M&G Investments aims to be a force for good with revamped fund range

M&G Investments is a leading investment house, with a rich track record and a comprehensive offering of actively managed funds for private and institutional investors.

The business has a rich 90-year heritage of historical firsts, including launching the UK’s first mutual fund to providing insurance for the working class back in 1931.

At the start of 2021, the business was managing assets of over £284bn across equities, fixed income, real estate, multi-asset and cash for customers and clients in the UK, Europe and Asia.

As part of M&G PLC (LSE:MNG), the investment management arm enjoys several benefits over rivals, including the scale provided from being an asset owner and the ability it allows to direct capital to sustainable opportunities and use seed capital to drive innovation in investment.

Last year the company began a revamp of its product range, refreshing some funds and consolidating others.

An example of this is the With-Profits Fund’s allocation of £5bn to a new innovative private assets strategy that aims to make a positive contribution to society and the environment. To implement this strategy, the company formed a new global team of private asset investors called Catalyst, whose job is to identify sustainable investment opportunities among new and emerging private companies.

Furthermore, as a co-founder of the Net Zero Asset Manager initiative, where members commit to reach net zero carbon emissions across all client investment portfolios by 2050 or sooner, the investment process has increasingly put environmental, social and governance (ESG) requirements at the centre of investment decisions.

Recent fund launches have also included the Planet+ fund range, including the M&G Positive Impact Fund, M&G Better Health Solutions Fund, M&G Climate Solutions Fund, and the M&G Sustainable Multi-Asset range. The pipeline also includes thematic funds focused on diversity and impact alternatives.

Another first in recent years was the M&G Credit Income Investment Trust PLC (LSE:MGCI), which for the first time allows UK retail investors to put their money into a combined portfolio of public and private debt.

M&G’s stated corporate purpose is “to manage our customers’ investments so that they can live the life they want, while aiming to make the world a little better along the way.”

This is linked to three leading core principles including making an impact with the group’s financial power “as a force for good”, driving innovation to “change things for the better” and being inclusive to “open up opportunity for more people around the world”.

“We believe it’s our financial decisions that have the greatest potential to effect the change in the world we all want to see.

“Through long-term active investment management, we build solutions around what matters most to our customers and clients. We look for the best opportunities to invest in, across a wide range of asset classes, on behalf of people who care how their money is invested.”