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SSF Newsletter June 2019: Accelerating action
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At its annual conference, SSF did not just celebrate its five-year anniversary, but also took a closer look at the future of sustainable finance. With the EU presenting three milestone reports on the implementation of its Action Plan for financing sustainable growth, it sets the pace for a firm integration of sustainability into finance decisions. This will clearly speed up action not just in Europe but also in Switzerland, as the new working group created by the Swiss government shows.
The Swiss sustainable investment market figures presented in early June illustrate that we are already well under way. Yet, it will be key to demonstrate that the impressive growth also creates a tangible impact in the real economy – for a cooler and more sustainable future. We wish you a nice summer.
Kind regards,
Sabine Döbeli
CEO Swiss Sustainable Finance
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SSF activities
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SSF Members’ Assembly, Annual Conference & 5-year anniversary
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On June 19th, SSF held its Members’ Assembly and Annual Conference in Bern, also celebrating SSF’s 5-year anniversary. During the Members’ Assembly in the morning, three new representatives were elected to the SSF Board: Giovanni Vergani (Pension Fund of the City of Lugano), Dominique Habegger (de Pury Pictet Turettini & Cie.) and Vincent Kaufmann (Ethos).
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The highlight of the afternoon event was certainly having Ueli Maurer, President of the Swiss Confederation, open the Annual Conference and speak about what he considers key approaches on the road to a sustainable and competitive Swiss financial centre. Other sessions also provided first-hand insights, with Sven Gentner from the EU Commission explaining the most recent regulatory updates from Brussels.
Have a look at photos, videos and a summary of the day
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SSF publishes Swiss Sustainable Investment Market Study 2019
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In early June, SSF released the Swiss Sustainable Investment Market Study 2019. Based on the responses to the extensive market survey, the total volume of SI reached CHF 716.6 billion in Switzerland by the end of 2018. This sharp increase of 83% is attributable to the fact that more and more institutional investors are opting for
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Market Study Launch events in Zurich and Geneva
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SSF presented the results of the Market Study to a total of 200 professionals at back-to-back events in Zurich and Geneva. At both events, Prof. Timo Busch from the University of Zurich presented the results in detail, after which a panel of experts discussed the findings and debated how growth among the different SI approaches has an impact in the real economy. View event summaries
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Joint event on sustainable fintech with City of Zurich
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Over 150 participants joined the public event organized by the Stadtentwicklung Zürich, in cooperation with SSF and the Zürcher Bankenverband, to discuss sustainable finance and technological development, and how these two fields can be combined even more in the Zurich economic area. Read more
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Investor Roundtable on Sustainable Finance Policy
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In collaboration with ShareAction, PwC and hosted by J. Safra Sarasin, SSF held a member-only workshop dedicated to the EU Sustainable Finance policy developments, debating the effect of the EU Action Plan on Swiss policies and market players.
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After having launched e-learning tools last summer, SSF has now prepared a German and French version of the tool. SSF members can access the online e-learning in German, French and English in the members’ section of the SSF website. For non-members, further information on the e-learning is available in the SSF flyer.
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SSF publishes Annual Report 2018
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The SSF Annual Report 2018 gives an overview on the activities and projects SSF conducted throughout 2018. With 14 events organised or co-organised by SSF, we managed to attract a high number of professionals. The six active workgroups also supported SSF in the preparation of these events and the publications. Download the report
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Regulatory and market news
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Swiss news
- On 26 June, the Swiss Federal Council announced the creation of a new working group on sustainable finance, headed by the Secretariat for International Finance (SIF). Among the working group's first tasks will be clarifying Switzerland's participation in international initiatives and the impact of the EU Action Plan.
- The Federal Council has recommended to accept postulate 19.3127 submitted by Adèle Thorens Goumaz, which would oblige the government to conduct a detailed report on how the Swiss financial sector can remain competitive in light of the recent international developments in sustainability. However, the postulate still needs to be passed by the National Council.
- The counter-proposal to the Responsible Business Initiative was again discussed in Swiss Parliament. During the summer session, the National Council decided to insist on the drafted counter-proposal, which would ward off a nation-wide public vote. However, this requires approval by the Council of States, which previously rejected the counter proposal fearing it would damage Swiss business interests.
- At the 10th edition of the Geneva Forum for Sustainable Investment (GFSI), the Sustainable Investment Fund Awards were presented for the first time, amongst others to SSF members Lombard Odier Asset Management, Pictet Asset Management, RobecoSAM, Swisscanto Invest by Zürcher Kantonalbank as well as Vontobel Asset Management and Ethos.
- From 12-13 June, the TBLI Europe Conference was held in Zurich with SSF as a partner and attracted investors from many different parts of the world to discuss ESG and impact investing.
- In May, Sustainable Finance Geneva (SFG), celebrated its 10-year anniversary. Congratulations to the creation of a strong network!
International initiatives
- On 18 June, the EU Commission welcomed three reports published by the TEG, each linked to specific elements of the EU Action Plan: the taxonomy, the EU green bond standard and climate benchmarks. A public call for feedback on the benchmark legislation is open. A further call on the taxonomy will be launched in early July.
- The EU Commission also published Guidelines on corporate climate-related information reporting, which now integrate the TCFD recommendations.
- The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision joined the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS) as an observer on 20 June, stating in a press release that it had agreed to join following discussions on the first NGFS comprehensive report.
- Beijing, Tokyo and Lagos are the three most recent cities to join the international network Financial Centres for Sustainability (FC4S), of which Geneva and Zurich are founding members.
- Financial institutions can now apply for the Climate Reporting Awards, which is an international award presented by the French Ministry for Ecological and Inclusive Transition, Eurosif and EU Commissions’ DG-FISMA.
- The Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) and the UN Environment’s finance arm (UNEP FI) are seeking a law firm to analyse legal frameworks for sustainability impact for investors.
- The 4th edition of the Global Green Finance Index (GGFI) will be published this autumn, rating the world’s financial centres on the depth and quality of their green finance. You can give your opinion on any of the featured centres in which you have done business by filling in this survey.
Market trends
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SSF and sustainable finance in the media
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- 16 June 2019, Tagesanzeiger, Der Ölstaat als Öko-Vorbild
- 5 June 2019, SRF, SRF Börse vom 05.06.2019
- 4 June 2019, NZZ, Nachhaltige Anlagen werden immer mehr zur Normalität
- 3 June 2019, Le Temps, Un fonds de placement sur cinq est durable en Suisse
- 3 June 2019, CNN Money Switzerland, A call for more transparency in sustainable investing (TV interview with Sabine Döbeli)
- 3 June 2019, SRF, Tagesschau vom 03.06.2019 (TV interview with Sabine Döbeli)
- June 2019 edition, Revue Banque, Finance verte et investisseurs: simple conversion ou nouveau paradigme ?
- 27 May 2019, NZZ, Im Namen der Anleger: Mit «Zuckerbrot und Peitsche» für nachhaltige Unternehmensstrategien
- 14 May 2019, Rete 3, L’economia verso la sostenibilità
- 11 May 2019, RTS 1, Simonetta Sommaruga souhaite des investissements plus verts et plus durables
- May 2019 edition, Ticino Management, Perché crederci
Visit our website for more articles and regular updates
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New members and network partners
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We are happy to welcome the following organisations to our network:
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- Baloise Asset Management Schweiz AG
- Fidelity International
- GMG Institutional Asset Management SA
- Luzerner Pensionskasse
- Pension Fund of Credit Suisse Group (Switzerland)
- Schroders
- Swiss Rock Asset Management AG
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SWISS SUSTAINABLE FINANCE
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