Canbury

Harnessing The Power Of AI

At Canbury, we leverage the latest artificial intelligence technologies to accelerate research and data analysis for our clients. Our specialised AI solutions enable us to research and process vast amounts of information efficiently and accurately, helping our clients uncover valuable insights and make data-driven decisions with confidence. These allow our clients to benefit from:

  •  Accelerated research and data analysis timelines
  • High-quality, consistent results across large datasets
  • Customised AI solutions tailored to specific needs

The Growing Need for AI in Responsible Investment

As responsible investment continues to grow, investors face increasingly complex and lengthy sustainability disclosure requirements. Policy and regulation, such as the SDR in the UK and SFDR in the EU, will only continue to expand. Additionally, client expectations are evolving, with sustainability becoming both a necessary selling point and a way to differentiate. Despite this, responsible investment often appears disconnected from the fundamentals of investing.

Our AI Methodology

Developing algorithms

  • We begin by working closely with clients to understand their unique requirements
  • Through an iterative process, we develop bespoke, high-level algorithms that precisely capture the desired outcomes
  • We demonstrate the tool with sample data points, refining the process until the client is fully satisfied

Deploying at scale

  • We deploy the algorithm at full scale using thousands of parallel threads
  • Our AI models process and populate hundreds of database rows simultaneously
  • Same level of high-quality information retrieval and analysis across the entire dataset

Addressing Industry Challenges

We work with clients across the responsible investment spectrum, from early-stage development to the execution of advanced sustainability programmes. Our clients face common challenges, including:

Black-box data

Data tends to be too broad and opaque to enable useful decision making

Fragmented services

The industry often operates in silos (e.g. data provision; consultancy) with no linked to financials

Inexperience

Lack of dedicated, senior knowledge in the industry

Disclosure focus

Firefighting to meet disclosures rather than implementation

Sustainability experts

We are deep industry experts with over 35+ years of combined industry experience across our two founders

Meaningful analysis

Analysis focused on areas that matter as opposed to a broadbrush approach

Actionable data

Our data is traceable to source, and uses NGO expertise such that it is decision- useful

End-to-end services

We provide data, advice and engagement as a single service, as well as client reporting and link to financials

Our Solutions

We provide end-to-end services through best-in-class AI models and our sustainability-related expertise. Our unique approach is made possible by our team's collective experience, which includes:

  • Scenario analysis for large UK pension funds
  • Stewardship and engagement
  • Policy and regulatory frameworks
  • Thematic sustainability knowledge, such as climate change and biodiversity
  • Credit analysis of multi-national corporates
  • Development of technology-enabled investment and climate models

Our Unique Data Approach

We believe that the best data comes from the people who understand it – companies and NGOs. To make meaningful decisions, sustainability data needs to be considered alongside financial data. To achieve this at a cost-effective price, we use the latest technology, supplemented by analyst review, to obtain and transform the highest quality sustainability data.

 

We continuously update our methodology to incorporate the latest breakthroughs in AI technology. As early adopters, we find innovative ways to integrate new capabilities into our workflows, driving efficiency and setting higher standards for our clients.

  • Continuous updates to methodology
  • Early adopters of new technologies
  • Driving efficiency and higher standards

Research and Partnerships

  • We partner with investors, companies and NGOs to undertake long-term research programmes on a case-bycase basis
  • Our mix of industry and NGO experience offers a unique perspective to research
  • Examples of the work we have undertaken includes supporting NGOs in developing investment industry guidance, undertaking thematic research and interpreting financial regulation

Data and process

The data complexities in sustainability analyses have traditionally poised significant challenges; the underlying information is often dispersed, locked within silos, and notoriously difficult to obtain, collate and interpret.

The industry has therefore faced a dilemma. Invest resource into building internal processes and systems to obtain and analyse data; or spend money with external data providers, where often that data does not seamlessly fit with existing processes and where the underlying methodologies can be proprietary (and therefore difficult to interpret and use to form decisions).

At Canbury, we believe that the application of latest technologies offers a third solution together the best of both of the existing approaches
one that:

i) provides comprehensive, transparent data; together with

ii) streamlined and efficient operational and disclosure processes

that free up the teams’ bandwidth to focus on implementation and engagement.

