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Sustainability:
the evolution of business
Reply is ready to be your Sustainability partner, providing you support every step of the way along this pressing and exciting time of business evolution.
Sustainability as a driver of your growth
Integrating sustainability perspectives within an organization offers an important opportunity to meet market expectations and more.
Considerations about the environment, social aspects and good governance are more than just common sense, they have become a must for businesses. On the other hand, effectively introducing these considerations, differentiating your organization from competitors, and communicating in a distinctive way with all stakeholders, internal and external to the company, all propose important challenges.
Reply views a strong sustainability proposition as consisting of:
Decisions that create a positive impact on the environment and society
Actions that help to increase competitiveness, reputation and brand awareness
Measures that can reduce the cost of funding and access to capital markets
Services that increase the satisfaction of customers
Steps that meet new regulatory requirements
Reply areas of support
At Reply, we can accompany you in every phase of the process, from defining the sustainable framework, to the conception of the strategy, to the delivery of results, for both business model and technological infrastructure perspectives. We support Banks, SGRs and Asset Managers, Insurance and Corporations with customized solutions and dedicated teams of Subject Matter Experts.
Banks
While Sustainability poses one of the most significant challenges to Banks in recent memory, the underlying opportunities are perhaps the most significant in a generation.
The impact of Sustainability is far-reaching, touching on all business lines, from Personal Loans, to Project Finance, to Investment Banking, and everything in between.
Bank customers are progressively giving more importance to Sustainability and ESG factors, requiring Banks in turn to make these considerations as part of their business decisions as well.
From a Financial Markets standpoint, Banks that are able convey their dedication to environmental, social and good governance standards are also able to gain easier access to both Economic and Social Capital.
All of this, coupled with the very real need to address Sustainability benchmarks throughout the world, has led legislators and regulators to introduce a series of measures that require Banks to adopt more specific Disclosure and Risk Management practices.
At Reply, we are prepared to support our Bank Clients on all Sustainability aspects: from the design of the solutions, to the details of the technical implementation; from communication strategy to marketing and reporting, Reply is ready to be your Partner.
We support:
The definition and roll-out of Sustainability and ESG strategies, along with the necessary Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to track the performance of these decisions
A Sustainability framework to address topics such as relative exposure to climate change effects, or a campaign to emit Green Bonds, and more
The integration of ESG and Climate-related Risks into the Risk Appetite Framework and Internal Governance
The creation of sustainability linked service models to enhance market value
Promotion of a culture of sustainability, through communication plans, marketing initiatives, and training
Investment and asset manager
Investments in Sustainability linked products has grown remarkably in recent years. Driven by the demand of private and institutional investors, and favoured by the new European and national regulations.
From the point of view of Investment and Asset Managers, integrating sustainability factors into the product design and the security selection processes will provide more choices for clients and meet market demand.
Every aspect of the value chain is fundamental in this changing landscape, from the integration of ESG factors and related risks and opportunities in the investment processes, to the provision of homogeneous data and ratings, all the way to an effective and distinctive communication plan for end customers and placement banks.
At Reply, we are prepared to support our Clients on all Sustainability aspects: from the design of the solutions, to the details of the technical implementation; from communication strategy to marketing and reporting, Reply is ready to be your Partner.
We support:
The definition and roll-out of Sustainability and ESG strategies, along with the necessary Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to track the performance of these decisions
Integration of ESG and Climate-related Risks into Risk Policies and Internal Governance, including Strategic and Reputational Risks
The definition of metrics to evaluate Sustainability products and suffice reporting needs
The review and updating of ESG requirements for disclosure forms and client documents, such as the Key Information Document (KID)
Promotion of a culture of Sustainability, through communication plans, marketing initiatives, and training
Insurance
In the insurance sector, where Risk Management represents the core business, the process of integrating environmental and social sustainability risk factors into business models has been underway for some time.
Several Insurance firms already have on-going initiatives to adopt innovative and Sustainability minded service models, addressing likewise the emergence of a younger, conscientious generation of customers.
Insurance firms also aim to promote a culture of Sustainability, such as zero-cost car insurance policies for electric vehicles, hoping to help spur a reduction in carbon emissions.
From a regulatory standpoint, a progressive approach by the competent authorities allows Insurance firms a unique opportunity to activate gradual approaches: starting in 2021, Insurance firms and intermediaries are taking the first concrete steps towards reviewing their business models in compliance with new regulation.
Reply, with its significant experience in the regulatory field, product innovation and distribution models, is uniquely positioned to be your Partner in Sustainable and Green transformation, through a pragmatic and progressive approach to addressing these topics.
We support the:
Definition of governance & execution control, technical and regulatory, formulating recommendations for minimum and optimal solutions aligned with market practices
Definition and roll-out of Sustainability and ESG strategies, along with the necessary Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to track the performance of these decisions
Transition towards products in line with ESG criteria and updates to processes and monitoring
Adaptation of tools to support the Sustainability journey (e.g. reports, documents, IT platforms)
Integration of ESG and Climate Factors in investment processes aimed at creating financial products such as Green Bonds, Sustainable Bonds, Sustainable Derivatives, Sustainable Unit Linked, etc.
Integration of ESG and Climate-related Risks into Risk Policies and Internal Governance
Promotion of a culture of sustainability, through communication plans, marketing initiatives, and training
Non-Financial Institutions
A modern business culture depends foremost on corporate responsibility as a lever of success to enhance growth and innovation in the pursuit of creating shared value. It is in this context that Sustainability assumes an increasingly central role, not just as a driver of compliance with laws and regulations, but also as a model of the modern business culture.
In recent decades, Sustainability has grown to be an important factor in projects developed by international institutions and organisations, spurring the integration of non-financial factors or ESG aspects into the firms’ strategy, business model, and daily operations.
The Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations 2030 Agenda, and the EU Directive on mandatory non-financial disclosures (95/2014) (DL 254/2016 in Italy), highlight the need for firms to embrace Sustainability. The European Green Deal goes even further by creating the legal framework to promote sustainable finance strategies and providing a roadmap for the European economy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, inevitably pushing all firms to be
on-board. All of this points to the expectation that ESG considerations will become a definitive component of business, leading in turn to a growing demand for quality information within the organization. At the same time, firms will need to address external challenges, such as enhanced transparency with stakeholders, and the adoption of specific metrics to track environmental and social impacts, not to mention updated techniques to assess the firm’s performance and reputation.
At Reply, we are prepared to support our Clients on all Sustainability aspects, thanks in large part to end-to-end capabilities that can cover the design of the solution and its technical implementation. Whether you are just getting started, or are looking to add to your current position, we are uniquely positioned to support Clients who want to create shared value and generate positive socio-economic and environmental impacts.
We support:
The definition of a strategic Sustainability pathway (analysis of Sustainable Development Goals, Sustainability policies and plans), Sustainability objectives, governance and policy
The definition of Sustainability KPIs and monitoring techniques
The definition, development and implementation of stakeholder engagement and materiality analysis activities
The setup of a framework for the issuance of instruments such as Green Bond, Sustainable Bond, etc.
The setup of a sustainability framework, including the development of models for measuring Return on Investments linked to ESG factors, such as the mitigation of climate change
The identification, assessment and monitoring of ESG risks within Enterprise Risk Management
The development of Sustainability Reports, Non-Financial Statements, Social Reports for Public Bodies, Impact and Integrated Reports, and verification and certification of data
The management of external sustainability assessments and feedback for rating agencies