the u.s. securities and exchange commission released its first diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility strategic plan in september. the brief plan, that encompasses the 2023  2026 fiscal years, is focused primarily on internal policies, but includes two goals that promote using the regulatory authority of the commission to promote inclusion of underrepresented groups. this could signal new regulations relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the financial sector. dei generally refers to the internal policies of a company or government entity relating to ethnicity, gender, and sexual preferences of the employees. to the left, it is about reducing discrimination and promoting underrepresented voices within the entity, giving them an opportunity to grow. to the right, it is about pushing a political ideology that is inconsistent with their core values and discriminatory towards demographics who are not considered underrepresented. the rise of dei is directly correlated with the global rise of environmental, social, and governance. esg is a type of investing where non-financial factors are considered in the decision-making process. esg is primarily focused on environmental policy and the paris accords goal of net-zero by 2050. however, the social category has brought the most controversy, mostly in the united states, as some fund managers and businesses have included dei policies within that category. dei has been a focus of the biden administration, including an executive order issued in june 2021 directing federal agencies to create deia plans and establish chief diversity officers. it is focused exclusively on the makeup of the internal workforce of the federal government.   owan/2023/10/13/sec-could-be-moving -towards-regulation-of-dei-in-the-f inancial-industry/
United States