Janus Henderson expands Article 8 fund suite

Yasmine Raso

Senior Journalist, Financial Newswire

28 January 2022

Global asset manager, Janus Henderson, has announced that a further eight existing funds will be registered as Article 8 funds under the European Union’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) from 25 February 2022.

Products classified under Article 8 are those that promote environmental and social characteristics among others and the companies follow good governance practices.

The eight funds from Janus Henderson that will be added to Article 8 include the Janus Henderson Absolute Return Fund, the Janus Henderson Horizon Euro High Yield Bond Fund, the Janus Henderson Horizon Euro Corporate Bond Fund, the Janus Henderson Global Equity Fund, the Janus Henderson Horizon Pan European Equity Fund, the Janus Henderson Horizon Pan European Absolute Return Fund, the Janus Henderson Horizon Strategic Bond Fund and the Janus Henderson Horizon Global Natural Resources Fund, which is set to be renamed the Janus Henderson Horizon Responsible Resources Fund from 25 February.

“With the registration of these eight Article 8 funds, and the launch of our new two Article 9 funds in 2021, I’m very pleased that we’re making steady and meaningful progress toward making our European fund range more sustainable,” Alex Crooke, Co-Head of Equities for EMEA and Asia Pacific at Janus Henderson, said.

“The consideration of ESG factors is not a new development for Janus Henderson; we have a long history of managing specifically sustainable funds, not least the Janus Henderson Global Sustainable Equity Strategy, which in 2021 celebrated it’s thirtieth year trading.

Currently, Janus Henderson has one Article 8 fund – the Janus Henderson Horizon Global Technology Leaders Fund – and three Article 9 funds – the Janus Henderson Horizon Global Sustainable Equity Fund, the Janus Henderson Horizon US Sustainable Equity Fund and the Janus Henderson Horizon Sustainable Future Technologies Fund.

“Measures like the SFDR allows for increased transparency; the registration of Article 8 funds allows for enhanced disclosure and reporting; allowing investors to measure the contribution of ESG factors to the success of their fund,” Ignacio de la Maza, Head of EMEA Intermediary & LatAm at Janus Henderson, said.

“We are committed to remaining connected to our clients, listening to what is important to them, understanding their needs and delivering solutions to meet these needs. We will continue to assess our fund range and as client demand increases, create and adapt further products to meet the EU SFDR criteria.”