MSCI has announced the launch of the MSCI Sustainability Institute which aims to drive progress on the role of capital markets in creating sustainable value and tackling climate change.
The institute says it will use collaboration across finance, academia, government, NGOs, think tanks and companies from different sectors by offering:
• Access to data and know-how – The Institute will equip academic researchers and policymakers with sustainability data, metrics and models that investors use to inform their decision-making. It plans to collaborate with select academic institutions, including Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, to host training designed to help researchers and students understand the purpose and applications of these metrics for capital allocation and keep pace with the fast-evolving sustainability data landscape.
• Exploration of new approaches – The Institute will encourage innovators from across the capital markets ecosystem to pilot new data and approaches for measurement that provide insights on emerging topics in sustainable finance and inform capital allocation decisions. This includes a framework for investment in climate resilience developed by the Global Adaptation and Resilience Investment Working Group (GARI), with analytical backing from the Institute and financial support from the Bezos Earth Fund and ClimateWorks Foundation.
• Decision-useful research – The Institute will curate a selection of important academic papers useful to investors and companies. Initially, the selection will highlight studies that investigate how sustainability factors interact with the value of financial assets.
• Forum for debate – The Institute will bring together leaders from across the capital markets ecosystem to exchange diverse points of view on sustainability risks and opportunities. These discussions will be grounded in the highest-quality research and a commitment to analytical rigor and objectivity.
Henry Fernandez, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MSCI, says “Global challenges such as climate change cannot be solved by governments, corporations, NGOs or multilateral organizations alone,” “The most meaningful solutions all require some type of cross-sector collaboration. Through the MSCI Sustainability Institute, we will bring together a wide range of thinkers with complementary strengths and expertise, and help them turn data-driven ideas into real-world influence and action.”
Linda-Eling Lee has been named Founding Director and Head of MSCI Sustainability Institute. More information can be found on its website, msci-institute.com.
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