Call account

There is no denying that ESG investing is a global trend. It is widely accepted that trustees are increasingly being asked to consider ESG-centric investments by the next generation of beneficiaries, while Forbes recently reported that flows into ESG funds doubled from 2020 to 2021.

Many of the worlds’ most successful companies are instantly recognisable by their brands. Brands which have been built up and very carefully maintained, in some instances, for generations. They are not only recognisable, but they also provide customers and clients with instant peace of mind when the brand has a good reputation. Company brands and reputations are intrinsically linked and for a company to succeed it is important to have both a strong brand and a good reputation.

The first half of 2022 was a rather rude awakening for investors who had become accustomed to more than a decade of ever-rising stock market prices. Even the pandemic-driven 30% fall in global markets in March 2020 wasn’t enough to dampen investor appetite once prices staged a miraculous recovery over the next six months.

If you live in a country with a weak currency, then you would probably see the sense in taking money offshore to store and invest in a major currency. The overriding benefit of this move is that your international buying power won’t be eroded because your currency is devaluing against the likes of the US dollar, pound sterling or euro.

Sanmari Crous, Business Development Manager for Standard Bank’s International Fiduciary Services.

Michael Giraud and Mark Carpenter, ‘Safe as houses?’, STEP Journal (Vol30 Iss3), pp.52-55