Franklin Sustainable Euro Green Bond UCITS ETF receives the Belgian ‘Towards Sustainability’ label

Paris and London, 30 January 2024 – Franklin Templeton¹ today announced that the Franklin Sustainable Euro Green Bond UCITS ETF² has received the ‘Towards Sustainability’ label from the Central Labelling Agency (CLA)³, a not-for-profit association incorporated under Belgian law. The label was launched in 2019 at the initiative of the Belgian Financial Sector Federation (Febelfin)⁴.

David Zahn, Head of European Fixed Income and Portfolio Manager of the Franklin Sustainable Euro Green Bond UCITS ETF, Franklin Templeton, commented: “At Franklin Templeton Fixed Income, we believe that integrating ESG considerations at every step of the investment process can enable stronger potential investment performance and better, more sustainable outcomes for our clients. The award of the ‘Towards Sustainability’ Label for the Franklin Sustainable Euro Green Bond UCITS ETF, the first active green bond ETF launched in Europe in 2019, is a welcome recognition of our robust and long-standing ESG policy.”

Bérengère Blaszczyk, Head of Distribution, France, Benelux and Nordics, added: “We are delighted to see the addition of our Franklin Sustainable Euro Green Bond UCITS ETF, classified as article 9 under the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, to the list of our previously labelled funds. The label is considered as one of the most comprehensive sustainability labels in Europe, particularly after the Quality Standard revision in 2023. This is our third ‘Towards Sustainability’ label for Franklin Templeton Fixed Income and the eighth across our firm’s fund range since November 2019, further validating our strong focus and commitment to sustainability across asset classes, while meeting our clients’ motivations and expectations in this space.”

In November 2019, the Central Labelling Agency of the Belgian SRI label (CLA), awarded the first 'Towards Sustainability' labels to financial products that were compliant with the Towards Sustainability Quality Standard for sustainable and socially responsible financial products. Since then, more than 780 products, including investment funds, index products, insurance funds and savings products have obtained the label, amounting to more than EUR 500 billion that is managed respecting the criteria of the Quality Standard.

The Franklin Sustainable Euro Green Bond UCITS ETF pursues an actively managed investment strategy to provide exposure to the European green bond market whilst maximising total returns. It invests at least 75% of its Net Asset Value in bonds that are labelled as green, with the balance invested in climate-aligned bonds. Most of the bonds the fund invests in are denominated in European currencies.

The Franklin Sustainable Euro Green Bond UCITS ETF complements a wider array of fixed income strategies offered by the Franklin Templeton Fixed Income group. Drawing on Franklin Templeton’s 53 years of fixed income investment experience, and capitalising on its size and global presence, the group links over 130 investment professionals globally, forming a seamlessly integrated fixed income platform with approximately $140 billion in assets under management as of 31 December 2023.

For more information on the Franklin Templeton product range please visit: www.franklintempleton.lu.

-ENDS-

Contacts:

Alina Ulkina Corporate Communications Manager Franklin Templeton Tel: +44 790 090 0184 Email: [email protected]

Dorine Johnson Head of Corporate Communications EMEA Franklin Templeton Tel: + +44 207 073 8538 Email: [email protected]

 

Notes to Editors:

This is a marketing communication. Please refer to the prospectus of the UCITS and to the KIID before making any final investment decisions.

1. Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE:BEN] is a global investment management organization with subsidiaries operating as Franklin Templeton and serving clients in over 150 countries. Franklin Templeton’s mission is to help clients achieve better outcomes through investment management expertise, wealth management and technology solutions. Through its specialist investment managers, the company offers specialization on a global scale, bringing extensive capabilities in fixed income, equity, alternatives and multi-asset solutions. With more than 1,300 investment professionals, and offices in major financial markets around the world, the California-based company has over 75 years of investment experience and approximately $1.5 trillion in assets under management as of December 31, 2023. For more information, please visit https://www.franklintempleton.lu and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
2. Franklin Sustainable Euro Green Bond UCITS ETF is a sub-fund of the Franklin Templeton ICAV, an Irish Collective Asset-managed Vehicle, incorporated under the laws of Ireland.

