Natixis has stepped up its green and sustainable economy ambitions with the launch of the Green & Sustainable Hub within its Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB) division. The new operational platform will provide issuer and investor clients globally with a 'broad spectrum of green and sustainable finance expertise'.

Natixis' Green & Sustainable Hub will provide green & sustainable research, at the very center of the set-up with a dedicated team managed by Cécile de Coincy, formerly senior SRI analyst at the French bank; as well as finance structuring and origination (bonds, loans, securitization) based on an O2D or originate-to-distribute approach to facilitate syndication and distribution to a specialized investor base.

From an investment perspective, the new hub will also provide investment solutions structuring and engineering including equities, fixed income and credit aimed at' designing innovative investment products and solutions' and advisory for issuer and investor clients.

A source at the bank said that Natixis has already a very comprehensive range of ESG products through its affiliate Mirova, "and will continue to expand" its offering because "these products have a role to play as we move towards a low carbon greener economy".

The new team will be managed by Orith Azoulay (pictured), previously head of SRI research at Natixis CIB. Azoulay started her career in 2000 as an equity analyst at JP Morgan Chase in London. After working for French think tank Observatoire De La Rse - Observatory for Corporate Social Responsibility (Orse), she joined buy-side firm Groupama asset management to create its SRI Research department in 2003.

Azoulay joined Natixis in 2008 to lead its SRI research team in the global markets research department which provides investors with ESG (environment, social and governance) research on stocks, sectors and thematic to help their clients in their investment decisions but also in their engagement activities; viewing those topics as both risks (operational, reputational, regulatory, social, licence to operate) and market opportunities. Azoulay will report to Mohamed Kallala, global head of investment banking, and Luc François, head of global markets.

Natixis has increased its footprint in the ESG segment and its global commitment to play an active role in financing energy transition and fighting global warming as well as providing new investments and renewable energy financing. The French bank launched at the end of 2015 its first dedicated climate index targeted at investors wishing to make a tangible commitment to energy transition by investing in a basket of European companies actively engaged in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and developing low-carbon solutions.

The NXS Climate Optimum Prospective index, is a composite smart beta strategy of low-carbon stocks designed to be used as the underlying of index-linked products, which responds to numerous COP 21 issues and particularly the restriction of greenhouse gas emissions and the transition toward low-carbon economic models. The index underlies a 12-year structured green bond launched by the World Bank in 2016.

This was followed by the launch of the Federal Objectif Climat Index in October 2016, a climate index which consists of the 50 shares from the Stoxx Index 600 Europe, recognized for the performance of their climate-related strategy, and selected according to ethical, climate and financial criteria. The index, first launched in March 2016, was designed to diversify exposure across all economic sectors, including the most carbon-intensive where the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is the greatest. Federal Objectif Climat is calculated and published by Solactive and was developed by Natixis in collaboration with Grizzly Responsible Investment. The analysis of the quantitative and qualitative criteria is provided by Sustainalytics. This index also features on a 7.8-year structured life insurance product sold in France by Federal Finance Gestion.

Most recently Natixis deployed the Euronext Climate Orientation Priority 50 Equal Weight Excess Return Index in structured products marketed in France and Italy.

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