The Global Alliance of Securities Lending Associations (GASLA) was formed in September 2021, and is a collaborative working group of leading global securities lending industry associations.
Alongside ISLA, GASLA is comprised of four other founding member associations, the Canadian Securities Lending Association (CASLA), the Pan Asia Securities Lending Association (PASLA), the Risk Management Association (RMA) and, the South African Securities Lending Association (SASLA).
GASLA provides a single voice across global securities lending markets, advocating for transparent and standardised practices that include the integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors and the important digital evolution that supports efficient, liquid, and sustainable capital markets.
As a collective global voice for the securities lending industry, GASLA seeks to enable positive and impactful engagement with stakeholders, including regulators, policymakers, and standard-setting bodies in all regions. The group was formed with inclusivity as a core principle and welcomes securities lending and financial markets associations globally.
GASLA have been working with a broad range of securities lending market participants to drive best practice, to support integration of corporate governance policies around voting, stewardship, and active ownership. GASLA advocates that a lenders ability to fulfil their stewardship responsibilities over their underlying investments, should not be impeded by their participation in securities lending.
GASLA’s first publication, the GASLA Best Practice Voting Guide, is a best practice guide around voting and shareholder engagement. The aim of the document is to assist lenders seeking to align their securities lending programmes with broader ESG objectives.
The Global Framework for ESG and Securities Lending (GFESL) is a framework created by PASLA and supported, endorsed, and promoted by GASLA. To view the latest edition of the framework, click here.
Learn more about ISLA’s sustainability initiatives here.
