This month SSF focused attention on the importance of education. Only if all finance professionals are familiar with the main sustainability challenges and their role for financial services, will we achieve our goal of a sustainable financial centre Switzerland. Greater integration of sustainability topics into different finance professions – ranging from client advisors to C-level management – is vital. Additionally, to achieve the cultural change needed to truly embed sustainability on an organisational level, educational and training programmes must also include skills in what are known as the ‘4C’s’: Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration and Communication. Through our efforts this month in hosting our 2nd Annual Forum for Sustainable Finance Education in Zurich and Geneva and in publishing a Guidance on Sustainable Finance Learning Content, SSF hopes to contribute to industry efforts in providing better and more targeted education and training to all finance professionals.

SSF published guidelines for educational experts providing training in the field of sustainable finance. The document contains essential study topics and optional topics for in-depth study. It is intended as guidance for training providers and managers looking for education and training opportunities tailored to specific profiles. The guidelines should be seen as recommendations for excellence in sustainable finance training.

> Read more about these and other SSF activities

Swiss News

• The Federal Council publishes report on Swiss National Bank and Switzerland's sustainability goals.
• In November 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.
• The Federal Office for the Environment FOEN invites to a webinar on the results of the PACTA Climate Test 2022 for the Swiss financial market on November 24, 2022 from 14:00-15:15.
• IFZ published their updated report on the Swiss fund market, showing growth of 23% by volume in Sustainable funds.

EU News

• ESAs (European Supervisory Authorities) take further steps to define greenwashing by asking the market for inputs.
• The European Commission’s Platform on Sustainable Finance published its Final Report on Minimum Safeguards under the EU Taxonomy Regulation. The Report sets out the checks for firms to determine whether their investee companies have in place “minimum safeguards” in relation to human rights, employment rights, anti-bribery, taxation and fair competition.

International News

• The International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) of the IFRS Foundation further specifies first two proposed sustainability-related disclosure standards.
• Exception for charitable foundations is anchored in the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) as a result of joint-efforts of SwissFoundations and partners.

Market News

• The TNFD is now half-way through its two-year phase of design on the TNFD framework with the publication of Beta v0.3 of The TNFD Nature-related Risk and Opportunity and Disclosure Framework.
  

   

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

• BNP Paribas (Bank)
• Radicant (Bank)
• Schindler Pensionskasse (Asset Owner)
• Timber Finance Initiative (Network Parnter)

The full list of our members and network partners, now standing at 225, can be found here.

• The course “Fit for Sustainable Finance” is being offered for a second time in spring 2023 (start: March 7, 2023). The course is an executive education program by the Swiss Institute of Banking & Finance at the University of St. Gallen and is targeted at finance professionals and people with a general interest in sustainable finance.
• A new book on the basics, strategies and implementation of Sustainable Finance by the authors Mirjam Staub-Bisang, Manfred Stüttgen and Brian Mattmann is available now.

For more information on current educational programmes focusing on sustainability and finance, visit the SSF landing page on Evrlearn.

• 25 November 2022, SSF/EY Practitioners’s Guide: Practical insights on the integration of sustainability preferences into the advisory process for private clients – sign up here

Save the dates for the following upcoming SSF and partner events

• 6 November 2022, Schweizer Firmen mischen im Kohlehandel kräftig mit, SRF
• 6 November 2022, Integrare la sostenibilità nei crediti, La Domenica
• 6 November 2022, Le 19h30 – L’argent par le carbon, RTS
• 9 November 2022, Krisen und nachhaltige Investitionen, The market NZZ
• 11 November 2022, Business Briefing Nachhaltige Investments: Noch nie so viel Dynamik gesehen, Handelsblatt

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