Veris Wealth Partners Reports Gender Lens Investing (GLI) Assets Rise 85% and Exceed $2.4 Billion

Gender Lens Investing (GLI) continued to grow strongly in the 12 months ended June 30, 2018, rising 85% to a record $2.4 billion, according to new analysis by Veris Wealth Partners, an impact wealth management firm.

The number of explicitly gender lens strategies holding publicly traded securities also continued to increase. In 2014, Veris identified eight investing vehicles. In the new report, Gender Lens Investing: Bending the Arc of Finance for Women and Girls, as of mid-year 2018, the number had more than quadrupled to 35.

“The growth of Gender Lens Investing is one of the most positive developments in a year overshadowed by the gender pay gap, lack of women on boards and sexual harassment scandals,” said Patricia Farrar-Rivas, CEO of Veris Wealth Partners. “GLI is one of the best opportunities to mobilize capital and remedy social issues we need to put behind us.”

Among the key findings in the new 20-page report:

• The growth of GLI mutual funds and ETFs is democratizing access to impact and gender lens investing. GLI mutual funds, exchange traded funds, exchange traded notes and CDs attracted $1.2 billion in capital – 50% of the total $2.4 billion invested as of June 30, 2018. Ten new funds were launched between January 2017 and August 2018.

• Investors are moving from single products to fully diversified GLI portfolios. Investors are constructing complete GLI portfolios to address gender-based violence, women’s chronic under-representation in leadership, spur innovation in women’s health care, among other issues.

• Gender Lens investors are changing corporate priorities. Companies and asset managers increasingly view gender equity and balance as competitive advantages. They are changing their policies to attract and retain talent and to implement good corporate governance.

• The GLI ecosystem is expanding rapidly. Institutional support for GLI is growing as foundations, pension funds, academics, governments, NGOs and research organizations embrace the category.

Click here to download the full analysis.

 

About Veris Wealth Partners
Veris Wealth Partners, LLC is impact wealth management firm. Our team believes that superior investment performance and positive impact are complementary parts of a holistic investment strategy. Based in San Francisco, Veris has offices in New York, Portsmouth, and Boulder. For information, call 415.815.0580, or visit https://www.veriswp.com