Andy Dyson on how ISLA promotes securities lending to the broader financial services industry
Climate Action caught up with Andy Dyson, CEO of ISLA, to discuss how ISLA promotes securities lending to the broader financial services industry.
Climate Action caught up with Andy Dyson, CEO of ISLA, to discuss how ISLA promotes securities lending to the broader financial services industry.
Andy, you are the CEO of ISLA. Can you tell us more about the organisation and what its main aim is?
The International Securities Lending Association (ISLA) is a leading non-profit industry association, representing the common interests of securities lending and financing market participants across Europe, Middle East and Africa. Its geographically diverse membership of over 180 firms includes institutional investors, asset managers, custodial banks, prime brokers and service providers.
Working closely with the industry, as well as national, regional, and global regulators and policy makers, ISLA advocates for, amongst other things, the importance of securities lending to the broader financial services industry. It supports both the Global Master Securities Lending Agreement (GMSLA) legal framework, including the Title Transfer and Securities Interest over Collateral variants, as well as the periodical enforceability and security enforcement across global jurisdictions.
Through member working groups, industry guidance, consultations and first-class events, ISLA plays a pivotal role in the creation and promotion of market best practices and processes, thought leadership, standards for legal frameworks, and securities lending guides and related documents., standards for legal frameworks, and securities lending guides and related documents.
What are ISLA’s main goals for the next 8 years as we look towards 2030?
If we look at where so called ESG or sustainable funds are today, there are considerable similarities with other previously lessor developed or emerging markets. Consequently, as we look across developing ESG driven markets we need to build consistent documentation and collateral practices to support these asset classes as well as effective price discovery and deep and consistent market liquidity.
In the longer term ESG all sustainable funds should be seen in exactly the same way as more traditionally based funds providing the foundations to attract broader retail participation.
Why are events such as the Sustainable Investment Forum Europe important for collaboration to drive the net zero transition?
Events such as the Sustainable Investment Forum are vitally important in that joint journey towards net Zero as the forum allow varied markets participants often with different aims and priorities to fully appreciate and understand where others are on this journey.
Without the opportunity to meet and learn from others we will run the risk of delivering fractured and uncoordinated solutions that in the long term will undermine the overall objectives and direction of travel.
As we have come out of our pandemic induced hibernation and got up from our Zoom screens, we can now all see and really appreciate the importance of these and other similar face to face events returning to our schedules.
Find out more about ISLA here.
