While governance has been an area of focus for global investors for some time, a focus on the environmental aspects in investing has taken centre stage in recent years as world leaders double down on their climate commitments – sparking even more interest in ESG investing. However, the world’s biggest economies are still falling short on delivering on the goals of the Paris climate agreement and to achieve a truly carbon neutral global economy, asset owners have an important role to play, according to Jaclyn Seow, head of ESG and impact at the Singapore-based Openspace Ventures.

One thing that no one had ever imagined before 2020 was that major events and activities would all have to take place online when a global pandemic hits. Working from home had always remained a discussion item on the agenda of achieving work-life balance, but it was never carried out to the extent that we have seen this year.

If there is anything positive at all that could come out of the global pandemic, the year of 2020 has seen global capital allocators and asset managers moving to facilitate impact investing from just a concept to an integral part of their investment processes. The world has also begun to understand impact investments are not only about addressing environmental issues, but also improving people’s lives by increasing the supply of essential goods and services.

While data might have suggested women in Asia have made more progress in being elevated into powerful roles in the financial services industry than in other parts of the world, the asset management world is still a boy’s club, especially in markets such as South Korea and Japan.