelled bonds market (including green, blue, social and sustainability bonds). By offering specific guidance for EM-labelled bonds issuance, EMIA aims to create a labelled bond market that can make a meaningful contribution to improved ESG outcomes.

Source: abrdn