 | |
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| ASX: AEF | |
| Industry | Financial Services |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Headquarters | 130 Pitt St, Sydney, Australia |
Key people | |
| Products | Superannuation, Pensions, Managed funds, SMA, ETF |
| Revenue | A$81.1 million (Y.E. 30 June 2023) [2] |
| AUM |  A$9.2 billion (2023) [3] |
Number of employees | 100+ |
| Website | australianethical |
Australian Ethical is an ethical investment management company, listed on the ASX, and based in Sydney, Australia
Australian Ethical was founded in 1986, [4] and since then, has been providing investors with investment management products that align with their values and provide returns aligned to the objectives of each fund. All investments are guided by the Australian Ethical Charter which shapes its ethical approach and underpins both its culture and its vision.
On 17 Dec 2002 Australian Ethical was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) as AEF. [5]
In 2014 the company became a founding B Corporation (B Corp) [6] in Australia and the first listed B Corp in the region. [7] It was awarded the B Corp "Best for the World" ranking it in the top 5% of B Corps globally (in the corresponding size group) in various categories in the years 2015–2019 and 2021–2022. [7] As at 13 July 2023, the ethical investment manager became the highest scoring Certified B Corp in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand after achieving a recertification score of 168.5, more than double the score required to gain certification. [8]
On 25 November 2022, Australian Ethical successfully completed the successor fund transfer (SFT) of Christian Super into Australian Ethical bolstering customer numbers and FUM. [9] Australian Ethical also inherited Christian Super’s impact investing portfolio which became available to non-super investors for the first time through its multi-asset managed fund options. Post the SFT, Australian Ethical continues to operate solely under the Australian Ethical brand.
As at 30 September 2023, Australian Ethical has $9.20 billion in funds under management and more than 129,000 clients (managed fund investors and funded superannuation members). [10]
Australian Ethical is a pure-play ethical investment manager, only offering ethical funds across Australian Equities, International Equities and Multi-asset funds. It offers thirteen superannuation [11] and pension [12] options to its members as well as ten managed funds [13] options, and SMA [14] and an ETF [15] product.
Australian Ethical was one of the first superannuation companies in Australia to sell super directly to customers using a digital marketing approach, and now also sells managed funds directly, as well as through a network of advisers and private wealth firms. They also have a small institutional business providing managed funds to organisations, largely not-for-profit and values-aligned.
Their ethical investing approach [16] aims to:
Their investment process involves:
Every year, Australian Ethical donates 10% of profits (after tax and before bonus) to the Australian Ethical Foundation [19] to unearth and fund high impact charities driving solutions addressing climate change.
The Visionary Grants program supports early stage projects and ideas that have the potential for large impact in combatting climate change. Since 2000, Australian Ethical has paid out over $9 million in grants. [20]
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