Melior fund launches on Insignia Platforms

Sydney-based impact investment manager, Melior Investment Management, announced retail investors can now access impact in the Australian equities sector through its Australian Impact Fund now available on Insignia Financial (formerly IOOF) platforms.

The manager has seen strong interest for the fund from advisers and their clients since its inception, especially after the fund became the first Australian large companies manager to be classified by Zenith Investment Partners as ‘Impact’ and received a ‘Recommended’ rating from the research house.

“Until now, impact investing has generally been the domain of illiquid investments and wholesale investors, but with our approach to impact in listed markets we aim to democratise this investment offering to a broader investor base who want their capital to deliver not only competitive returns but positive social and environmental impact,” Chief Executive Officer of Melior, Lucy Steed, said.

Since its inception in July 2019, the fund has outperformed its ASX300 benchmark by 2.8 per cent per annum and delivered an absolute return of 9.7 per cent per annum as of May 2022.

The fund also compares environmental, social and governance (ESG) KPIs against the ASX300 every quarter and releases an impact report once a year to outline the fund’s positive environmental and social impact through avenues like corporate stewardship and impact capital.

“Being able to offer what we believe is the first large cap, Australian equity fund to advisers and their clients who use these platforms is a major milestone,” Steed said.

“We are seeing a groundswell among Australian investors that want their capital to have a positive impact on the world and a growing awareness of greenwashing.”

The Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA) also named Melior one of the 2021 Responsible Investment Leaders and ranked the firm second out of 198 investment managers.