Meridian Universal Financing Strategy
Meridian Universal is in the process of building its own internal portfolio of assets, built transaction by transaction as part of our arranging-advisory services, where we are calling this portfolio the "Meridian Universal Financing Strategy". This is fundamental to our financing activities, and sets out our sector, geographic, and asset-class priorities across our broad strategic objectives ("BSOs") whilst using our Master Tools ("MTs") for creating a better future.
This is a balanced approach, embedded within our Investment Philosophy, the purpose being long-term stability and resilience. We will leverage upon this stability to finance more and be a strong foundation for others. The Fund is not open to investors.
Climate Risk Management
The Firm will be using the Equator-Principles as our benchmark criteria for evaluating each transaction. The Equator Principles (currently ‘EP4’) were established following several high-profile bank financings of infrastructure projects that had created severe environmental damage. The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision have also released guidance on evaluating climate-related financial risks in credit evaluations, which we are including in our banking and financing practices and systems.
Emerging Market - Economic Growth Determinants, Measures and Contribution
In financing economic growth in emerging markets, the Firm will use the UN Sustainable Development Goals as part of our evaluation of companies and projects. We will therefore be able to actively track our contributions towards these goals whilst steering our investments alongside these goals with clarity.
Credit Risk Evaluation & Management
Our most important analysis and evaluation will be the issuer credit risk assessment. This is our best form of credit risk management for ourselves, given we will be issuing and investing in these issuers. This also ensures we protect the investors we work with and ensure they only receive the highest quality assets. The Firm has based its credit evaluation methodology on Standard & Poor’s credit analysis process, with minor variations specific to our mandate. We have allocated weighted scoring for each section and detail to provide the resulting credit score, from which we would evaluate the pricing and whether to go ahead with issuing for each transaction.
In order to achieve the desired credit risk distribution, we have limitations on the markets, industries, and individual qualities of businesses and debt securities offered. The goal for the Firm is to maintain a fund with average credit rating of A as per Standard & Poor’s credit rating scale. This is an acceptance of the challenge of achieving investment grade when financing emerging market growth, climate-resilience infrastructure and companies, and financing operations in Asia, however this is the requirement to ensure our company remains stable, provides the best quality securities for investment portfolios, and also brings discipline to issuers to maintain the standard required to either keep or exceed these credit ratings.
Our commitment to this standard is what will ensure a more sustainable and robust trajectory for us as a company but also the contribution we make to society and the world in our financing activities over the next 30+ years.