Day Two Recap of Morningstar Sustainable Investing Summit 2024
Day two of the Morningstar Sustainable Investment Summit 2024 offered attendees insights on emerging themes, with standout moments including the Green FinTech Showcase, a though-provoking panel on human rights, an AI session, and a lively debate on the future of ESG.
Green FinTech Showcase
The day started strong with the Green FinTech Showcase, which spotlighted innovative ESG technologies transforming asset and wealth management. Key solutions including BeZero Carbon 's carbon credit ratings, Etcho 's personalized sustainability insights, and Oxia Initiative 's net-zero strategies platform, demonstrating how the fintech industry is driving progress in sustainability.
A panel of three expert judges rated each fintech using the following criteria: Innovation, Market Potential, Transformative Impact, Investor Outcomes?and Presentation Quality. Based on these criteria, the winner of the showcase was U Impact : Attract inflows to sustainable funds with gamification and transparency! Congratulations Lesley Li and team from U Impact
Breakout sessions remained popular among our attendees
Delegates had the opportunity to attend various insightful breakout sessions, each addressing opportunities in ESG, including closing the stewardship gap to align with asset owner expectations, integrating social considerations into investment strategies, a session on navigating climate transition risks in fixed income, and a discussion on unpacking biases in sustainable equity strategies for portfolio construction.
An AI Session which no one expected…
The G of governance in ESG applies to artificial intelligence and developments go so fast that regulations lag behind. Dutch art dealer Constant Brinkman showed some stunning examples of art created by AI that he sells in his Dead End Gallery . If the art is artificial, then who is the artist? So, Brinkman created an AI-generated artist: Irisa Nova. His fascinating presentation took the audience to a whole new world of images that combined the seemingly impossible.
The session explored governance and regulatory issues relating to AI. Damian Borstel , at Dutch financial regulator Autoriteit Financi?le Markten , outlined the existing European framework for AI, lace which is being further developed through legislation and standards.
More Sessions are Hosted around ESG on the Main Stage
During her main stage presentation, Morningstar Sustainalytics Hortense Bioy, CFA highlighted the challenges ESG has faced recently, while emphasising the progress being made in disclosure and transparency. Hortense stressed that disclosure should go beyond ticking a box, it needs to help investors understand how a product is designed, functionality, and whether it targets pure sustainability or supports assets transitioning towards sustainability.
Morningstar Sustainalytics’s Catalina Secreteanu moderated a debate on the future of ESG; should we force companies to speed up using mandatory measures, or is in-depth engagement by asset owners the right way towards reaching sustainability goals? These insights, along with many others, completed two days in Amsterdam’s Beurs van Berlage – an event packed with discussions on the latest developments in sustainability within the investment industry.
Video Interviews were held on-site again!
Although this conference was exclusively in-person, we are thrilled to share video interviews and content snapshots for our audience to enjoy.
Thank you to Katie from Illustrated Live who masterfully drew all our main stage content live on site.
Thank you to all our speakers, attendees, and sponsors for a great conference. We hope to see you next time! Would you like to be the first to know about our Pan-European conference in 2025? Add yourself to the 2025 mailing list !