Julian Kölbel: Cutting through the Confusion on ESG Ratings and What Works in Impact Investing

In this episode of the Sustainability Story, we tackle two areas of mass confusion in the world of sustainable investing: what should be done about the divergence in ESG ratings, and what works and doesn't work in impact investing. Deborah Kidd, CFA, talks with Dr. Julian Kölbel, Assistant Professor in Sustainable Finance at the Center for Financial Services Innovation at the University of St. Gallen and Research Associate at MIT Sloan, where he co-founded the Aggregate Confusion Project. Julian is also host of the podcast Innovations in Sustainable Finance. https://fsi.unisg.ch/en/insights/innovations-in-sustainable-finance/ With an estimated one-third of the world's assets under management being managed sustainably, ESG ratings have come under increasing scrutiny by regulators. We discuss issues around the reliability of ESG ratings, whether they should be regulated, and how investors can make sense of them. Our conversation then turns to impact investing, where we learn about evidence-based strategies and the key component necessary for actually making an impact.