The views expressed are those of the investment manager and the comments, opinions and analyses are rendered as of the publication date and may change without notice. The information provided in this material is not intended as complete analysis of every material fact regarding any country, region or market.

An investment in Franklin Templeton ICAV range entails risks, which are described in the prospectus, its supplements and in the relevant Key Investor Information Document / Key Information Document. The Funds documents are available in English, German and French from your local website. In addition, a Summary of Investor Rights is available from www.franklintempleton.lu/investor-rights. Franklin Templeton ICAV is notified for marketing in multiple EU Member States under the UCITS Directive. Franklin Templeton ICAV can terminate such notifications for any share class and/or sub-fund at any time by using the process contained in Article 93a of the UCITS Directive.

The value of shares in the funds and income received from it can go down as well as up and investors may not get back the full amount invested. Past performance is not an indicator or a guarantee of future performance. Performance may also be affected by currency fluctuations. Currency fluctuations may affect the value of overseas investments. There is no guarantee that the funds will meet their objectives. For the avoidance of doubt, if you make a decision to invest, you will be buying units/shares in the fund and will not be investing directly in the underlying assets of the fund. For full details of all the risks applicable, please refer to the "Risk Considerations" section of the current prospectus of Franklin Templeton ICAV.

Franklin Templeton ICAV UCITS ETFs (domiciled outside of the U.S. or Canada) may not be directly or indirectly offered or sold to residents of the United States of America or Canada. ETFs trade like stocks, fluctuate in market value and may trade at prices above or below their net asset value. Brokerage commissions and ETF expenses will reduce returns.

The Franklin Sustainable Euro Green Bond UCITS ETF has been classified as Article 9 under the Regulation on sustainability related disclosures in the financial services sector (EU) 2019/2088. These are Funds which have an ESG integration approach, have binding environmental and/or social characteristics and a clear sustainable investment objective.

Further information in relation to the sustainability-related aspects of the Funds can be found at franklinresources.com/countries. Please review all of the funds’ objectives and characteristics before investing.

3. The Central Labelling Agency (CLA) is a not-for-profit association incorporated under Belgian law. The goal of the CLA is to enlarge the impact and substance of sustainable saving and investing, and to substantially strengthen the qualitative approach to sustainable saving and investing. The CLA consists of three bodies – The Board of Directors (responsible for oversight and updating the quality standard); the Eligibility Commission (responsible for advising the Board on awarding the ‘Towards Sustainability’ label); and the Advisory Commission (responsible to advise the Board on changes to the quality standard. The CLA relies on an independent ESG auditor to perform the technical and in-depth verification of alignment of the products that applied for the label. The CLA is governed by and functions in accordance with the Belgian Code of Companies and Associations (the “CCA”) and its articles of association.
4. The Belgian Financial Sector Federation (Febelfin) is a representative of the financial services sector in Belgium, which aims to bring together financial service providers and everyone striving to future-proof the financial sector. For more information on the ‘Towards Sustainability’ label, please visit https://www.towardssustainability.be/en/quality-standard.

Past performance does not predict future returns. Currency fluctuations may affect the value of overseas investments. When investing in a fund denominated in a foreign currency, your performance may also be affected by currency fluctuations. In emerging markets, the risks can be greater than in developed markets.

Any research and analysis contained in this document has been procured by Franklin Templeton for its own purposes and is provided to you only incidentally. This press release is intended to be of general interest only and does not constitute professional advice. Franklin Templeton and its management groups have exercised professional care and diligence in the collection and processing of the information in this press release. Franklin Templeton makes no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy of this document. Franklin Templeton shall not be liable to any user of this report or to any other person or entity for the inaccuracy of information contained in this press release or for any errors or omissions in its contents, regardless of the cause of such inaccuracy, error or omission.

Please consult your financial advisor before deciding to invest. A copy of the latest prospectus, and, if available for this product, the relevant Key Investor Information Document, the annual report and semi-annual report, if published thereafter can be found, on our website www.ftidocuments.com or can be obtained, free of charge, from Franklin Templeton International Services S.à.r.l. supervised by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier -8A, rue Albert Borschette L-1246 Luxembourg - Tel: +352-46 66 67-1 - Fax: +352-46 66 76.

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