Asset manager DWS has joined with Munich Re’s and ERGO’s asset manager firm MEAG to buy the biogas and biomethane firm Weltec. DWS confirmed it had entered into the joint acquisition as part of its third institutional Pan-European Infrastructure Fund (PEIF III). Financial details, said the group, were confidential. “We are pleased to be working…
French car giant Renault has confirmed it has held “friendly discussions” with China International Capital Corporation (CICC). Confirmation of the talks with the investment bank came during a briefing to Reuters in which a spokesperson for the automobile manufacturer said the talks were around China’s market. It is understood from earlier reporting in the Chinese…
The European Council (EC) continues to beat the drum for sustainable finance, even as the sector continues to sputter. Earlier this week, the EC announced it had adopted new regulation to promote sustainable finance The new regulation, it said, would create a new European green bond standard, laying down uniform requirements for issuers that wanted…
Green bonds are propelling the worldwide ESG debt market, according to analysis by Bloomberg Intelligence, writes Laura Miller. The resilience of the green bond market in the first nine months of the year saw issuance exceed $505bn – or 48% of total sustainable issuance – up 8% on the same period last year. Social bond…
A framework for classifying organisations, funds and indices as sustainable investments – by Laura Miller Clarity AI has launched a sustainable investment index and ETF methodology, which aligns with the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR). According to the sustainability technology platform, the methodology will help index and ETF providers build, define and market products falling…
Europe is in danger of falling behind the US and China in the field of climate-related technology, a report from Allianz has warned. According to Climate tech – the missing piece in the net-zero puzzle, public investment will not be enough to meet a growing gap, with “significant private investment” necessary alongside a common EU…
Finnish firm Valmet has signed a €175m loan agreement with the EIB to support its efforts to finance technologies that replace fossil fuels with renewables. According to the company, the financing aims to enhance the resource and energy efficiency as well as the performance of Valmet’s technology, promote the use of recyclable raw materials and…
EU president Ursula von der Leyen has suggested the trading bloc’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) have been set back by the current economic and geopolitical climate. The remarks came during her speech at the 2023 Sustainable Development Goals Summit, which was held over two days in New York. Von der Leyen said that a “cascade…
Finding reliable data continues to be a major issue for responsible investors, according to the ESG Global Survey 2023, published by BNP Paribas. In the report, incomplete and inconsistent data and research was cited by almost three-quarters (71%) of investors as the most-significant barrier to ESG investing. The biggest data challenges for those investors, the…
Investment in clean technology across Europe outperformed both the US and Asia over the second quarter of 2023, according to data from Cleantech for Europe. The organisation’s EU Cleantech Defies Global Headwinds briefing document highlighted that late-stage investment on the continent in this sector increased by 104% in the last quarter, even as overall trading…
The German government has earmarked more than €57bn for green investment over the course of 2024. According to Reuters, the money will be distributed through the Climate and Transformation Fund and includes €18.9bn in subsidies in renovations and new construction. The entire amount is up more than 60% from its 2023 target, noted the German…
Europe’s largest IPO of 2023 was confirmed this week when Romanian electricity producer Hidroelectrica began trading in Bucharest. The firm’s capitalisation has been pegged at more than €10bn, with its stock rising nearly 11% on the first day of trading. According to Balkan Green Energy News: “After several failed attempts over the past decade, Romania’s…
