Apex Group, a global financial services provider, has announced the expansion of its well-established ESG Ratings and Advisory service by unveiling its new ratings and scoring platform.

Andy Pitts-Tucker, Managing Director, Apex ESG Ratings and Advisory, said: “Apex ESG’s new platform was established to satisfy the demand from private markets for a high quality, global, independent, single-source ESG solution. Allocators now invest based on ESG profiling and are calling for greater transparency and insight into the ESG credentials of the previously opaque private markets, we are pleased to offer a product which addresses these needs.”

The first of its kind, Apex’s unique ESG portal is designed to deliver unrivalled ESG insights to private companies and their investors.

Apex has led the way in pioneering ESG solutions for its clients as the first fund services provider to launch an ESG offering back in 2019.

The addition of the portal to its already established suite of ESG solutions further bolsters the Group’s strength in the ESG space, providing clients with tailored ESG analysis across the entire portfolio.

Apex manages the independent collection of data for investors from their underlying portfolio investments to deliver real time ESG analysis via a secure, intuitive and flexible online platform.

ESG continues to become an increasingly critical factor in investment decisions, driven by demand from investors and an increasing fiduciary and regulatory responsibility. Apex’s solution closes a gap for a previously underserved market of private companies by delivering a high quality, global, independent ESG tool based on data insights.

Apex’s ESG solution covers the entire ESG journey from initial scoping, through independent intelligent data collection, analysis and reporting, plus advisory services that drive positive ESG progress along its “E-Daption Curve”. These services are delivered via a secure, proprietary cloud-based platform and include: ESG Health Check; ESG Rating, Reporting & Benchmarking measured in accordance with international standards and UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals to ensure integrity, relevance and longevity; Gap analysis; Carbon footprint assessment; and Investment manager assessment benchmarking against peers and aligning with UNPRI & EU Disclosure Regulation requirements.

Apex’s ESG offering forms part of its single-source solution model delivering services across the full value chain for its clients. 

Peter Hughes, Founder and CEO, Apex Group, said: “I am personally excited about the platform and this latest addition to our ESG offering. We believe that all equity and debt investment decisions will soon evaluate the ESG profile of private companies before investments are made and we are focused on ensuring they have access to independent ESG scoring and rating. Through data collection, scoring and rating companies based on independent ESG data and insights, we are pleased to be working in partnership with our clients to influence significant behavioral change, drive capital flows and support them as they look to improve their ESG performance.”

Jeff Cohen, Director of Capital Markets Integration – Head of Private Investments Initiatives, Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, added: “We are pleased Apex ESG’s Ratings & Advisory portal is informed in part by the SASB standards.  Financially material impacts of ESG issues effect private companies and public companies alike. Management and communication around these issues is imperative for both companies and GPs, especially as the regulatory landscape pays increasing attention to these issues.”