Verve Money’s Ethical Charter
by Verve
Updated: August 28, 2023
Our Ethical Charter establishes the foundation for how we invest.
It guides us in which investments to support, and which to avoid.
It lays the principles for the world we are investing in.
Over time, as the world changes, our specific investment screens may change too, but our Charter will remain our guiding compass.
Our Why
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit on 25 September 2015. Grounded in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and international human rights treaties, it emphasises the responsibilities of all states to respect, protect and promote human rights.
The resulting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) establish a globally accepted set of 17 overarching goals for real-world outcomes in areas such as clean water, good health, no poverty, gender equality, biodiversity and sustainable development. The SGDs address the global challenges that we all face, and the aim is for them to be met by 2030 in order to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.
The United Nations estimates a need for $3.9 trillion a year between now and 2030 to meet the Sustainable Development Goals. Philanthropy and government funding are not enough to meet this need and society will require an additional $2.5 trillion a year to fill the gap.
To be able to meet these goals there will need to be significant additional private investment.
Private capital is already beginning to play an important role in social impact success stories: For example, the green revolution in agriculture and the development and delivery of life-saving vaccines all required private investment alongside philanthropy and government.
Verve Money is part of the private capital sector solution. Through the investments the Verve Money Fund makes into sustainable development and solutions, we’re seeking to make a positive contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Our future
At Verve, we seek uncompromising returns.
Our investment objective is to strive for strong returns for our members by making investments which aim to contribute towards a future world that is sustainable and equitable, with thriving communities and a healthy planet.
In addition, where possible we look for investments that will contribute to a future world where women+ have an equal seat at the table and true economic, financial and social equality.
Our ethical mandate
Our ethical mandate for the Verve Money Fund is:
- To screen out investments that we believe to be harmful or contrary to our investment objective;
- To seek out investment opportunities in values aligned activities;
- To explore impact investment opportunities in climate solutions; and
- To create diversified portfolios which favour competitive performance whilst balancing risk.
Our commitment to transparency
Our aim is to be transparent about our investments so that you can decide if we’re living up to your values or not.
The Verve Money Investment Universe is a list of companies, funds and assets that have passed our ethical screening methodology. This means that at any point in time, the Verve Money Fund may be holding some or all of these investments.
For additional information, also check out our other blogs How Verve Money Invests Ethically and Why we Invest in Climate Solutions.
We also encourage you to read our Investment Guide and visit our Ethical Investing page.
Want to learn more? Book in a call with our friendly team here or send them a note at hello@vervemoney.com.au.
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This article is published by Verve Money Pty Ltd (ABN 71 653 669 366, AFS Representative No. 001294184), a Corporate Authorised Representative of True Oak Investments Ltd (ABN 81 002 558 956; AFSL 238184), as the Manager of Verve Money. A friendly reminder that all the financial information contained in this article is general in nature and does not take into account your personal financial objectives, situation or needs. It’s important to do your own research and consider getting in touch with a professional adviser to access specific information tailored to your unique situation.
You should read the Product Disclosure Statement, Investment Guide, Target Market Determination and Financial Services Guide before making a decision to acquire, hold, or continue to hold, an interest in the Verve Money Fund. Visit www.vervemoney.com.au/documents to view these documents.
Interests in the Verve Money Fund (ARSN 662 622 899) are issued by Melbourne Securities Corporation Limited (ACN 160 326 545, AFSL 428289). When considering financial returns, return of capital is not guaranteed and past performance is not indicative of future performance.
