Banca March - Crecemos con valores, crecemos juntosNews

• The bank launched a joint beach clean-up volunteering initiative which was rolled out simultaneously in three coastal cities: Palma de Mallorca, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
• The goal of this Banca March-led initiative is to help clean up the natural coastal environment through team work, in line with the philosophy of its new environmental impact product, the Mediterranean Fund.
• 10% of the management fees generated by the fund will be invested in projects for the recovery and conservation of marine resources.
• Participants with learning disabilities took part in the initiatives - which were carried out in cooperation with local associations - in order to raise awareness of the positive contribution of their inclusion in society and the work force.

Banca March has run simultaneous clean-up initiatives at three Spanish beaches: Ciudad Jardín (Palma de Mallorca), Playa de Bocabarranco (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria) and Playa de Abades (Santa Cruz de Tenerife). In line with the philosophy of the bank's new environmental impact product, the Mediterranean Fund, on 26 October several groups of volunteers carried out a series of waste collection tasks on these beaches.

The initiative is related to the Mediterranean Fund, launched recently by March's fund management business March Asset Management (March A.M.), which invests in companies and sectors that are linked to the world's seas and oceans, as well as the supply, treatment and use of water. March A.M. will allocate 10% of the management fees generated by this fund to projects for the recovery and conservation of marine resources. On the 26th of October, several groups of volunteers simultaneously carried out a range of clean-up and waste collection activities at the three aforementioned Spanish beaches.

The initiative, which was led by Banca March in cooperation with the associations Consorci APROP, APADIS and Casa San Miguel, seeks to promote the conservation of the natural coastal and marine environment through team-based initiatives, and to raise awareness of the local coastal ecosystem, beaches and dunes in each of the coastal areas where activities took place. The NGOs that participated in the project discussed the various types and origins of waste with the volunteers to help them understand the importance of effective resource management.

People with learning disabilities participated alongside other volunteers in these initiatives, which were rolled out as part of Banca March's commitment to the environment and society, to raise awareness of the need for measures to ensure their inclusion in society and the workforce.

Banca March CEO José Luis Acea said: “Actions like these volunteering events reflect the very essence of Banca March, as the bank's philosophy, since its foundation in 1929, has been shared growth with customers, employees, stakeholders and society as a whole. The bank was founded in Palma de Mallorca, so the Mediterranean has always been inextricably linked to its history. That's why Banca March is so highly attuned to the challenge of conserving our seas and oceans. The goal pursued by the Mediterranean Fund is twofold: to support the ocean economy by investing in companies linked to the sea and water use, and to contribute to the conservation of seas and oceans by donating part of the income from the fund to projects aimed at conserving the water masses which are vital to our very existence”.

The Mediterranean Fund: investing in water and the oceans

The Mediterranean Fund is a themed fund which seeks to invest in 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, indispensable resource for life on our planet. The social focus of this new fund is also reflected by March A.M.'s decision to allocate 10% of the management fees to projects for the recovery and conservation of marine resources. Investors in the Mediterranean Fund will therefore be contributing to initiatives to safeguard the marine ecosystem.

To construct the Mediterranean Fund portfolio, the March A.M. management team has identified an investment universe comprising over 750 companies whose revenues are directly linked either to oceans and seas or to the supply, treatment and use of water. There is a vast range of companies and sectors related to the world's seas and oceans in which the fund can invest, spanning sectors such as consumer, energy, industry, healthcare and utilities.

This product will further enhance March A.M.'s successful track record in the management of themed funds. The equity management team has secured compelling returns for products such as March Vini Catena and The Family Businesses Fund.

The March Vini Catena, which invests in the value chain of the wine industry, has generated an annualised return of 4.72% over five years. This success has been accompanied by excellent uptake levels among investors, and the fund's assets under management now stand at almost 170 million euros. The Family Businesses Fund has gained 4.87% over the same five-year period.