Seen as a leader in innovation and leadership in the field of responsible investing, Australia presented its expertise to London's Australia House for a meeting arranged by Austrade and the Victorian government.
Mangers representing over half of all Australian AUM are now signed up to the Principles for Responsible Investment, a strong example for its UK counterparts, said Penny Shepherd, chief executive, UK Sustainable Investment and Finance association (UKSIF).
"Australia's superannuation funds offer an increasingly important market for UK investment managers. This briefing increased awareness in the UK pensions industry that responsible investment is now the norm for Australian pension funds."
According to UKSIF, in Europe the total SRI assets under management increased from €2.7 trillion to €5 trillion in the two years up to December 31, 2009.
While no more recent figures were available, the growth is estimated to have continued since with institutional investors, accounting for 92 per cent of the total AUM, leading the way.
The Responsible Investment Academy is an online responsible investment training centre, established with a grant of A$2.5 million from the Treasury of the Australian Government.
"The UK finance sector got a real sense of Australian leadership in this growing field," said Shepherd.
Source: financialstandard.com.au
