The commitment of MAPFRE AM, MAPFRE’s asset management arm, to Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) has received further international recognition. After an exhaustive audit process carried out by the French consulting firm AFNOR, MAPFRE AM has been authorised the Label ISR, created and supported by the French Ministry of Finance, making it the first Spanish management company to achieve this distinction for some of its mutual funds. The internationally recognised label is of use to investors when choosing responsible and sustainable investments, and aims to make socially responsible investment (SRI) products more visible to savers in France and Europe.
Two of the company’s funds, MAPFRE AM Capital Responsable and MAPFRE AM Inclusion Responsable, are now authorised to use the label. The first, also available in pension plan format, is a mixed fund that seeks to preserve capital and long-term growth through a balanced portfolio of European equities and bonds. It focuses on favouring companies that follow ESG (environmental, social and governance) criteria, working on the assumption that they offer a more appropriate risk-return profile. For its part, MAPFRE AM Inclusión Responsable, which is celebrating its first anniversary, has already been declared an example to follow by the UN. It is a certified social impact investment product that uses an innovative methodology jointly developed by MAPFRE and La Financière Responsable (LFR) to identify investment opportunities in companies committed to promoting the inclusion of people with a disability in their workforces. MAPFRE acquired a 25-per cent stake in French boutique manager LFR at the end of 2017.
Álvaro Anguita, CEO of MAPFRE AM, said,
“We are very proud to have received this recognition because it underpins our commitment to socially responsible investment, and we hope that it facilitates our products in being recognised by more investors, particularly because they have shown significant resilience in these uncertain times.”
The entire range of SRI products available to MAPFRE AM has comfortably beaten its benchmark indices so far this year, with returns of 2.2% in the case of MAPFRE AM Capital Responsable and 1.32% in the case of MAPFRE Inclusión Responsable, compared to -0.46% and 3.99% for the EAA Fund Moderate Allocation and the EuroStoxx 50 respectively.
MAPFRE AM’s SRI strategy is organically aligned with the group’s commitment to sustainability. MAPFRE joined the global network of signatories to the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) in 2017. Recently, it was included for the third consecutive year in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, one of the most important global barometers for measuring the performance of companies in terms of sustainability and CSR. This past summer saw it included for the 14th consecutive year in the FTSE4Good Index. In 2019, the group was included in the H&K Responsible Investment Brand Index (RIBI), which includes those European firms in the sector most committed to Socially Responsible Investment. MAPFRE is also listed in The Sustainability Yearbook 2020, which assesses the world’s largest companies in terms of ESG. Additionally, a few months ago, the company was included in Euronext Vigeo Europe 120, Euronext Vigeo Eurozone 120 and in the Ethibel Sustainability Europe index or ESI Excellence Europe.
