San Francisco – Manama, September 2020

SICO, a leading regional asset manager, broker, research house and investment bank, announced that it will begin embedding IdealRatings’ ESG data to be available as part of SICO’s research platform. This initiative by SICO is among the first in the MENA region to highlight ESG performance in company reports to support the increasing demand for ESG data for their clients.

The IdealRatings data set provides performance summaries, constituent rankings highlighting best-in-class and bottom performers. IdealRatings determines a company’s ESG rating by researching and documenting answers to a series of qualitative questions across the environmental, social, and governance pillars captured during the research process.

SICO will now include the IdealRatings ESG data in its listed companies’ reports featuring insights into companies’ ESG progress, providing investors with a full picture of companies’ performance. This new addition will offer SICO’s clients better investment strategies, superior portfolio allocation and attract ESG-focused investors globally to the MENA region. SICO is a leading provider of sell-side research in the Middle East offering high quality and insightful research products to its diverse client base across the region covering 13 key regional sectors. The Research division aims to provide timely and accurate advice to clients who rely on its best-in-class products and services.

“IdealRatings is delighted to support SICO’s initiative in the MENA region, incorporating ESG data will provide SICOs clients a more holistic view of their investment risks, exposures, and opportunities; and will help to insure that investments are aligned with their values” Said Mohamed Donia, IdealRatings CEO.

“ESG ratings are becoming an increasingly important consideration to investors and funds across the MENA region, with more companies and stock exchanges, including the MENA region’s top exchanges, seeking to incorporate ESG ratings into their data,” said SICO CEO Najla Al-Shirawi. “As we see more investments being made based on ESG considerations, we seek to offer more comprehensive research products featuring robust ESG data in order to allow our clients to make better informed financial decisions.”

– Ends –

About SICO

SICO is a leading regional asset manager, broker, and investment bank. Today SICO operates under a wholesale banking license from the Central Bank of Bahrain and also oversees three wholly owned subsidiaries: an Abu Dhabi-based brokerage firm, SICO Financial Brokerage, a specialized regional custody house, SICO Fund Services Company (SFS), and a Saudi-based asset management provider, SICO Financial Saudi Company. Headquartered in the Kingdom of Bahrain with a growing regional and international presence, SICO has a well-established track record as a trusted regional bank offering a comprehensive suite of financial solutions, including asset management, brokerage, investment banking, and market making, backed by a robust and experienced research team that provides regional insight and analysis of more than 90 percent of the region’s major equities. Since inception in 1995, SICO has consistently outperformed the market and developed a solid base of institutional clients. Going forward, the bank’s continued growth will be guided by its commitments to strong corporate governance and developing trusting relationships with its clients. The bank will also continue to invest in its information technology capabilities and the human capital of its 100 exceptional employees.

About IdealRatings

IdealRatings, incorporated in San Francisco, is a global solutions provider for Responsible Investments. Its database solutions for Equities, REITs, and Fixed Income are aimed at global investment managers and asset owners. IdealRatings solutions are licensed by leading financial institutions, asset managers, index providers, data vendors and brokerage firms in over 25 countries across all continents.

For more info visit IdealRatings website at www.idealratings.com

Media contacts

SICO

Ms. Nadeen Oweis

Head of Corporate Communications, SICO

noweis@sicobank.com

+973 1751 5017

IdealRatings Inc

Mr. Magdy Eissa

meissa@idealratings.com

+ 1 415 955 2737

The post SICO to Embed IdealRatings ESG Data, Marking a New Era for MENA Investors first appeared on IdealRatings ESG, Ethical and Faith-based Screening Solutions.

Source: https://www.northerntrust.com/united-states/pr/2020/northern-trust-launches-enhanced-esg-analytics

CHICAGO and LONDON, 29 April 2020 – Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS) has enhanced its analytical capabilities to provide pension funds and other global institutional investors with heightened insights and transparency over their environmental, social and governance (ESG) risk exposures.

The ESG Analytics Summary, prepared by Northern Trust’s Investment Risk and Analytical Services group, provides investors with periodic snapshot analysis across their equity and corporate bond portfolios – setting out investment ‘scores’ against a range of ESG factors, United Nation’s (UN) Global Compact principles and business activity flags.

