WikiFX report:Scotia iTRADE Announces Canada’s First Sustainable Investing Tools for Direct Investor

Canadian direct investors consider many factors when making investment decisions. ESG factors are becoming increasingly recognized as issues that could impact long-term risk and return on investments. Until now, this type of information has been largely limited to institutional investors and portfolio managers. With the launch of the new Scotia iTRADE sustainable investing tools, Canadian direct investors will be able to do their own sustainability research, helping them make investment decisions that are more aligned with their personal values using the Scotia iTRADE platform.

“Scotia iTRADE is excited to be the first in Canada to offer direct investors the ability to make more informed investment decisions through research on environmental, social and governance data available on our platform,” said Mark Phillips, Managing Director, Operations and Product Strategy, Scotia iTRADE. “For the first time, retail clients in Canada will have exclusive access to ESG insights and information using our new Scotia iTRADE sustainable investing research tools.”

The ESG research and ratings underpinning Scotia iTRADE‘s sustainable investing tools are provided by Sustainalytics, a global independent provider of ESG research and ratings to asset owners and investment managers. Sustainalytics’ research can help retail investors to better understand the ESG issues affecting companies, allowing them to refine their selection to better align with their values or mitigate potential risks. The sustainable investing tools also enable investors to have a holistic view of a company and easily identify ESG leaders and laggards within an industry group.

“Increasingly, retail investors are seeking more information on how corporations are managing ESG issues,” said Sustainalytics‘ CEO Michael Jantzi. “With the Scotia iTRADE’s sustainable investing tools, investors now have greater transparency into how companies are addressing these critical issues. Sustainalytics is proud to work with Scotia iTRADE to bring this information to retail investors, and to help them raise further awareness of responsible investing.”

To learn more about the new Scotia iTRADE sustainable investing tools, go to https://www.scotiabank.com/itrade/en/0,,11414,00.html.

About Scotia iTRADE:

Scotia iTRADE is Scotiabank's online brokerage service. At Scotia iTRADE, direct investors can choose from a range of trading platforms and benefit from low commissions, a variety of online tools and resources, as well as investor education customized by skill level. For more information please visit www.scotiaitrade.com.

Scotia iTRADE® (Order-Execution Only Accounts) is a division of Scotia Capital Inc. (“SCI”). SCI is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. Scotia iTRADE does not provide investment advice or recommendations and investors are responsible for their own investment decisions. ®Registered trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia. Used under license.

About Scotiabank

Scotiabank is Canada's international bank and a leading financial services provider in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean and Central America, and Asia-Pacific. We are dedicated to helping our 23 million customers become better off through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of more than 88,000 employees and assets of $887 billion (as at January 31, 2017), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (TSX: BNS) and New York Exchanges (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.