Number of ESG indices globally sees record rise

40% increase year-on-year

Over the past year, the number of indices measuring environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria has shot up by 40% as interest in sustainable investing reaches new records, according to the fourth annual Index Industry Association's Benchmark Survey.

This follows a 13.9% increase in the number of ESG indices between 2018 and 2019 and marks a record year-on-year jump in any single major asset class in the survey's four-year history. Undoubtedly, this has been driven by the ever-increasing client demand for ESG offerings and the subsequent proliferation of ESG ETF launches, as some of the world's largest asset managers, such as BlackRock, look to respond to this demand. ESG, fixed income and active ETFs lead global demand Rick Redding, CEO of the IIA, said: "The survey's 2020 results demonstrate a highly competitive industry that...