Digital library on sustainable finance
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In accordance with the Swiss Code of Obligations and the Ordinance on Reporting on Climate Matters, many financial services providers are now obligated to report on climate risks for the first time, starting in the financial year 2024. The recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) form the cornerstone of this reporting. In this guide, SSF outlines how climate reporting can be implemented effectively, providing a foundation for forward-looking strategic decision-making.
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TCFD Disclosure – Guidance and Best Practice in the Swiss Context - EN
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The magazine report provides insights what the future of wealth management holds, with inputs from 14 global industry leaders and opinion setters. The reader lerans about the key structural drivers facing the wealth industry and the opportunities and challenges that emerge because of these.
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Future of Finance-2023 (pdf 6.1 MB)Summary
The recent increased visibility of biodiversity in national and international policy is also reflected in market trends, such as an increased expansion of the carbon credits market. This paper by Nature Finance and carbone 4 looks at recent trends in carbon credits, identifies critical design challenges and sets out an initial Roadmap to address such challenges and provides insights and experiences to collectively chart this rapidly evolving market.
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In this joint white paper by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the Climate Bond Initiative (CBI) a blueprint for the development of a climate resilience classification framework is proposed. Seven themes for resilient investments and the criteria for identifying and screening these investments by sector are proposed.
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Designing a Climate Resilience Classification Framework - EN
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This guidance from the Institutional Investor Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) aims to standardize climate bonds and associated engagement with companies using a next step approach explained for both asset owners and asset managers.
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In the 2023 edition of the SSF Sustainable Investment Market Study the total volume of sustainability-related investments in Switzerland fell by 19 percent, to CHF 1,610 billion, in 2022. The decline is mainly attributable to the negative market performance (around 18 percent) and tighter definitions of sustainability-related investments by respondents. Thematic investments and impact investments have defied the market dynamics and are showing strong growth.
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This white paper, based on a collaborative roundtable with Pelt8, CelciusPro and 15 organisations from the public and private sector, discusses the challenges and best practices of climate reporting. It aims to be a starting point for companies navigating climate reporting and sustainability reporting challenges
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This briefing provides banks a first overview of how the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) applies to their industry, through the axes of risk, opportunities, dependencies and impacts. It aims to support the industry in managing associated risks, capturing relevant opportunities and preparing for anticipated policy developments that will yield new compliance and disclosure requirements.
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This report presents the results of an extensive global pilot testing led by UNEP FI with the private finance sector to test the draft risk management and disclosure framework from the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD).
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Unboxing Nature-related Risks: Insights from the UNEP FI-led TNFD Piloting Programme - EN
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This white paper compares funds with sustainability terms from across the UK, US and EU and demonstrates that only 4% fit with sustainable finance regulation across all three jurisdictions. Furthermore this paper examines what these findings demonstrate about regulatory compliance across regimes and suggests some potential solutions.
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A World Bank paper on physical risks for the banking sector in emerging markets determined that half of all credit portfolios in emerging markets are with companies whose businesses are highly or very highly dependent on one or more ecosystem services. Overall 21 ecosystem services with 86 dependent business processes are mentioned.
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In the face of unprecedented biodiversity loss, 196 countries adopted in December 2022 the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) providing a global framework to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030.
This report provides an overview of the goals of the GBF and recommendations on how investors should implement them. It supports investors in managing associated risks and preparing for anticipated policy developments.
This resource was developed by UNEP FI, the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) and the Finance for Biodiversity Foundation as part of the Investment Leadership Programme.
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In this Synthesis Report of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR&) the state of knowledge of climate change, its impacts and risks, and climate change mitigationa nd adaption are summarized. It integrates the main findings of the Sixth Assessment Report (AR&) based on contributions from three Working Groups and three Special Reports. This summary for Policymakers is structured in three parts; Current Status and Trends, Future Climate Chnage, risks and Long-Term Responses, and Responses in the Near Term.
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Nature loss poses a major risk to businesses, while moving to nature-positive investments offers opportunity. The market-led, science-based TNFD framework will enable companies and financial institutions to integrate nature into decision making. In this latest draft, the v0.4, market participants can see a full representation of the framework, including examples of additional guidance by sector and biome. The framework consists of recommended disclosure metrics, the LEAP approach to identifying intersections with nature and guidance on core definitions and concepts, metrics and targets.
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The TNFD Nature-related Risk and Opportunity Management and Disclosure Framework v0.4 - EN
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This hypothetical case study shows how a financial institution, which includes consumer, corporate and investment banking services, assesses nature-related risks and opportunities using the TNFD LEAP approach. The tools and methodologies references are included for illustrative purposes only
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A Case study of Hypothetical Report Preparer Bank of Nature - EN
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In this new report from McKinsey & Company, the critical role of financial players as facilitators of moving economic activity towards being aligned with gloabl climate efforts is interrogated. By providing the right finance to the right place at the right time, banks and investors can drive innovation, support scaling, and avoid an unruly transition to a greener global economy. In theory, these activities should generate a win–win scenario for providers and recipients of funding. However, there are also risks in marshaling the trillions of dollars of capital that will be required. To preempt potential headwinds, decision makers must establish processes, systems, and guardrails to protect themselves and the wider stakeholder community.
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Financing the net-zero transition: From planning to practice - EN
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As sustainable investing has become more widespread, standards and regulatory complexity have increased in recent years, reaching an impressive number of nearly 900 policies and regulations worldwide. A brake on the spread of ESG investments, or a guarantee of quality? BPS (Suisse) addresses this and other issues with Alberto Stival, Swiss Sustainable Finance's delegate in Ticino.
