Fund Management: Bridging the gap between ESG and shariah-compliant investing

ESG (environmental, social and governance) investing and shariah-compliant investing share similar objectives in that they promote stewardship and societal value creation. However, the two strategies are often viewed as distinctly separate approaches by investors. According to the president of asset management firm Saturna, Shahariah Shaharudin, bringing together the two investing methodologies can do much to invigorate the Islamic asset management industry. As both ESG and shariah-compliant funds are considered defensive asset classes, they performed relatively well during the recent market downturn triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic.