ASrIA - Helping You

ASrIA is the premier platform for SRI in Asia and we provide support, resources, information and direct assistance to all parties interested in SRI. We strongly suggest that you sign up to our regular free e-bulletin and we also welcome your enquiries about becoming a member.

Membership

IIf you wish to benefit fully from the networking, information, services and benefits of ASrIA membership we strongly recommend you to contact us directly.

ASrIA members include leading financial institutions, service providers including research, marketing and consulting agencies, private equity investors, corporates and community organisations. To see a full list of current members and to learn more about our membership services and resources visit 'Membership'.

ASrIA Supporters / ASrIA Individual Subscriber
ASrIA welcomes individuals to join ASrIA as individual subscribers. To learn more about the benefits to you of becoming more closely associated with our network, see 'ASrIA Subscribers' in the membership section.

Investment Managers
ASrIA can help you to identify market opportunities, appropriate SRI investment strategies for different markets, potential partners for joint-ventures, and developments in regulatory thinking towards SRI. As the primary region-wide forum for SRI in Asia, via the web, through workshops and seminars 'on the ground', and through exchange with other players in the field, we can keep you fully informed about the development of SRI in Asia and globally. ASrIA members and sponsors, globally and in Asia, have gained significant advantages from association and involvement in our events, private briefings, training and access to our detailed publications, as well as other specific advantages of membership. With respect to marketing we can provide guidance and assistance in defining the criteria, quantifying the market and establishing the most appropriate marketing and support systems. Through our members' database and market analysis, ASrIA can identify potential new clients. More importantly ASrIA can identify ways to improve service to existing clients who manage SRI funds.

Research Analysts
Examination of social and environmental factors can add value to existing financial analysis. Understanding these information flows will be crucial in assessing the long term potential for companies. ASrIA can help to define SRI parameters. Moreover through our members' network we facilitate links between you and specialist SRI research providers. As part of ASrIA's commitment to facilitating the provision and standards of SRI related research in Asia, we have produced a listing of existing research providers in Asia.

Banks and Finance Providers
Finance provision via loans and multilateral investment funds has developed as a key area for the development of sustainable financing in Asia. Encouraged by initiatives such as the Equator Principles, as well as growing awareness of the risks associated with sustainability related issues, banks and finance providers are increasingly attaching stringent environmental and social conditions to loans and also putting in place mechanisms to monitor loan performance against such criteria. ASrIA has developed a range of services to assist banks and finance providers in understanding the implications of these development and devise strategies for meeting these new challenges. ASrIA has developed briefing and training packages and research resources suitable for your needs. We have run training for the Association of Development Finance Institutions in Asia Pacific (ADFIAP).

For further information about upcoming events, training or to discuss how we can help you further, contact david@asria.org.

Trustees and Pension Funds
ASrIA aims to help trustees understand how fiduciary responsibility and SRI go hand in hand. SRI is increasingly seen as a value added tool for pension investment due to its ability to highlight long-term investment risks and opportunities. For pension trustees, the recent pensions legislation in the UK and Australia and the explosive growth of funds in the US have pushed SRI to the top of the agenda. For further information on Charitable, Religious or Pensions Trustees please read the following pension FAQ's.
Can charities invest in a socially responsible way?
How does SRI fit with the fiduciary responsibilities of pension trustees?

To learn more about the benefits of membership for trustees and pension funds please contact sweeta@asria.org.

Insurance Providers
Insurance providers are increasingly faced with the task of assessing a range of risks associated with sustainable development, from labour/health and safety issues to global warming. ASrIA has developed strong links with the global insurance industry as a resource and platform for understanding the implications of these issues in Asia and globally. Please contact sweeta@asria.org for more information on the resources we have available to help you.

Independent Financial Advisors
ASrIA can help you get started with advising and investing in a socially responsible way through its information and continuous learning resources. Furthermore through the network effect of our membership, you will be put in touch with like minded people. If there are no funds yet in your market, you can help develop the market by asking fund providers to develop SRI products. You can also help define SRI in Asia by giving us feedback on what your clients think about the proposition and which social, environmental or ethical issues concern them most. ASrIA's seminars and events are regularly attended by financial advisors wishing to respond to SRI issues and opportunities. Please join us in promoting SRI to investors and to fund providers in Asia.

Private Equity
Private equity investors are playing an increasingly important role in the introduction of SRI into the Asian region. A number of private equity funds are actively investing in sustainable projects around Asia or are using SRI tools to manage risks in conventional portfolios. In addition funds are flowing into a diverse range of micro-finance and community investment initiatives. Private equity investors are also investing into joint funds, with partners such as the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which are starting to adopt social and environmental investment criteria. ASrIA has run a number of events oriented towards private equity investors. See:
Workshop for Private Equity / Venture Capital Professionals: Sustainability in Investment Practice

GOVERNMENT AND MARKET REGULATORS

With respect to SRI and responsible business practice, ASrIA can help governments across the region in the formation of policies and law. Our global experience can assist Asian governments in understanding the drivers behind international best practice. ASrIA seeks to promote SRI as an efficient economic model within the investment community and government.

ASrIA is also working with other organizations to help define standards for SRI and corporate governance across Asia and globally. For the investment community, ASrIA encourages the development of benchmarks against which fund performance can be measured. For corporations, clearer measurement and accounting standards for SRI will assist in shaping sustainable business practice.

Governments and regulators will therefore find ASrIA provides valuable resources and a platform for engaging the finance industry and other parties and can present the business case for raising standards of corporate governance, market regulation and SRI to improve the efficiency of capital markets.

CORPORATES

The finance industry is gaining sophistication in assessing business related SRI risks and corporates also need to be able to respond effectively to the finance industry on these issues. Through our consultative services and training, ASrIA can provide a framework for understanding SRI. Moreover through our understanding of and links with the financial community, we can help you communicate your sustainable business practices to the capital markets. ASrIA will be unable to offer direct financing services. However through our members' directory we will open up a range of networking opportunities.

ASrIA provides an invaluable platform for corporates to monitor developments in SRI and how they relate to corporates. If you wish to join our network please contact sweeta@asria.org.

Independent Investors
In many respects, SRI has been driven by the concerns of individual investors. ASrIA recognises the important role that individual investors play and we strongly encourage interest by individuals in SRI. To help you, ASrIA has now developed a special section (to be launched shortly) of our site for individual investors. You will also find a list of SRI funds that are presently available in Asia at our page SRI in Asia. At this stage of development of SRI in Asia, you may not find a fund which suits your needs. However signing up to receive our free e-bulletin will keep you up to date on new developments.

If you have complex requirements or a significant amount of money to invest, we recommend that you consult an Independent Financial Adviser who specialises in ethical investment. Again at this stage of the market in Asia, few specialist advisers exist. Investment advisors who have joined ASrIA are listed on our Members page, under 'investment and professional services'.

Expat Investors
Expats can invest in a range of US, UK and European funds. For details visit Co-Op America or the UK Social Investment Forum. If you are interested to invest in Asian SRI options, see our own page, SRI in Asia. SRI off-shore options are available. Check whether your company has an SRI option as part of their pension scheme and encourage them to include one if not. Also we recommend you subscribe to our free e-bulletin - and/or recommend your Financial Advisor to contact ASrIA about becoming a member.

Civil Society Groups
We want NGOs to join the ASrIA network, by joining us as an Associate Member, to help shape environmental and social objectives in business and to achieve the common global goal of sustainable economic development. ASrIA is a meeting place from which the various constituents from both the public and private sector can gather to exchange views on SRI.

In recent years several leading environment and development focused civil society groups have developed public awareness campaigns about investment and SRI. Along with church groups and others, they have wanted to make the link in the public mind between investments in pensions, savings, insurance and other financial products and the end result of that investment. Is capital being directed towards sustainable enterprises or not? Friends of the Earth, War on Want, Oxfam, Greenpeace and others have developed campaigns to influence the finance sector and investors.

ASrIA has developed a new section of our site specially oriented towards individual investors and community groups. See SRI Guide (To be launched shortly). This section also provides free promotional material and other resources for community groups to promote SRI to their own members and constituencies.

Religious Groups
ASrIA can help religious groups in Asia. If you want to know more about SRI strategies for your organisation, church or discipline, please use our continuous learning facility, and look up some of the websites on the Global Links page. If there is sufficient interest, we will consider developing special support services for the religious networks around Asia, so please do register your interest with sweeta@asria.org

In many countries church and spiritual groups are becoming active in the SRI field. Some organizations such as the Church Commissioners in the UK have had an ethical investment policy for many years. Indeed the first SRI funds in the UK and the USA were created by religious groups. In the USA the highly regarded Interfaith Centre for Corporate Responsibility helps many religious groups to work collectively on shareholder resolutions, urging companies to adopt more responsible business practices. In Australia, religious groups are now exploring how to work together. In the UK, the Christian Ethical Investment Group have produced a useful booklet.

We also urge you to sign up to our regular e-bulletin. For interview requests or to have your name put on our list of media contacts, please contact sweeta@asria.org.