This detailed analysis enables investors to track changes in a fund’s ESG profile over time, compare results on an absolute and relative basis, and compare asset managers’ scores against each other. These insights are generated by combining Northern Trust’s extensive global custody asset information with data provided in partnership with information services provider IdealRatings.

Institutions can use the resulting data to support their governance and oversight objectives – for example, providing evidence of their ESG scores and exposures and supporting adherence to regulatory requirements and global standards. It can be used to facilitate discussions with their investment managers and manage potential stakeholder concerns and reputational risk.

ESG analytics can also supplement traditional investment analytics – providing a more holistic view of investment risks, exposures and opportunities. For example, during volatile market conditions, understanding the strength of a company’s governance structures and processes can give investors a timely and more complete picture of its resiliency.

Serge Boccassini, product lead, Investment Accounting and Analytic Solutions at Northern Trust, said: “ESG rules play a heightened role in global investor considerations, with institutions increasingly seeking to integrate sustainability factors into their portfolios. To achieve that effectively, it is vital they understand their investment risks. Our analysis provides insights into clients’ ESG exposures to help them identify financial risks and opportunities – and help ensure their investments continue to be aligned with their values.”

Mohamed Donia, CEO of IdealRatings, said: “We are delighted to partner with Northern Trust to provide insights into global investors’ portfolio exposures. The ESG Analytics Summary provides enhanced transparency to help investors avoid companies that pose a greater financial risk due to their ESG practices – as well as satisfy regulatory requirements and meet global standards.”

Northern Trust’s Investment Risk & Analytical Services group provides asset owners and asset managers around the world with innovative analytical solutions, supporting over US$5 trillion (as at 31 December 2019) in assets under measurement. With consultants in Chicago, London, Singapore and Melbourne, the group provides performance measurement, risk analysis and investment compliance monitoring – enabling clients to gain greater insights into their investments for more informed decision making.

Northern Trust’s Investment Risk and Analytical Services ESG analytics are complemented by the extensive capabilities of its asset management business. Entrusted with US$975 billion of investor assets, Northern Trust Asset Management has more than 30 years of sustainable investing expertise and innovation, has been a signatory to the Principles of Responsible Investment since 2009, and manages four of the top 10 largest Sustainable Investing index funds globally (source: eVestment data as of December 31, 2019).

About Northern Trust

Northern Trust Corporation (Nasdaq: NTRS) is a leading provider of wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking to corporations, institutions, affluent families and individuals. Founded in Chicago in 1889, Northern Trust has a global presence with offices in 22 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., and across 22 locations in Canada, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. As of March 31, 2020, Northern Trust had assets under custody/administration of US $10.9 trillion, and assets under management of US $1.1 trillion. For more than 130 years, Northern Trust has earned distinction as an industry leader for exceptional service, financial expertise, integrity and innovation. Visit northerntrust.com or follow us on Twitter @NorthernTrust.

Northern Trust Corporation, Head Office: 50 South La Salle Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603 U.S.A., incorporated with limited liability in the U.S. Global legal and regulatory information can be found at https://www.northerntrust.com/terms-and-conditions.

About IdealRatings

IdealRatings, incorporated in San Francisco, is a global solutions provider for Responsible Investments. Its database solutions for Equities, REITs, and Fixed Income are aimed at global investment managers and asset owners. IdealRatings solutions are licensed by leading financial institutions, asset managers, index providers, data vendors and brokerage firms in over 25 countries across all continents. Visit IdealRatings’s website at www.idealratings.com

This material is directed to professional clients only and is not intended for retail clients. For Asia-Pacific markets, it is directed to expert, institutional, professional and wholesale investors only and should not be relied upon by retail clients or investors.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION. This material is provided for informational purposes only. Information is not intended to be and should not be construed as an offer, solicitation or recommendation with respect to any transaction and should not be treated as legal advice, investment advice or tax advice.

The post Northern Trust Launches Enhanced ESG Analytics first appeared on IdealRatings ESG, Ethical and Faith-based Screening Solutions.

