ESG-focused financial technology company Arabesque and governance solutions company Glass Lewis announced a new strategic partnership today, aiming to provide institutional investors and corporates with ESG data and insights for proxy voting and engagement.

Under the new partnership, Arabesque will provide company ESG profiles utilizing data from the company’s AI-based sustainability data and insights platform Arabesque S-Ray, to be included in Glass Lewis’ Proxy Paper research reports.

Dan Concannon, Chief Commercial Officer of Glass Lewis, said:

“Investors and public companies from around the world rely on insights from Glass Lewis to make important governance decisions. ESG issues have become an increasingly critical challenge requiring deeper scrutiny into corporate sustainability performance. We believe that our strategic partnership with Arabesque to deliver profound insights and access to ESG, climate, and regulatory data will quickly become a critical tool in the stewardship process.”

The announcement comes as investor interest in ESG surges, along with investor engagement and action on key sustainability issues. A recent research report from professional services firm EY found that the most recent proxy season saw significant growth in shareholder proposals on sustainability issues including climate and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), as well as record levels of support for the proposals. As ESG engagement and action increasingly take center stage, many companies are responding with initiatives targeting improved oversight, accountability and transparency. Citing increased institutional investor interest in active investment stewardship, BlackRock recently announced a new initiative to expand the ability of its index and pooled fund clients to participate in proxy voting.

Daniel Klier, President of Arabesque, said:

“Over recent years, we have witnessed the unprecedented rise of ESG as a mega-trend that is re-shaping capital markets, with global ESG assets on track to exceed $50 trillion by 2025. And it is driving investor demand for accessible and transparent sustainability data that can enable better decision-making and enhance management of ESG risks and opportunities.

“By including Arabesque’s technology-driven ESG data and insights alongside Glass Lewis’ market-leading Proxy Paper research reports, this new strategic partnership will enable the world’s largest investors to accelerate smarter analysis of corporate sustainability performance. Together, we are excited to deliver solutions that will benefit all shareholders.”