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ShareAction’s 2023 Point of No Returns reports assess the policies and practices of 77 of the world’s largest asset managers across a range of environmental and social themes. This is the first in the series. In this report, ShareAction provides the overall rankings and a heatmap of asset managers’ responsible investment performance across five areas: governance, stewardship, climate, biodiversity, and social issues. It presents the most striking trends and patterns in performance.
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Point-of-No-Returns-2023-General-Findings_2023-03-01-115320_htgw (pdf 522.3 kB)Summary
Die von BAK Economics (unter Mitarbeit von SSF) erstellte Studie Finanzplatz Zürich 2023/2024 analysiert die Bedeutung des Finanzplatzes. In kaum einer anderen Region trägt der Finanzsektor so stark zur gesamten Wirtschaftsleistung bei wie in Zürich. Er erwirtschaftete im Jahr 2021 jeden sechsten Wertschöpfungsfranken und stellte jeden zehnten Arbeitsplatz in der Region (Kantone ZH, ZG, SZ). Seit 2011 ist er überdurchschnittlich gewachsen, entwickelte sich dynamischer als die Gesamtwirtschaft und stütze insbesondere in den Pandemiejahren 2020 und 2021 die Zürcher Wirtschaft.
Das diesjährige Fokusthema der Studie nimmt die Bedeutung von Sustainable Finance unter die Lupe. Es wurde untersucht, wie verbreitet Finanzprodukte und -dienstleistungen mit innovativen nachhaltigen Ansätzen unter Zürcher Finanzinstituten sind. Die Analyse zeigt, dass rund jedes dritte Unternehmen bereits heute nachhaltige und innovative Anlageprodukte anbietet. Das Potential ist aber längst nicht ausgeschöpft: Das grösste Verbesserungspotenzial sehen die Umfrage-Teilnehmenden bei der Vernetzung mit der Wissenschaft und anderen Unternehmen sowie bei rechtlichen und regulatorischen Fragen
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This new guidance from SBTi provides banks, private equity firms, asset managers, owners and mortgage real estate investment trusts with actionable ways to harmonize science-based target setting with the preparation of robust climate-related risk and opportunity disclosures in line with institutions’ transition plans.
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This guide on biodiversity integration by financial institutions was launched as part of COP15 in December 2022. The guide provides financial institutions with practical guidance on how to integrate biodiversity into their financing activities and decision-making, including how to start measuring impact and setting targets.
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Act Now! The Why and How of Biodiversity Integration by Financial Institutions - EN
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In this report by the ESMA, the EU Ecolabel as it currently stands for green products and services is reviewed and the opportunity for such a label to apply to retail financial products is examined. Particularly, three key Ecolabel criteria are tested on a sample of sustainability-oriented UCITS equity funds with EUR 1 trillion in assets under management.
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EU Ecolabel: Calibrating green criteria for retail funds - EN
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This report is the outcome of a survey conducted by Tameo on private asset impact funds (PAIFs) with a focus on developing countries. The surveyed market consists of all investment vehicles that are operated by specialised impact fund managers and have more than 50% of their non-cash asset allocated both to private debt or private equity instruments to emerging and frontier markets, with a development impact focus. The 2022 survey brings together the most comprehensive dataset to date on this investment fund universe to date
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Pensionskassen tragen die treuhänderische Verantwortung für eine nachhaltige, zukunftsorientierte Bewirtschaftung der Vermögen ihrer Versicherten. Sie haben eine marktkonforme Rendite unter Inkaufnahme von vertretbaren Risiken anzustreben. Teil dieser zu berücksichtigenden Risiken sind auch Umwelt-/Klima-, Sozial- und Corporate Governance-Aspekte (sog. ESG-Kriterien). Das liegt im langfristigen Interesse der Versicherten, ohne dass dabei Renditeeinbussen in Kauf genommen werden müssten. Für den ASIP steht seit Jahren die Wissensvermittlung und die Sensibilisierung der Pensionskassen für das Thema „nachhaltiges Investieren“ im Vordergrund. Im Sommer 2022 haben wir eine praxisorientierte Wegleitung zur Berücksichtigung von ESG-Kriterien (Umwelt, Soziales und Unternehmensführung) bei Anlageentscheidungen von Pensionskassen publiziert (www.asip.ch). Pensionskassen sollen aber auch gegenüber ihren Versicherten vermehrt aufzeigen, in welcher Form sie die ESG-Kriterien in ihren Anlageprozess einbauen. Der ASIP verfolgt daher das Ziel, über ein regelmässiges, ganzheitliches Reporting die Transparenz bezüglich ESG-Umsetzung zu erhöhen. Im Fokus steht eine transparente Offenlegung von ESG-Informationen, mit welchen alle involvierten Stakeholder nachverfolgen können, wie die Pensionskassen investiert sind und welche Entwicklungsschritte bezüglich Nachhaltigkeit realisiert werden. Dazu soll der heute publizierte ESG-Reporting-Standard dienen. In ein ESG-Reporting gehören qualitative Aussagen zur Art und Weise, wie die Pensionskassen mit diesem Thema umgehen, und auch quantitative Angaben zu einzelnen Anlagen.
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Klima-Allianz Schweiz updated their pension fund rating with a larger percent of funds (30%) now classified as visionary and good practice. The report looks specifically at climate goal alignment and sustainability of the securities investments of the pension funds in Switzerland.
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