IdealRatings is closely monitoring developments related to COVID-19, including information and guidance published by healthcare authorities around the globe, including the WHO and CDC, as well as state and local authorities. As we come together to navigate this challenging global event, our thoughts go out to those impacted by COVID-19. All of us at IdealRatings feel the heavy weight of our responsibility to the community especially with current events.

IdealRatings business continuity plan is maintained and updated where testing and reviewing is conducted to ensure a successful delivery of our services in the event of any disaster or significant disruption. IdealRatings will continually monitor and review the business continuity update on weekly basis if required.

In the below section, a list of frequently asked questions about IdealRatings preparedness for COVID-19 outbreak.

FAQs

1. Is the current COVID-19 outbreak affecting any of IdealRatings services?

IdealRatings operations aren’t affected by the current outbreak, at present all our services are functioning normally and stable.

2. What actions have IdealRatings taken to prepare for COVID-19?

IdealRatings is following and implementing the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended guidelines in addition to the recommendations released by the local authorities. The following are some of the safety actions currently implemented, they are reviewed and updated on weekly basis in case further actions are needed:

• Majority of our workforce is currently working from home until further notice.
• No use of public transportation to the IdealRatings offices in case a physical presence required.
• Sanitizers have been placed at all public areas and meeting rooms in our premises.
• No more closed doors meetings.
• No external visitors allowed.
• All office high traffic facilities are disinfected frequently throughout the day.
• Workstations are disinfected every weekend.
• No close contacts between employees by keeping at least 1-meter distance at any time.
• No work or personal related travels both internationally and locally until further notice.
• Any employee and/or a family member traveled overseas receives an automatic 14 days leave.
• Encourage staff to report any incident against safety regulations.
• Regular temperature checkups for employees.
• Employees with any high-risk medical conditions must work from home.

3. Do you have a pandemic plan and when was the last update?

Yes, IdealRatings business continuity plan includes a section for pandemic plan that was recently reviewed and updated on March 15^th,2020.

4. Are there any recorded cases of coronavirus among IdealRatings team worldwide?

There are no coronavirus cases recorded in any of IdealRatings offices and we are taking all measures to protect our employees.

5. Has IdealRatings tested work from home capability recently?

Yes, IdealRatings almost tests its working from home capabilities on daily basis since our operational environment relies heavily on flexibility which includes home office set-up for all our employees. Our teams are entitled to work remotely throughout the year and IdealRatings supports all the facilities required by the employees to deliver IdealRatings service to our customers.

6. Do IdealRatings services depend on any third-party vendors?

IdealRatings does have third-party data vendors where they confirmed and validated their preparedness for COVID-19. Additionally, IdealRatings has a replacement data provider in case of any provider disruption.

7. How critical is the physical presence of IdealRatings IT employees inside data centers from operational perspective?

The majority of IdealRatings infrastructure and activities are cloud based and can be accessed remotely.  IdealRatings has also placed many servers in multiple countries across three different continents to ensure IdealRatings services are always up and running during turbulence time.

8. What is the overall recovery time objective for the services provided by IdealRatings?

IdealRatings services recovery time is around 24 hours where multiple backups are conducted on weekly basis.

9. Does IdealRatings conduct tests on data loss plan?

Yes, IdealRatings conducted the last test for the data loss plan in Q1 2020 and with the current situation we are planning to conduct the data loss test every 3-4 weeks.

10. How frequently IdealRatings business continuity plan is tested and exercised?

IdealRatings business continuity plan is tested and exercised on an annual basis. However, additional reassessment was conducted on March 10^th, 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

END

The post Notice on Business Continuity-Update on COVID-19 Outbreak first appeared on IdealRatings ESG, Ethical and Faith-based Screening Solutions.

Boston – San Francisco, June 2019

IdealRatings, Inc. today announced a new collaboration with State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT), demonstrating both entities commitments to support the global integration of ESG material risk management strategies into investment decision making processes, using unique ESG data elements.

IdealRatings will be providing State Street with underlying data points of up to 40,000 companies globally. Data delivery covers 200+ parameters, including individual ESG scores and more detailed information on company policies, targets, implementations, structure, and disclosure activities. Controversial involvements, whether in the manufacturing side or supply side, in industries such as: mining, weapons, chemicals, genetically modified organisms, medical research and tobacco are also researched.

