Demand for fixed income investments that incorporate analysis of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors is strong and growing. Yet fixed income ESG involves considerations distinct from equity ESG, and the data that fund selectors rely on to analyse these investments are often inadequate or incomplete. The creation of standards, regulations and processes has lagged market development, which means the data that fund selectors rely on is often non-standardised, inconsistent and incomplete. However, a wide range of initiatives, including regulatory developments and financial industry collaborations, are seeking to address the issues.
