In early May, special vibes filled the air of Zurich: bundled energy to drive sustainability across sectors. Zurich is renowned as a global tech hub, home to major corporations, innovative startups (including one featured at the SSF annual event), world-class universities, and a leading center for insurance and finance. Yet, it’s also clear that Zurich is a city where countless individuals are actively driving sustainability forward every day. The inaugural Climate Week Zurich (CWZ) has succeeded in forging a link between the different spheres. The certainty emerged that sustainability strategies are continuously driven forward with commitment. SSF, as many other organisations, built on collaboration for its CWZ events.

Even at a global level, there are trends towards greater cooperation in sustainability – despite the centrifugal forces in geopolitics – primarily through an increasing harmonisation of standards. Already 40 countries are working towards establishing the ISSB as a recognised standard for sustainability reporting, including countries such as Canada, Brazil, Singapore, and now China. With a prominent exception: The European Commission recently simplified its sustainability reporting rules but did not add clear guidance on how companies can meet both CSRD and ISSB standards at the same time. That is a missed opportunity. Only if we succeed in regulation in a way that does not paralyse companies will they focus on the opportunities offered by a sustainable corporate strategy.

On 18 June 2026, we will host the SSF Annual Conference 2026 at Kursaal in Bern. Join us to explore how innovative technologies help us to shape a more sustainable future. Attendance is free for SSF Members. Register here

Swiss News

• The 2026 PACTA Climate Test, led by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) and the State Secretariat for International Financial Matters (SIF), is now underway, addressing financial institutions. Registration is open from 26 May to 23 August 2026.

European News

• The ECB warns that fossil fuels pose an increasing risk for price stability in Europe as recent price shocks have already cost society an estimated USD 111 billion with 75% of the population living in countries that are net-importers of fossil fuels. Energy transition towards renewable energies is the only way to mitigate the risk exposure.
• On 28 April, the EU Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs published draft amendments to the proposed SFDR 2.0 framework. It proposes tougher sustainable finance rules, including delayed implementation, stricter disclosure and screening requirements, a higher threshold for sustainable investments, mandatory warnings for non-compliant products, and possible regulation of ESG data providers. The amendments will now move into further EU negotiations.

International News

• On 22 April, ISSB announced that it will issue nature-related disclosure guidance as an IFRS Practice Statement alongside IFRS S1 and S2, with a draft expected by October 2026.

Market News

• The Finance Forum Liechtenstein 2026 brought together more than 450 financial industry leaders in Vaduz. Patrick Odier, SSF President, took part in a fireside chat on “Swiss Banking in Transition,” where he highlighted the importance of balancing innovation and regulation in order to remain competitive.
• The Finance for Biodiversity Foundation launched a new Biodiversity Data Catalogue to help financial institutions access and navigate biodiversity-related data more effectively. The platform includes nearly 2,000 data points from 25 providers, offering a centralized overview of the growing nature-data landscape.
• At the end of April 2026 Climate Action 100+ published their revised net-zero company benchmark framework. The revision simplifies indicators to better highlight company emissions reductions, governance, and transition planning performance across major emitters.
• In the Annual Report of the German Financial Market Supervisory Authority (BaFin) 79 deficiencies in the management of climate related risks by banks were identified. The number indicates that there is still room for improvement regarding the integration of climate related risks into their risk management. Nonetheless, a positive development is observed.
• Zurich (3) and Geneva (5) were both highly rated in the recently published 17^th edition of the Global Green Finance Index. Switzerland is the only country with two cities ranked in the top 10.

We are happy to welcome the following organisation as new SSF network partner:

• Competence Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth at the University of St.Gallen (CCSP-HSG)

The full list of our members and network partners, now standing at 252 can be found here.  

• HSG is offering the executive course Impact Investing: From Insight to Impact for the second time. This three-day programme is designed for finance professionals who want to create positive impact through their work. Participants will learn how to apply their skills effectively in impact investing, with contributions from high-profile speakers such as Peter Wuffli (former CEO, UBS), Nadia Nikolova (CEO, responsAbility), and Julian Kölbel (Professor, HSG) sharing the latest academic insights.
• EFFAS, in collaboration with AZEK, has launched the Certified Climate Risk Analyst (ECRA) programme, a professional training course focused on climate-related financial risks, sustainable finance and Net Zero strategies for investment and risk professionals. The online programme is delivered with contributions from industry experts and institutions including Marsh, Mercer, Swisscanto and the London School of Economics.

• SSF has recently launched three new sequential learning modules on “AI and sustainable finance”. In the first section, participants are introduced to the functionality of AI; the second section sheds light on sustainable finance, while the third section combines the two and presents use cases of AI in sustainable finance.
• New publicly available AI tool launched: We have added to our list of publicly available tools the “ESRS alignment tool” developed by SUREAL of the University of Zurich. The tool allows you to upload and analyse documents for compliance with the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS).

• 2 June 2026: SSF Member Roundtable: Path to Net-Zero for Real Estate Investments, Zurich (SSF, Members only)
• 4 June 2026: SSF Member Roundtable: Navigating defence investments, Zurich (SSF, Members only)
• 9 June 2026: Launch Webinar: Swiss Sustainable Investing Market Study 2026, Online (SSF)
• 10 June 2026: Sustainable Finance Geneva’s General Assembly 2026, Geneva (SFG)
• 10 June 2026: CFA Sustainable Investing Conference Romandie, Lausanne (CFA)
• 11 June 2026: SSF Member Roundtable: Managing Climate Risks in SME Lending, Online (SSF, Members only)
• 18 June 2026: SSF Annual Conference 2026, Bern (SSF)