Delivering impact without compromise
Delivering impact without compromise
Clients, investors, suppliers and regulators expect financial institutions to play an active role in financing the transition to a circular economy. Firms must therefore do more to incorporate sustainability into their operations and products. Regulation is not the only driver of transformation: Millennials, who are becoming the largest cohort of financial customers, expect real change. And we cannot ignore the potential seismic shift in attitudes that may arise from the COVID-19 pandemic. Firms must set the right tone at the top of the organization, and walk the talk by embedding sustainability throughout their cultures. This requires a focus on purpose, individual accountability, remuneration, and diversity. And integrating sustainability into corporate strategy, rather than viewing it as an add-on.
Read our insights into the trends and opportunities facing sustainable finance:
Setting out what sustainable finance is and why it is important, Pascal Sprenger, Partner, Financial Services, explains how financial institutions should tackle change. With a clear focus on regulation, culture, corporate strategy, digitalization, and new client expectations, he shares his view on the urgent need for change, and why firms may find themselves sidelined in the market unless they tackle the issues head on.
Our specialist articles discuss the opportunities and considerations in your move to sustainable finance in 5 key areas.
Integrating the cultural drivers of sustainable success
Regulation may be an important driver behind moving sustainable finance into mainstream finance, but true cultural change is required if it is to be effective. To embed the right behaviors throughout an organization involves taking a close look at purpose, individual accountability, remuneration, and diversity.
Moving ESG due diligence from a risk exercise to strategic value creation
Environmental, social & governance due diligence has historically focused on deal breakers and risks. But sustainability considerations provide a catalyst for rethinking business and operating models and identifying ways to maximize long-term value – especially as COVID-19 is a stark reminder that devastating events are a question of ‘when’, not ‘if’.
Dealing with regulatory change in the transition to a circular economy
Switzerland’s Federal Council has reaffirmed its commitment to responsible business conduct, and the EU is recalibrating its regulatory framework for capital markets. With a clear emphasis on the role of private finance in achieving a circular economy, there is much for Swiss financial intermediaries to consider.
Millennials and Generation Z expect alignment of beliefs rather than superior features
With transparency at the top of their list, new generations of clients expect convenience, simplicity and, above all, credibility. How this is delivered is down to individual financial institutions, but reputation is everything in today’s social media environment. And the next main cohort of financial customers are uncompromising in their demands.
How digitalization is closing the gap between investors and sustainable finance
Digital finance encompasses a range of tools that draw on current developments around big data, machine learning and AI, investment crowdfunding platforms, blockchain and the IoT. By providing enhanced and more convenient ways of engaging, digitalization is making new connections between investors and sustainable finance, attracting greater assets flows into this critical area.
Leading players in the sustainable finance market share their own experiences.
Patrick Odier, Senior Managing Partner of Lombard Odier, sets out what sustainable finance means to him, the journey his bank has taken to integrate sustainability into its approach, how it informs his development of service offerings, and how he views sustainability as being at the heart of the effective stewardship of client assets.
With a mandate to safeguard adequate returns to finance its members’ pensions, PUBLICA is at the center of long-term sustainable considerations. Its deputy CEO, Dr Stefan Beiner, and Head of Portfolio Management, Patrick Uelfeti, share their experiences into balancing returns and expectations in their investments, and the cornerstones of PUBLICA’s approach to implementing sustainability.
Florian Kemmerich, Managing Partner of Bamboo Capital Partners, has seen major shifts over the years in investors’ attitudes towards impact investing. He discusses how to invest capital as a force for good, and how COVID-19 reminds us what an interdependent world we live in.
We will gladly remain at your disposal to answer any further questions you may have.
Partner, Head of Financial Services
Partner, Financial Services, Regulatory & Compliance
Interesting topics for you:
The topic of sustainability has grown significantly more important in the financial sector as the climate debate rages on.
While regulation is important, firms’ cultures are the key to creating lasting change.
No financial institution is immune to change. Stay on top of what’s trending in your industry.
Bigger is better in the quest for success.
