In anticipation of the main event, this month kicked off with a sold-out collaborative Building Bridges community event, jointly hosted by SFI and SSF in Zurich. The event drew the participation of over 200 attendees. Building Bridges in Geneva, now in its fourth iteration, is scheduled to take place the first week of October and has garnered an increasingly prominent reputation within the sustainable finance community. This recognition is in part due to its ongoing support for events that bridge gaps across the sector, not only in Switzerland but also internationally.

Each year during the Building Bridges action days, SSF seizes the opportunity to unveil significant projects aimed at advancing sustainable finance. Last year, it served as an ideal platform to launch the Swiss Consultation Group to the TNFD in collaboration with the UN Global Compact for Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Additionally, it marked the debut of the first template designed to help market players implement the Swiss Climate Scores.

This year, the collaboration continues, with Antionio Hautle, Executive Director at UNGCSL, moderating a panel at the European launch of the TNFD in his capacity as co-convenor. Further, SSF and AMAS will launch the Swiss Stewardship Code and SSF will host an interactive workshop on impact investing with participants from Switzerland, the Netherlands, South Africa and Kenya. We invite many of you to join us in bridging the gaps between sectors, countries and ideas, as we work together to set the scene for a collaborative and inclusive transition towards a sustainable economy.

> Visit our website for more about these and other SSF activities

Swiss News

• The end of December 2023 is the deadline for the implementation of including sustainability related data for real estate in annual reports set by the Asset Management Association Switzerland (AMAS) self-regulation. Read the self-regulation documents here.
• The Swiss Federal Council determined in a meeting on 30 August that there is nothing legally standing in the way for institutional players, such as pension funds, to invest in impact products according to the current BVV 2 Investing Guidelines.
• The PPCmetrics “Pensionskassen-Jahrbuch 2023”, which features information on the activities of 299 Swiss Pension funds, with combined assets of around CHF 272 billion, was published earlier in the month.

International News

• A new taskforce on social aspects of ESG has been formed, provisionally called the Taskforce on Inequality and Social-related Financial Disclosures (TISFD).
• At the start of the month a conceptual framework to guide Action by Central banks and Supervisors was released by Network for Greening the Financial System, which aims to help integrate nature related risks into central banking.

EU News

• There is now a consultation open until 15 December on the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), which concerns the application of the SFDR and potential modifications, how it fits with other pieces of EU sustainable finance regulations and the potential establishment of a categorisation system for sustainable products.

Market News

• The first ever Gold Standard-Certified gender responsive credits were issued by Lango Safe Water Project, created by project developer CO2balance.
• A new guide from ICMA, UNEP FI, the UN Global Compact, the International Finance Corporation and the Asian Development Bank outlines the idea of “blue bonds”, which highlight the importance of the ocean and its resources and includes guidance for issuers, investors and underwriters.

• 2-5 October, Geneva, Building Bridges 2023
• Save the date: 10 October, SSF Webinar on TCFD disclosure guide
• 18 October, Bern, Swiss Forum Business and Human Rights
• 24 October, Zurich, Schulthess Forum Kreditfinanzierung 2023
• 9 November, Zurich, Sustainable Investments Day (HSLU)
• Save the date: 20 June 2024, 10th Anniversary SSF Annual Conference

Further events are listed on the SSF website.

• 13 September 2023, Das absolut nachhaltige Anlageprodukt gibt es nicht, NZZ
• 7 September 2023, Les caisses de pension investissent plus durablement, L’Agefi
• 25 August, 2023, Finanza sostenibile: Quelle emissioni che le banche non vogliono più rendicontare, Corriere Del Ticino

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