Why is ESG important to investors?

What are the benefits of ESG?

Over the last decade, ESG (environmental, social, and governance) has become increasingly relevant for investors. Today, more than 300 institutional investors representing over $80 trillion assets-under-management use ESG standards to inform their decision making. ESG issues surged to the forefront with the COVID-19 pandemic, which drew attention to the fact that these risks are becoming reality. Whether pandemics, social movements, or extreme weather from climate change, these trends pose both risks and opportunities for investors. By communicating how these risks are managed, companies can show investors how they are successfully navigating a changing world.

Why is ESG information relevant for investors?

ESG complements financial information for a more holistic view of the company, and the risks and opportunities it faces. ESG risks vary widely, but all are becoming more relevant, such as physical risk from climate change (“E”), reputational risk from social injustice (“S”), and regulatory risk from corruption (“G”). These risks can impact a company’s financial performance and are thus of interest to many investors.

But ESG can also reveal opportunities. For example, net zero transition plans will require new business models and services. In his 2022 letter to CEOs, BlackRock chairman Larry Fink wrote, “Every company and every industry will be transformed by the transition to a net zero world. The question is, will you lead, or will you be led?” Investors may look to ESG information to identify those leaders.

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A Guide To Money Laundering Compliance In Peru

The key challenges of AML compliance in Latin America and the Caribbean

Whether conducting risk assessments or reviewing client due diligence, it is vital to understand the risks and responsibilities of money laundering challenges for different jurisdictions.

In this article, VinciWorks considers the key AML challenges and laws in Peru, and what organisations should consider when assessing customer, geographic or matter risk.

For more on the key AML risks and challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean, download our free guide to compliance.

Click here to download a free copy.

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What is ethnicity pay gap reporting?

The new frontier in D&I accountability

What is the ethnicity pay gap?

The ethnicity pay gap means the difference in the average pay between an employee from an ethnic minority background, compared to a ‘white’ employee.

The ethnicity pay gap concept is particularly used by British companies. In the UK, around 85% of the population is considered to be white ethnicity. This figure amalgamates the different categories of ethnic origin in the British Isles, such as White British, White Scottish, White Irish, and White Other.

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What are countries doing to stop human trafficking & modern slavery?

Anti-Slavery Day

Modern slavery and human trafficking

Modern slavery and human trafficking are grave violations of human rights that continue to exist in various forms across the world. They involve the exploitation and control of individuals through force, coercion, or deception for various purposes, including labour, sexual exploitation, forced marriage, and child exploitation.

Modern slavery refers to situations where individuals are trapped in situations of exploitation, often working in harsh conditions, with limited or no freedom to leave their situation. This can include forced labour in industries such as agriculture, construction, manufacturing, domestic work, and the garment industry. It can also involve human trafficking, where individuals are transported across borders for the distinct purpose of exploitation.

Human trafficking increasing globally

Modern slavery is witnessing a concerning surge on a global scale, with various factors contributing to its proliferation. Economic inequality and poverty create fertile ground for exploitation, as individuals facing dire circumstances become vulnerable to traffickers and forced labour. The expansion of global supply chains within an increasingly interconnected world has made monitoring labour practices challenging, allowing unscrupulous actors to exploit workers undetected. Moreover, mass migration and displacement, often triggered by conflicts and political instability, leave displaced populations susceptible to trafficking and forced labour due to their limited legal protections. Weak governance, corruption, and a demand for cheap labour further exacerbate this grave issue. Insufficient awareness, reporting mechanisms, and effective enforcement perpetuate the clandestine nature of modern slavery.

As human trafficking increases in 2023, countries adapt to the challenge

Modern slavery is as important a topic as ever today. The exploitation and trafficking of people for commercial gain is a greater global problem than even during the days of the transatlantic slave trade centuries ago.

Modern slavery examples

A number of current global events are exacerbating the problems of modern slavery. Russia’s war against Ukraine has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, making them vulnerable to traffickers who can easily abduct them for exploitation. Children are particularly vulnerable amidst the refugee crisis, as are women. While no one has any numbers, reports indicate that, in the words of a UN official, human trafficking is evolving into “a crisis within a crisis”. 

Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, where extreme poverty is prevalent following the Taliban’s takeover of the country last year, desperation has made forced labour commonplace. In addition, a growing number of families are choosing to sell their children into forced marriages in order to have money to buy food. 

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New podcast episode: Mental Health at Work – Wellbeing in the ‘post’-Covid World

After two years of social and financial pressures, and with the pandemic still prevalent in our everyday lives, not everyone is comfortable with returning to the workplace in person. Are your employees struggling with returning to the office? Are they anxious and uncomfortable? How are they doing mentally now that lockdown is over, and what impact has virtual or hybrid working had on their mental health and wellbeing?

