UBS Asset Management has launched an equity fund that will “demonstrate a positive and tangible impact on human well-being”.
Called the UBS (Lux) Equity Sicav – Global Impact Fund (USD), it invests in growth opportunities that “aim to generate a positive social and environmental impact, alongside a consistent financial return”, the firm said.
UBS AM said it had worked alongside leading academic scientists to develop a bespoke methodology that measures the positive impact of equities on issues “fundamental to impact investing” such as climate change, air pollution, clean water and water scarcity, treatment of disease and food security.
Bruno Bertocci, manager of the fund and head of the sustainable equity team at UBS AM, will invest in 40-80 stocks with a target active share in excess of 90%.
The fund’s benchmark is the MSCI All-Country World index, but up to 25% will be in invested in small and mid-cap companies.
“This fund is the result of a project that I think will be most influential and most interesting in the years ahead; a project that actually developed a quantitative framework to measure the external impact of public companies on society,” said Bertocci.
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