There is a new acronym that has become the center of global conversation around ways to quantify corporate impact. That acronym is ESG, which stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance, and it refers to a set of standards for company operations that investors use to screen potential investments.
The COVID-19 pandemic showed us that the economy, the environment, physical health and social stability are all intertwined. As a result, financial institutions are increasingly evaluating not only the risk, but also the societal impact of their portfolios and businesses. In fact, 75 percent of 2,130 clients surveyed around the world by the CIO of Deutsche Bank said investments should have a positive impact and 57 percent said the pandemic contributed to that view. As consumers and investors now expect their organizations to have a positive social impact in addition to being financially profitable, ESGs have been a new topic of discussion worldwide.
Financial institutions are also facing mounting pressure from shareholders, who are actively calling for ESG changes from both a social and fiscal standpoint. A recent study from the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance found that companies with a higher ESG score were associated with higher profitability and lower volatility.
To learn more about the driving forces behind ESGs and how technology providers like nCino can offer the expertise and tools to best ensure success, download nCino’s ESG Point of View (POV) document now.