By Tom Arnold
LONDON (Reuters) - Australia's Future Fund has for the second year running topped a ranking of sovereign investors' sustainability, governance and ability to overcome crises, while Middle East funds were the worst performers.
Norway's Norges Bank Investment Management, the NZ Super Fund and Canadian pension fund Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec (CDPQ) were the next top performers in data platform Global SWF's Governance, Resilience and Sustainability Scoreboard.
In contrast, Middle East funds were the laggards and the worst performers in areas such as governance and resilience.
Three of the big Middle East funds, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Kuwait Investment Authority and Qatar Investment Authority, demonstrated less transparency compared to 2020, it noted.
The hit from COVID-19 and lower oil prices triggered significant withdrawals from funds in the region during the past 12 months, the report noted.
The survey assessed 100 major state-owned investors on a range of different metrics from their mission and vision to their risk management policy.
Of the 91 funds rated in both years, 36 improved their scores, 21 stayed the same and 34 saw worsening performance.
Overall, it found that while funds generally scored well on governance and improved their sustainability, resilience, or their ability to withstand crises, remained a worry.
It noted that funds in Colombia, Peru and Mexico were recently exhausted as capital was drained in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and others in Angola, Kuwait and Oman were reformulated or merged.
But the report said that some funds had taken steps towards improvements over the past year.
The Libyan Investment Authority engaged with auditors and issued a portfolio valuation, while Angola's fund resumed the release of annual accounts after a corruption scandal that last year led to a five-year prison sentence for its former head Jose Filomeno de dos Santos.