Women looking to put their money in investments that provide good returns and do good can now do so with Moxie Future, a newly-launched site that pitches itself as the world’s first responsible investment platform for women.
With research increasingly showing that women are morely likely to invest their money for the greater social good than men, Moxie aims to offer information, support and channels so women can make smart and sustainable investments.
The site is the brainchild of Hong Kong-based investment expert Jessica Robinson, who started Moxie to “fill in the gap in the market” for information and support that will allow women, who today wield increasing amount of influence financially, to make responsible investments.
The site will introduce investment solutions to the platform soon.
“There isn’t anything out there that talks to women who want to get serious about responsible investment,” said Robinson, who is special advisor to the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment, a network of international investors that work to incorporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into investment decisions.
“The financial industry hasn’t really wrapped its head around the needs and motivations of women as investors,” she commented, adding that product solutions will be introduced to the platform soon.
A survey by the Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing in 2015 found that 40 per cent of women would consider the impacts of their investments in addition to their rate of return, compared to 23 per cent of men.
And with women expected to hold 75 per cent of discretionary spending globally by 2028, they will represent a major market for investments.
Moxie Future—Moxie being slang for determination or guts—has published a Responsible Investment Roadmap online that guides women on how to start their own financial plan for responsible investments.
In the last few years, the financial sector has also been waking up to the benefits of responsible business practices and responsible investment, which has been defined as taking an approach to investing that incorporates ESG factors into investment decisions to manage long-term risk.
For instance, stock markets, such as the Bursa Malaysia, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and the Singapore Exchange, are increasingly demanding that listed companies report their ESG impact in a transparent way.
Following the official launch of the site, Robinson said Moxie Future will soon roll out a resource centre featuring the tools, funds and investment options in the market, “somewhere that women can begin to look at where they can invest”.
But she added that part of the bigger vision for the platform was also to develop a community centred around responsible investment for women where they can connect with experts and each other.
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“There isn’t anything out there that talks to women who want to get serious about responsible investment.”
Jessica Robinson, CEO, Moxie Future
Moxie is also due to release its research on the investment habits of women in September. The study surveyed women in five different countries: the UK, China, the US, Australia and Germany.
Robinson shared that key findings will include that 79 per cent of women think there is an urgent need to take action towards creating a better world for the next generation, and 69 per cent of women surveyed said it is important for their financial decisions—investments and savings—to reflect what they believe.
While Moxie Future was created to help women invest responsibly, Robinson told Eco-Business that men are also welcome to use the platform.
“Moxie Future is not to the exclusion of men,” she said. “The more investors that engage in responsible investment the better. Moxie Future is simply focusing on women because there is such a glaring gap.”
Robinson added that she aims to change the way that women think about personal investing and to have Moxie Future become the go-to resource for change. She said: “Success is moving from talk to action.”