With this agreement, State Street will expand its data source capabilities for current portfolios analyzed via State Street’s ESGX^® product. ESGX^® is an analytics tool launched in 2017 to provide information to help clients bring transparency and standardization to their ESG investing. Developed by State Street Global Exchange, State Street’s data and analytics business, ESGX^® provides clients with a web platform through which they can assess ESG factor exposure in their portfolios, such as a company’s carbon footprint, the type of labor used in a supply chain and board diversity statistics.

Mohamed Donia, IdealRatings CEO commented on this agreement, “IdealRatings is delighted to partner with State Street Corporation in collaboration with their ESGX^® platform. We believe with this partnership we are able to embrace the changes taking place in the world trend towards more Responsible Investments.”

“We are delighted to welcome IdealRatings as one of our new ESG data providers. IdealRatings has extensive experience in both ESG and responsible investing research. Through our analytics engine ESGX^®, we strive to offer our clients insight into identifying non-traditional financial “tail” risks (and opportunities), within their portfolios. We are confident that IdealRatings will further complement our existing suite of ESG data providers.” commented Mark McDivitt, Managing Director, Head of ESG Solutions at State Street.

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About IdealRatings, Inc.

IdealRatings, incorporated in San Francisco, is a global solutions provider for Responsible Investments. Its database solutions for Equities, REITs, and Fixed income are aimed at global investment managers and asset owners. IdealRatings solutions are licensed by leading financial institutions, asset managers, index providers and brokerage firms in over 25 countries. visit IdealRatings’s website at www.idealratings.com.

About State Street Corporation

State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT) is one of the world’s leading providers of financial services to institutional investors, including investment servicing, investment management and investment research and trading. With $32,643 billion in assets under custody and administration and $2,805 billion* in assets under management as of March 31, 2019, State Street operates globally in more than 100 geographic markets and employs approximately 40,000 worldwide. For more information, visit State Street’s website at www.statestreet.com.

* Assets under management include the assets of the SPDR® Gold ETF and the SPDR® Long Dollar Gold Trust ETF (approximately $33 billion as of March 31, 2019), for which State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC (SSGA FD) serves as marketing agent; SSGA FD and State Street Global Advisors are affiliated.

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Media contacts:

IdealRatings Inc:

Mr. Magdy Eissa,

meissa@idealratings.com

+ 1 415 955 2737

State Street Corporation:

Nadia Hassini

Nhassini@statestreet.com

+ 44 203 395 7145

The post IdealRatings to provide suite of ESG data, expanding State Street’s ESG Solutions, ESGX® Offering first appeared on IdealRatings ESG, Ethical and Faith-based Screening Solutions.

San Francisco, March 14, 2019

IdealRatings, Inc. a global screening provider for responsible investments solutions, announced today the launch of the enhanced ESG metric data offering; a recent addition to its ESG qualitative investment solutions. The new data-set reflects figures covering Environmental topics such as air emissions, wastes, water, and energy as well as various Social related topics such as, employees’ health & safety, training and donations. Board members’ functions & structure, compensation, and shareholders statistics has also been researched for Governance coverage.

With this add-on IdealRatings reached a milestone of 200+ ESG data elements for a universe of more than 40,000 companies globally. Mohamed Donia; IdealRatings CEO commented about this product release “We are excited to announce our ESG expanded capability to our global clients, IdealRatings, Inc. has a tendency over the past decade to develop new products jointly with its core clients, which lead to outstanding results as we aim to provide an array of services that serves our clients and partners needs. This is definitely an add-on to the Responsible Investment market, big data landscape and ESG analytics too.”

About IdealRatings, Inc.

IdealRatings, incorporated in San Francisco, is a global solutions provider for Responsible Investments. Its database solutions for equities, REITs, and Fixed income are aimed at global investment managers and asset owners. IdealRatings solutions are licensed by leading financial institutions, asset managers, index providers and brokerage firms in over 25 countries.

The post IdealRatings Expands its ESG Solutions first appeared on IdealRatings ESG, Ethical and Faith-based Screening Solutions.