Skip to content
  • MyNewMarkets.com
  • Claims Journal
  • Insurance Journal TV
  • Academy of Insurance
  • Carrier Management
Insurance Journal - Property Casualty Industry News

Featured Stories

  • State Farm Still Wants a 30% Rate Increase in California
  • 2024 P/C Combined Ratio Best in More Than a Decade
  • Articles
  • Jobs
  • Markets

Current Magazine

current magazine
  • Read Online
  • Subscribe
  • Login
  • Front Page
    • National
    • International
    • Most Popular
    • Magazine
    • Forums
    • Blogs
    • Videos/Podcasts
    • Newsletters
  • News
    • Most Popular
    • National
    • International
    • East
    • Midwest
    • South Central
    • Southeast
    • West
  • Magazines
  • Research
  • Directories
  • Jobs
  • Features
    • Events
    • Forums
    • Market Directories
    • Quotes
    • Polls
    • Rankings & Awards
    • Insurance Giving Back
  • Subscribe

AllianzGI Creates Unit Focused on Investing in Companies With Measurable ESG Impact

By Simon Jessop and Elizabeth Howcroft | January 26, 2022
Email This Subscribe to Newsletter
  • Article

Asset manager Allianz Global Investors, part of German insurer Allianz, said on Wednesday it had set up a new unit focused on “impact” investing in private markets, as part of a sustainable investing drive.

AllianzGI, which manages around 647 billion euros ($730.27 billion) in assets, will look to invest in private companies helping solve environmental or social issues in a measurable way, it said in a statement.

Interest in companies performing better on such measures has surged in recent years as more investors expect such investments to reduce risk and drive stronger returns, particularly as the world transitions to a low-carbon economy.

Impact investing, meanwhile, takes that a step further by tracking the impact of the investments on people and the planet, not just the company’s returns.

The new team of 12 will be overseen by Matt Christensen, Global Head of Sustainable and Impact Investing, AllianzGI added.

“Investors want to see a positive change for the planet while generating a return, and impact investing offers a solution to these twin goals,” Christensen said.

AllianzGI said it was also creating a new “Impact Measurement & Management” team, led by Diane Mak to help select the investments and assess their impact.

“The future growth trajectory of impact investing depends on asset managers demonstrating how the impact can be measured and reported,” Christensen said.

The COVID-19 pandemic drew attention to deepening social inequality which brought impact investing to an “inflection point,” the head of Singapore’s Temasek Holdings said last year.

Last week, Swedish private equity firm Summa Equity said it raised $2.6 billion for Europe’s biggest-ever impact fund.

The Texas-based private equity firm TPG, which went public earlier this month with a more than $10 billion valuation, also has an impact investing arm, and raised a $5.4 billion for its first climate-focused impact fund.

The fund, called TPG Rise, recently led a $170 million funding round in Israeli cleantech company UBQ Materials, which turns household waste into bio-based plastic for use in industries such as construction and carmaking.

AllianzGI’s announcement comes as Tibetan activists demand that the group drop its sponsorship of the Beijing Winter Olympics over allegations of human rights abuses in China.

Allianz said it had been in contact with activists and that it was committed to supporting the values of the Olympics.

($1 = 0.8860 euros) (Reporting by Simon Jessop; additional reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft Editing by Tomasz Janowski)

Copyright 2025 Reuters. Click for restrictions.

Was this article valuable?

Thank you! Please tell us what we can do to improve this article.

Thank you! % of people found this article valuable. Please tell us what you liked about it.

Here are more articles you may enjoy.

Bayer Seeks Roundup Settlement, Explores Monsanto Bankruptcy: Reports
Fire Destroys Mansion on a Former Louisiana Sugar Plantation
US House Bill Reintroduced to Rid Federal Insurance Office of Subpoena Power
Central US Severe Weather Outbreak Caused Billions in Damages, AccuWeather Says

Written By Simon Jessop

More From Author

Written By Elizabeth Howcroft

More From Author

The most important insurance news,
in your inbox every business day.

Get the insurance industry's trusted newsletter

Email This Subscribe to Newsletter
  • Categories: International & Reinsurance NewsTopics: Allianz, Allianz Global Investors, environmental social and governance (ESG) criteria, impact investing
  • Have a hot lead? Email us at newsdesk@insurancejournal.com
More News
EEOC_SealAustin Bar to Pay $42K Over Pregnancy Discrimination Lawsuit
EU to Propose Removing Business Barriers to Enhance Competitiveness Amid US Tariffs
Former Progressive CEO Renwick, 69, Dies
Hack of Contractor Was at Root of Massive Federal Data Breach
More News Features

Read This Next

  • AllianzGI Creates Unit Focused on Investing in Companies With Measurable ESG Impact
  • Taking a Step Back: Why It's Important to Take Time to Unwind In an Industry That Never Stops
  • New England's Shield Health Settles Data Breach Cases for $15.3 Million
  • Motion Specialty Launches Lloyd's MGU, Founded by Former Hiscox Executives
  • Brett Favre's Defamation Suit Against State Auditor Can Move Forward, Court Says

Insurance Jobs

  • SDET/ Senior Automation Engineer - Remote, IL
  • Sr Accountant – Private Equity - Saint Paul, MN
  • Software Engineer II (Design Systems, JavaScript, Accessibility) - Hartford, CT
  • Junior Accounts Payable Specialist - Fort Lee, NJ
  • Auto Blend Claim Representative II - Charlotte, NC
MyNewMarkets
  • 5 Ways to Prepare for Healthcare Liability Changes in 2025
  • What's Next For Workers' Comp?
  • Soft D&O Market May Come to an End as Risk Complexities Rise
  • Exclusions: Active Assailant Coverage - Oh My!
  • 10 Things to Know About Insuring Boats & Marinas
Claims Journal
  • Court Says Google, AI Firm Must Face Mother's Lawsuit Over Suicide of Son
  • State Farm Still Wants a 30% Rate Increase in California
  • No NOAA Large-Disaster Data Could Hurt Insurer Grasp of Secondary Perils, Says AM Best
  • Marks & Spencer Says Cyberattack to Cost $403 Million
  • APCIA Says Record Shows 'Minimal Complaints' on Hurricane Milton, Helene Claims
Academy of Insurance education
  • May 22 Commercial Property: Five Bombs and How to Defuse Them
  • June 5 E&O and Hard Markets: How Trying to Keep a Client Might Cause Trouble
  • June 12 Rating AI Tools: Balancing Functionality and Security
  • June 19 Can You Hear Me? Yes, I Am Listening!

Insurance News

  • News by Region
  • News by Topic
  • Yesterday

Site Search

Features

  • Insurance Markets Directory
  • Forums
  • A.M. Best Company Ratings
  • Industry Events
  • Agencies For Sale
  • Newswire
  • Insurance Jobs
  • Rankings & Awards

Connect with us

  • Email Newsletters
  • Magazine Subscriptions
  • For Your Website
  • RSS Feeds
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Do Not Sell My Info

Insurance Journal

  • Submit News
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Reprints
  • Link to Us
  • Contact Us

Wells Media Group Network

  • Insurance Journal
  • MyNewMarkets.com
  • Claims Journal
  • Insurance Journal TV
  • Academy of Insurance
  • Carrier Management
© 2025 by Wells Media Group, Inc. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Site Map