Non-Executive Director update: ESG and Capital Markets

We’re hosting our ESG and Capital Markets event for Non-Executive Directors on 29 November.

Our ESG team, including Ali Cambray - Advisory Director, ESG & Net Zero, Jersey, and Amy Pickering - Assurance & ESG Senior Manager, Guernsey, will provide an overview on the latest trends and developments in ESG reporting within a Channel Islands context and the rise of ESG assurance given increasing stakeholders’ expectations on the reliability and integrity of ESG reporting and risks of greenwashing or inadequate application of and compliance with evolving frameworks/ regulations.

Whether it’s the direct impact of EU or UK regulations on your CI business or investor and broader market pressure driving voluntary ESG reporting, the unprecedented scrutiny of governance and reporting means it’s critical that Boards are up to speed on the relevant regulations and have robust ESG governance processes in place, which include ensuring credible reporting.

Bruce Otto, Capital Markets Director, Guernsey will also provide an update on the LSE investment funds market activity, UK Listing Reforms and Reporting Accountant Independence considerations. Rising inflation, interest rates increases and wider equity market volatility have made it challenging for investors to make new investments. Five Investment funds announced their intention to float (ITF) and published prospectuses by Q3 2022, however no investment companies have completed an IPO by Q3 2022, and market participants do not expect any to come to market in Q4. Migrations from AIM and the SFS to the Premium Segment have seen increased activity with investment companies looking to appeal to a wider range of investors and access index inclusion, as well as looking to enhance the investment company's corporate profile.

The FCA and industry bodies continue to look at opportunities to make the London market more attractive with responses to the discussion paper on the Primary Markets Effectiveness currently being evaluated by the FCA.

Finally, we'll also touch on relevant FRC Ethical Standard fee caps and IESBA independence rule amendments relating to services provided by Reporting Accountants as part of an IPO process.

Event details