Portfolios looking to make a real-world impact are increasingly considering real assets as part of their investment strategies.

With a trillion-dollar investment gap in our global infrastructure, this seems like a smart move. Real asset investing is not only driving progress worldwide, it’s also a smart long-term investment to secure our planet’s future.

But some may ask… what is the real extent of impact that real assets can generate? In this episode, we’re going to find out.

My guest is Anish Majmudar, the Head of Real Assets at M&G plc whose team focuses on investments in infrastructure, agriculture, and nature-based solutions. He studied economics at University College London and entered the world of finance and asset management in 2012 thanks to the graduate program at M&G.

Anish is here to share his remarkable insights on overseeing a vast portfolio that amounts to nearly $400 billion in assets across public and private markets.

His curiosity for alternative assets ultimately led to a crucial role in growing Prudential Assurance Company’s real assets portfolio division.

In this episode, Anish and I lay out all the opportunities and challenges within the real asset impact investing space, an area that M&G is opening up for a broader range of investors, having previously been the preserve of large institutional pools of capital. These investments aim to bridge the massive infrastructure spending gap with sustainable solutions, focusing on energy transition, responsible consumption and production, and social and economic inclusion.

We also discuss how this strategic approach is about much more than just capital investment for returns; it's about leveraging private capital and M&G’s expertise to create clean energy, improve biodiversity, and open doors for underserved communities, thereby driving decarbonization and advancing global sustainability.

Tune in to gain a better understanding of the deep impact that strategic investments in real assets can bring to our world.
 
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Show notes
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About the SRI 360° Podcast: The SRI 360° Podcast is focused exclusively on sustainable & responsible investing. In each episode, I interview a world-class investor who is an accomplished practitioner from all asset classes.

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Key Takeaways
Meet Anish Majmudar & his start in asset management (02:58)
An overview of M&G plc & Anish’s focus on real asset impact investing (16:45)
Zoning in on M&G’s real asset impact fund (21:53)
M&G’s focus on energy transition, responsible consumption, & social inclusion projects (30:35)
How M&G identifies investment targets, impact washing, & investment exits (46:04)
Measuring impact & examples of M&G’s investment methodology (56:10)
Carbon and biodiversity credits & their competitive edge in real asset investing (01:06:35)
Rapid fire questions (01:11:50)

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Additional Resources
Connect with Anish on LinkedIn.
Learn more about M&G plc here.