In this episode, we hear from a host of experts, including Teresa Higgins, Managing Director at Barbour EHS, Dee Arp, Chief Operating Officer at NEBOSH and Alexis Powell-Howard, Director, Psychotherapist, and TEDx Speaker at Fortis Therapy. They explore the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and wellbeing, why it’s time to reshape health and safety strategies, the challenges for leaders in managing people who may feel anxious, and more.

Integrate your mental health training with Omnitrack’s “stress at work” reporting tool

Stress at work risk assessment dashboard

The interactive self-assessment in our mental health course asks users to answer questions about work-related stress. The assessment addresses issues such as career satisfaction, workload, work-life balance, job security, and interpersonal work relationships. As soon as users answer the questions, they are provided with instant feedback giving them a summary of their stress risk.

The mental health assessment can now be integrated with our reporting and tracking tool, Omnitrack. Users’ answers to assessment questions feed into Omnitrack where administrators can unlock rich and actionable data about their users by tracking completions, reviewing the data and then promptly addressing situations that need further attention.

Regulatory Agenda for June 2022

To help businesses keep track of updates in UK legislation and policies, VinciWorks regularly publishes a regulatory update. Our regulatory agenda for June includes the new bills announced in the Queen’s Speech, including modern slavery changes, audit reform, GDPR changes and new deforestation due diligence requirements.

What’s in the Regulatory Agenda for June?

  • What’s new this month?
  • COVID-19 guidance update
  • EU developments affecting policy and compliance
  • Recent Acts of Parliament affecting policy and compliance
  • Bills before Parliament
  • Secondary legislation
  • Open and closed consultations
  • Regulations and initiatives on the horizon

Download Regulatory Agenda

Regulatory Agenda For May 2022

UK legislation tracker

To help businesses keep track of updates in UK legislation and policies, VinciWorks regularly publishes a regulatory update. Our regulatory agenda for May includes the new Economic Crime Act with its strengthened sanctions regime, including updates to the list of high-risk jurisdictions. The agenda also covers ESG, DAC7, human resources and more.

What’s in the Regulatory Agenda for May?

  • What’s new this month?
  • COVID-19 guidance update
  • EU developments affecting policy and compliance
  • Recent Acts of Parliament affecting policy and compliance
  • Bills before Parliament
  • Secondary legislation
  • Open and closed consultations
  • Regulations and initiatives on the horizon

Download Regulatory Agenda

Hybrid working: reduce the risk of cyber attacks

The rise of remote working since the Covid-19 pandemic has seen cybercrime skyrocket, with opportunist criminals targeting employees to access confidential data or else profit from ransomware and other scams.

We designed this guide to raise awareness about cybersecurity – particularly for companies implementing hybrid working – and reduce the risks of human error for employees working between the home and office.

Learning points:

  • Cybersecurity risks for hybrid workers
  • Cybercrime red flags employees can look out for
  • Protective measures to prepare your business for hybrid working
  • Advice for keeping your systems secure
  • Implementing a cybersecurity policy

Compliance 101 Podcast Series, Episode 4: Risk assessing bribery

At the heart of any anti-bribery programme is a risk assessment. Like any other risk assessment, the specific risks will depend on your business and industry. But risks can change over time. For example, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, medical supplies and PPE are some of the riskiest areas when perhaps they weren’t a few years ago. In this episode, Nick speaks to Transparency International’s Britta Niemeyer about how businesses can handle bribery and what they should do about it.

Gifts and hospitality register

Gifts register screenshot

Companies often have complex procedures regarding approvals, thresholds and recording of gifts and hospitality. Determining whether gifts comply with laws and policies across multiple jurisdictions can also prove complicated for administrators, especially for gifts sent overseas. Shortcomings in your reporting systems can be taken advantage of by those seeking to abuse their position, but they could also lead to oversights and honest mistakes.

The gifts & hospitality process in Omnitrack leverages dynamic workflows to seek the level of information needed, turn approvals into a seamless process and automatically build the compliance register and audit trail. Any workflow and approvals process can be incorporated into Omnitrack, allowing you to manage bribery risk your way.

Regulatory Agenda for April 2022

To help businesses keep track of updates in UK legislation and policies, VinciWorks regularly publishes a regulatory update. Our regulatory agenda for April 2022 includes the new Economic Crime Act with its strengthened sanctions regime, adding UAE to the high risk list for AML, alongside planned new ESG rules in the EU and the UK.

What’s in the Regulatory Agenda?

  • What’s new this month?
  • COVID-19 guidance update
  • EU developments affecting policy and compliance
  • Recent Acts of Parliament affecting policy and compliance
  • Bills before Parliament
  • Secondary legislation
  • Open and closed consultations
  • Regulations and initiatives on the horizon

Download Regulatory Agenda