Apex launches tool for ESG regs

Apex Group has launched Invest Check, a tool to help financial services firms collect data to report and comply with upcoming ESG rules.

The EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (EU SFDR), which comes into play from March, requires asset managers to incorporate sustainability risks across their investment process, product governance and wider internal processes and systems.

Invest Check aims to simplify the process of regulatory alignment through robust data collection, benchmarked against international regulations and standards defined by EU SFDR, TCFD and the UNPRI. It achieves this by evaluating a firm’s sustainability strategy at manager and product level. The tool tracks performance and identifies any gaps within an ESG data set based on regulatory standards. The data is then presented in a simple format that mirrors the EU SFDR template, streamlining the submission process.

Andy Pitts-Tucker, managing director of Apex ESG ratings & advisory said, “The regulatory imperative to monitor, disclose and improve ESG data is already a reality for many, with the EU SFDR legislation looming large. We are excited to launch Invest Check and see it as a potential catalyst for behavioural change in the investment process by delivering ESG data in an efficient and usable format for asset managers.”

This new tool follows Apex’s launch of its cloud-based ESG portal, expanding its ESG ratings and advisory service last August.