News

• March AM's environmentally-themed fund posted accumulated returns of 16.84% in the first six months of 2021, and has returned 38.08% since its launch.
• In line with its commitment to sustainability, March AM donates 10% of the management fees generated by its Mediterranean Fund to Oceana and Save The Med for marine ecosystem conservation and recovery projects.
• Mediterranean Fund is a thematic, socially-responsible fund and its investment philosophy ties in with the UN Sustainable Development Goals: oceans as a source of wealth and the need to preserve them, and water as a scarce, indispensable resource.

Investing in the Oceans Economy

Mediterranean Fund is a thematic fund which seeks to harness two high-potential trends linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030: the oceans as a source of wealth and the need for their conservation, and water as a scarce resource which is indispensable for life on our planet. The fund offers a potential investment universe of over 750 companies and has attracted strong subscriptions since its launch, affording a significant advantage for investors.

March AM donates 10% of the management fees generated by Mediterranean Fund to Oceana and Save The Med, two non-profit organisations which undertake a range of projects to conserve and protect marine ecosystems. Through its agreements with these organisations, the asset manager contributes to a series of initiatives, including reducing ocean pollution levels and scientific research.

Key projects under the partnerships include the pilot initiative by Oceana to document plastic levels in tourist areas in low season (Mallorca and Valencia) using a submarine drone and an exploration catamaran with collaborating divers. The project will conclude with the publication of a report on the most common, most dangerous types of plastic waste in these coastal areas. Oceana is also running an initiative to raise awareness of the risks involved in the widespread use of certain types of packaging, as well as a programme to seek to increase plastic-free areas. Through these initiatives, it advises companies to replace single-use plastics with more sustainable alternatives.

For the second year running, the financial support of March AM has also helped consolidate and enhance the marine preservation projects rolled out by the Save the Med Foundation. These projects have contributed to better knowledge of various species, including the giant devil ray (Mobula mobular), loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) and Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) and of their habitats, which has given added impetus to the Foundation's scientific expeditions. The resources contributed by Banca March have also supported the creation of the programme Balears Sense Plàstic, which strives to eliminate single-use plastics, one of the largest sources of pollution in the Mediterranean Sea. 

All of these projects underscore March AM's commitment to integrating sustainability principles into its activity as an asset manager. Mediterranean Fund was one of the firm's pioneering sustainability initiatives. The fund's investment philosophy seeks to harness two high-potential trends related to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals for 2030: the oceans as a source of wealth and the need for their conservation, and water as a scarce resource which is indispensable for life on our planet. The fund offers a potential investment universe of over 750 companies and has attracted strong subscriptions since its launch, affording a significant advantage for investors.

Javier Escribano, Managing Director at March AM, said: "The strong performance registered by this fund in the first half of the year underscores March AM's leadership position in the thematic fund segment, offering exposure to companies whose revenues are directly linked to the world's seas and oceans and have a particular focus on sustainability. Mediterranean Fund responds to our commitment to support the transition towards Socially Responsible Investing (SRI), offering products with compelling returns for our customers. It is also absolutely crucial to collaborate with other organisations to achieve the targets set by the United Nations, which is why we work with Oceana and Save The Med to support the recovery, improvement and conservation of the world's oceans.” Mediterranean Fund manager Iñigo Colomo added: “The strong returns offered by this fund against the current market backdrop makes it one of the best performers in its category. Our goal is to maintain or improve on this performance over the months ahead and to continue to roll out thematic solutions which spark significant interest among the investment community.”

March AM: fully committed to sustainability

The asset manager has prepared an ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) policy which affords a broad framework for the performance of its corporate activities in complete alignment with these values. March AM is utterly committed to this process, and has therefore integrated ESG criteria into investment research, decision-making processes and a range of other initiatives.

As part of its strategy to implement SRI criteria, March AM has also applied Article 6 of the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) to all of its funds and pension plans since March. The fund manager is currently working towards having all its funds labelled SFDR Article 8 and Article 9. To that end, March AM has sought support from leading providers in the sector such as Sustainalytics, Clarity, ISS and Inversis, working closely with these companies to develop an in-house tool which will meet all its needs.