Commitments to net zero

Downing, as a member of the UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF), alongside other investment managers, banks, asset owners and other financial institutions, has warned that the government’s recent rhetoric risks stopping the finance sector from making the transformative investments needed to reach net zero and grow the economy.

The industry has warned that without long-term clarity from government, the £50-60bn per year of investment needed to reach net zero won’t happen.

The warning comes in the form of a letter sent to the Prime Minister, signed by 36 financial institutions who are members of the UKSIF and represent £1.5 trillion in assets under management.

Downing’s Head of Responsible Investment, Roger Lewis, commented: “As the financial and geopolitical realities of decarbonisation start to hit, these ‘Dear World Leader…’ letters will become increasingly important. Holding governments accountable and policy advocacy for net zero commitments is vital for financial services given asset managers’ role as providers of equity and debt capital in actually achieving these commitments by mid-century.”

As a responsible investor, we invest for return while caring about the world we live in. Since we were established in 1986, we have invested in innovative companies and managed assets that positively impact society – whether that’s caring for the elderly, improving healthcare, building homes or producing clean energy.

Read more about this on the UKSIF website

We are delighted to announce that we have expanded our funding partnership with bridging finance specialist SDKA which focuses on residential, commercial and semi-commercial properties.

The new agreement increases Downing’s facility with SDKA substantially. SDKA which is based in Cheshire and has been operating for eight years, has built a strong reputation in the bridging finance space with its fast funding.

The latest agreement continues the expansion of commitments for Downing’s Wholesale Finance team.

Parik Chandra, Partner and Head of Specialist Lending, Downing LLP, said: “We are delighted to have built on our partnership with SDKA in what remains a challenging market. The growth of the business is a testimony to its strong track record in supporting borrowers and brokers.”

Kunal Mehta, Managing Director, SDKA, said: ‘’SDKA is seeing significant growth this year, and in a difficult market I am delighted that we can announce this increased funding to support even more clients with our incredibly fast decision making and lending. It’s been a pleasure working with Parik and Nigel.’’

Downing LLP’s wholesale finance team provides structured wholesale finance solutions to other lenders focusing on block discounting facilities to SME lenders and structured facilities for bridging finance lenders.

It looks for established lenders with experienced management teams and can provide facilities between £3 million and £20 million with the ability to go higher.

Find out more about Downing’s wholesale finance team

We are delighted to announce that Downing’s Head of Responsible Investment, Roger Lewis, has been appointed to the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) Global Stewardship Committee.

Roger was selected from ICGN’s wide range of investor members based on his and Downing’s expertise in active ownership.

The ICGN Stewardship Committee focuses on fiduciary duties, shareholder rights, shareholder meetings, company monitoring, voting engagement and investment mandates.

Roger Lewis, Head of Responsible Investment, commented: “Stewardship is absolutely core to our fiduciary duties in the 2020s and to achieving real ESG outcomes. And it’s a source of investment alpha. Therefore a great privilege to be appointed to ICGN’s stewardship committee, to define best practices here.”

View the full committee here and read more about Downing’s approach to responsible investment