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Cash interest explained |
You will receive interest on balances in your platform cash account at the prevailing rate.
Embark Investment Services Limited acts as the custodian for investments on the Willis Owen platform and is one of our strategic partners that provides our Willis Owen ISA, GIA, Junior ISA and SIPP.
Embark places cash with a number of banking partners for safekeeping and to provide the potential for you to earn interest on money in your platform cash account. By managing cash in this way, it aims to provide better protection and a higher overall level of interest than if all funds were placed with a single bank.
The rates of interest paid by banks will vary. Embark retains a portion of the interest earned to cover its costs in managing platform cash.
Current Interest Rate
The table below shows the current customer interest rate payable on cash balances along with the amount of interest retained by Embark. The customer interest rate shown is that after accounting for interest retained by Embark:
| Date From | Customer Interest Rate | Interest retained by Embark |
|---|---|---|
| 25th March 2024 | 2.46% | 1.75% - 2.00% |
Embark can change the rate of interest at any time and it reviews the position at least quarterly. Interest is calculated and accrued daily and is credited to your account on the first of each month. If you transfer out, accrued interest is applied at the point of transfer. We will inform you if and when the interest rate changes as soon as is practicable.
Interest retained
The table below shows the yearly equivalent rates of interest Embark expects to pay based on a range of possible yearly interest rates it may earn.
| Interest Embark expects to earn | Customer Interest Rate | Interest retained by Embark |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1% | 0 – 0.46% | 0 – 0.54% |
| 1-2% | 0.46% – 0.94% | 0.54% – 1.06% |
| 2-3% | 0.94% – 1.46% | 1.06% – 1.54% |
| 3-4% | 1.46% – 2.02% | 1.54% – 1.98% |
| 4-5% | 2.02% – 2.61% | 1.98% – 2.39% |
| 5%+ | 2.61%+ | 2.39%+ |
Historic Interest Rates
To see details of historic customer interest rates, along with the amount of interest retained by Embark, click here.
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Sustainable investing is a style of investing that combines traditional financial analysis with an assessment of environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria.
Twin forces are resulting in sustainable investing becoming more relevant than ever:
Several other terms are often used in relation to sustainable investing, including ethical, ESG and socially responsible investing.
Investment management firms typically take three approaches when considering how to invest sustainably.
Fund managers are putting more emphasis on ESG factors when they analyse a company as research has shown that higher ESG standards – which span a wide range of criteria – can contribute to positive long-term returns.
Examples include:
| Environmental | Social | Governance |
|---|---|---|
| Climate policies | Labour standards | Board composition |
| Carbon emissions | Human rights | Executive pay |
| Recycling processes | Gender and diversity | Shareholder rights |
| Water use | Health and safety | Bribery and corruption |
| Biodiversity | Community engagement | Political contributions |
An exclusion-based or negative screening approach is where an investment management firm excludes certain sectors, companies or business practices they feel are unethical, harming society or may be inconsistent with an investor’s beliefs.
Sectors or themes that often fall under this approach include alcohol, fossil fuels, nuclear weapons and tobacco, for instance.
As shares are units of ownership in a company, shareholders have the right to vote at a company’s annual general meeting (AGM), and engage with the companies they own, raising any concerns. Investment stewardship is now a core responsibility of investors in a company, allowing them to use their influence as they seek to effect positive change.
Investment management firms often publish their full voting history, which can show their stance on various issues. By engaging with the companies in which they invest, investment managers can help them address risks and identify opportunities they might be facing.
Firms often have dedicated stewardship teams to help with engagement, striving to improve corporate behaviour and the long-term performance of the companies they hold.
Some investment management firms will withdraw their money from a company (disinvest) – entirely or reducing their investment – if they feel it is not responding to their engagement.
Impact investing is a type of investment that aims to generate positive environmental and social benefits alongside financial gains.
Certain funds or ETFs invest deliberately in companies or industries geared towards producing positive outcomes, such as renewable energy producers or electric cars.
Unlike exclusions, or negative screening, impact investments can employ positive screening. Positive screening selects companies that are best-in-class when ranked on issues such as environmental protection or responsible business practices.
Investment firms use comprehensive ESG analysis tools to assess companies, which generate a score. These scores are taken into consideration when comparing different companies across different factors.
Sustainable investing is surging globally and even products that don’t explicitly label themselves as sustainable still integrate ESG factors.
Many investment firms firmly believe that integrating ESG factors into analysis can enhance risk-adjusted returns by reducing investment risk and increasing value.
Investors might take a particular ethical stance, or want to take more active responsibility for the future by investing in funds and ETFs that can help the environment or make a positive contribution to society. The number of ESG funds and sustainable ETFs available is growing all the time, and there will most likely be a product that meets your needs.
You can choose from plenty of ESG funds and sustainable ETFs on our broader platform and from our Focus Funds list, which contains ESG funds we think are strong options worthy of consideration.
Our ready-made investments also showcase our Responsible Growth range, in which the manager focuses on this style of investing.