  • First, the data itself – these technologies can scour vast quantities of data deeply and quickly; getting the data you need directly from the companies and NGOs that created it and enabling users to go deeper on themes and topics.
  • Secondly, there are numerous operational benefits – creating streamlined data collection, validation and integration processes. This not only reduces time spent, but also minimises the errors that can arise from manual data wrangling.

And with disclosure, latest technologies offer novel solutions for data presentation and reporting – modern visualisation tools enable users to present data in interactive, and impactful ways to communicate with stakeholders.

More comprehensive, transparent data

Highly efficient, automated operational processes

More impactful reporting and disclosure

Everyday Applications

Obtaining data on specific themes from best sources

Latest technologies can search vast amounts on information from corporate disclosures, NGOs, governments and research institutions on specific themes and topics. It can filter and analysis that data, providing investors with the right foundation on which to make informed decisions.

Enhanced and efficient scenario analysis

The data analytical tools of the latest technologies means that scenario testing can be both more efficient and have more variables. This means more nuanced, bespoke and narrative driven scenarios can be applied to portfolios to assess impacts that are more aligned and relevant to investors, their portfolios and their stakeholders.

Sentiment analysis / monitoring and alerts

Deploying latest technologies to consider social media, news outlets and forums to get a clearer picture of public sentiment on ESG issues; together with any ESG-related incidents as they arise, ensures that investors are informed on topics not usually covered through traditional disclosure sources.

Integrating ESG data alongside financial data

Traditionally integrating ESG data has required manual input data, taking time and potentially introducing errors. Latest technology can be deployed to solve this problem, pulling ESG data from one source and converting it such that it can be seamless integrated into investment platforms to enable sustainability data to be considered alongside financial data.

Best practice disclosures

Instead of manually searching for benchmarks, guidance and best practices, the latest technologies can search the internet to extract the latest templates and formats applied by industry leaders and regulatory bodies- ensuring that disclosures are both market-leading, comprehensive and, perhaps most importantly, time efficient to complete.

Comprehensive company coverage

Using technologies that search the internet, together with natural language processing and large language models, to download and analyse all disclosures related to a portfolio company to obtain better and more comprehensive data on specific companies - i.e. broader than traditional focus on financial disclosures.

Obtaining data on specific themes from best sources

Latest technologies can search vast amounts on information from corporate disclosures, NGOs, governments and research institutions on specific themes and topics. It can filter and analysis that data, providing investors with the right foundation on which to make informed decisions.

Integrating ESG data alongside financial data

Traditionally integrating ESG data has required manual input data, taking time and potentially introducing errors. Latest technology can be deployed to solve this problem, pulling ESG data from one source and converting it such that it can be seamless integrated into investment platforms to enable sustainability data to be considered alongside financial data.

Enhanced and efficient scenario analysis

The data analytical tools of the latest technologies means that scenario testing can be both more efficient and have more variables. This means more nuanced, bespoke and narrative driven scenarios can be applied to portfolios to assess impacts that are more aligned and relevant to investors, their portfolios and their stakeholders.

Best practice disclosures

Instead of manually searching for benchmarks, guidance and best practices, the latest technologies can search the internet to extract the latest templates and formats applied by industry leaders and regulatory bodies- ensuring that disclosures are both market-leading, comprehensive and, perhaps most importantly, time efficient to complete.

Sentiment analysis / monitoring and alerts

Deploying latest technologies to consider social media, news outlets and forums to get a clearer picture of public sentiment on ESG issues; together with any ESG-related incidents as they arise, ensures that investors are informed on topics not usually covered through traditional disclosure sources.

Comprehensive company coverage

Using technologies that search the internet, together with natural language processing and largelanguage models, to download and analyse all disclosures related to a portfolio company to obtain better and more comprehensive data on specific companies - i.e. broader than traditional focus on financial disclosures.

Why work with Canbury

Canbury was created with a vision to make sustainability meaningful.

Drawing on a unique blend of financial and sustainability experience, we partner with investors, companies and NGOs to develop investment industry guidance, to undertake thematic research and to interpret financial regulation.

The use of latest technology is fundamental to our approach and towards our vision of making sustainability meaningful. For too long, the industry has been grappling with broad, black-box data and we want to change that.

Our founders, Will Martindale and Ben Wilmot, each bring over two decades of financial sector, pensions and sustainability experience.

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