Bom dia,
Estão em curso discussões no âmbito dos regimes de pensões da administração local (LGPS) sobre o que será anunciado na tão aguardada discussão sobre o futuro dos fundos comuns. Espera-se uma orientação no sentido dos LGPS considerarem a possibilidade de investir mais em ativos reais baseados no Reino Unido, dada a sua capacidade de produzir impacto a nível nacional. A necessidade de apoiar as empresas do Reino Unido foi tornada muito clara pela agenda "Levelling Up".
Mas o que é que isto significa para a gestão destes fundos de pensões? Segundo Christopher Santer, Fund Manager, Positive Impact Investment, Real Estate, Schroders, e Duncan Hale, Private Markets Group, Schroders:
"Impact investments aim to deliver financial return as well as a positive social and/or environmental impact. Opportunities can address a range of pressing challenges, from sustainable agriculture to renewable energy or financial inclusion, and exist in both the developed and developing world.
In developing economies, the opportunities for impact investment often relate to improving, at-scale, access to education, banking or climate resilience. In the developed world, impact investing can be less about country-wide systems and more about physical places; more likely to target individual communities or areas in specific towns. Increasingly, the approach is referred to as “place-based impact investing” (PBII).
According to The Good Economy, PBII has the same broad intention as other impact investments, but has “…a focus on addressing the needs of specific places to enhance local economic resilience, prosperity and sustainable development.”
In the UK, this style of investing can often be most needed, and effective, in post-industrial areas, rural communities and coastal areas. These areas are often defined as “deprived” (National Statistics, ‘English indices of deprivation’) and the UK is home to some of the widest social inequality in the developed world, on a national basis.
Addressing these local needs and inequalities is a key focus for the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda, which seeks to “…create opportunities for everyone across the UK.”
Although Levelling Up was not conceived with exactly the same ideology as PBII, the overlap is clear. But there is only so much central and local government can deliver.
Post Covid-19, government borrowing is at record levels, interest rates are rising and local government budgets have been cut.
The need for private sector capital to address the target challenges of impact investment and levelling up is therefore also clear.
Two asset classes in particular are uniquely aligned with impact, with real asset backing, while prioritising stable income. Here’s how real estate and renewable energy infrastructure can build future prosperity for both investors and the areas their capital is deployed".
Mais informações no documento em anexo.