Toronto-based Scotia iTRADE, Bank of Nova Scotia’s direct brokerage arm, announced on Monday new sustainable investing tools for direct investors that provide detailed environmental, social and governance (ESG) data that look at individual companies’ corporate practices.
Specifically, Scotia iTRADE’s new sustainable investing tools allow Canadian direct investors to do their own sustainability research, helping them make investment decisions that are more aligned with their personal values using the Scotia iTRADE platform.
ESG factors are becoming increasingly recognized as issues that could impact long-term risk and return on investments. Until now, this type of information has been largely limited to institutional investors and portfolio managers.
“For the first time, retail clients in Canada will have exclusive access to ESG insights and information using our new Scotia iTRADE sustainable investing research tools,” says Mark Phillips, Managing Director, Operations and Product Strategy, Scotia iTRADE, in a statement.
Sustainalytics, a global provider of ESG research and ratings to asset owners and investment managers, provides the ESG research and ratings underpinning Scotia iTRADE’s sustainable investing tools.
The sustainable investing tools enable investors to have a holistic view of a company and easily identify ESG leaders and laggards within an industry group.
“Increasingly, retail investors are seeking more information on how corporations are managing ESG issues,” says Sustainalytics’ CEO Michael Jantzi, in a statement. “With the Scotia iTRADE’s sustainable investing tools, investors now have greater transparency into how companies are addressing these critical issues.”
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