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Formerly known as Global Research & Risk Solutions

  • Crisil Integral IQ
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  • Financial Materiality
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January 06, 2026 Content Type Case study

Actionable ESG insights empower leading asset manager with enhanced decision-making and 60% faster ESG assessments

January 06, 2026 Content Type Case study
 
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Background

  • A leading asset management firm was seeking to enhance its sustainable investment capabilities and respond to growing stakeholder demands to integrate environmental, social and governance (ESG) requirements
  • The firm aimed to enhance its understanding of the financial materiality of sustainability factors to enable portfolio managers better determine their impact on investment strategy

Our solution

  • Conducted ESG due diligence (equities) of 180 companies spanning 40+ industries and 15+ emerging markets, apart from the Asia-Pacific equities portfolio
  • Customized each assessment to identify financial risks and opportunities
  • Leveraged generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to extract macro data and quantitative information to support financial materiality claims
  • For example, when assessing the financial materiality of ‘financial Inclusion’ initiatives for an Indian bank, we used GenAI to extract data on:
    • Banking penetration in India
    • Credit gap among micro, small and medium enterprises in India
    • Bank branch network expansion
    • Growth of digital banking in India
    • Digital banking transactions per year
  • Based on the assessment of ESG performance, we recommended engagement objectives for each portfolio company
    • These objectives helped enhance the sustainability commitments of the companies
  • Conducted governance assessments of companies included in the SFDR Article 8 funds to tap funding opportunities in developed markets through regulatory compliance
    • Governance assessments were based on four pillars—sound management structure, tax compliance, employee relations and employee remuneration
  • Assessed governance of SFDR Article 8 funds of clients, ensuring compliance with developed market regulations and unlocking funding opportunities
    • Qualitative assessments focused on strategy, management incentives, Board structures, reporting transparency, shareholder representation and controversies, among others

Impact

  • Streamlined data extraction by leveraging GenAI, freeing up resources for higher-value activities. This helped reduce the turnaround time 60% to some eight ESG factors in 1.5 days from five-odd factors in the same timeframe
  • Enabled portfolio managers to integrate sustainability factors into their investment process, enhancing their grasp of financial materiality and the impact on investment strategy
  • Provided actionable insights that facilitated constructive dialogue and engagement with portfolio companies, leading to improved sustainability commitments, thus enhancing long-term value creation
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