Första AP-fonden (AP1) is investing in a new, data-driven fund with a sustainability emphasis, with investment management company BlackRock. The focus is on emerging markets.
The fund was created at the request of AP1 and is called the BlackRock Emerging Markets Equity Impact Fund. AP1 is initially investing SEK 880 million in the new fund, which is also available to other professional investors.
The target group is customers wishing to invest considering measurable environmental and social effects, without detracting from financial returns or the need to follow particular indices. Several different ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) aspects are factors.
Information is structured, filtered and validated using BlackRock’s own process for data-driven information processing. This means that investment decisions can be based on more relevant sustainability data than the companies’ own sustainability reports, which often do not reveal the whole picture.
“We are delighted that our discussion with BlackRock have led to this innovative fund. Considering sustainability aspects is no longer an obstacle when investing in emerging markets. Data and technology can improve both the investments themselves and the insights surrounding sustainability,” says Majdi Chammas, Head of External Asset Management and Tina Rönnholm, Portfolio Manager, External Management at AP1.
“At BlackRock, we can see great interest among customers who want to focus on sustainability in their portfolios, alongside conventional return targets,” says Debbie McCoy, Managing Director and Co-Portfolio Manager, Head of Sustainable Investments for BlackRock’s Systematic Activity Equity Team, SAE. The team works with data science and machine learning, for example, to discover new investment opportunities.