Fund managers set to go on purge sparked by EU rule

Morningstar estimates that requirement may affect more than 1,600 funds and lead to stock divestments of as much as US$40bil. — Bloomberg

COPENHAGEN: New rules limiting how freely asset managers can attach the environmental, social and governance (ESG) label to funds sold in Europe promise to trigger a widespread purge across the industry, according to a fresh analysis by Morningstar Sustainalytics.

Roughly 4,300 funds domiciled in the European Union (EU) that currently claim to pursue ESG goals, or that carry similar sustainability-related labels, are potentially affected by new guidelines unveiled in May by the European Securities and Markets Authority (Esma), Morningstar Sustainalytics said on Wednesday.