Swiss ‘green finance’ funds more than double in past year
The amount of money in sustainable investment funds in Switzerland has more than doubled in the past year and now comes to CHF775 billion ($836 billion), a study has found.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/swissinfo.ch/dos
العربية
ar
ازدياد “التمويل الأخضر” في سويسرا العام الماضي بأكثر من الضعف
The number of such funds based in Switzerland grew from 777 to 1,289 in the past 12 months, while the amount of money handled jumped from CHF316 to CHF775 billion (+145%), wroteExternal link the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts on Thursday.
The trend is clear: according to a study published last year, sustainable investments in general have risen from CHF40.6 billion to CHF1.16 trillion over the past decade. Switzerland is also keen to position itself as a leader in the “green finance” field, something the government repeated on Wednesday with its plansExternal link to introduce new “green Confederation bonds”.
However, as the Lucerne study reiterated on Thursday, what counts as “sustainable” is still up for debate, with no standardised set of definitions and criteria internationally recognisable, and fears of “greenwashing” widespread.
At the recent COP26 conference in the Scottish city of Glasgow, a first step was taken to fix this, with the creation of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), which will be based in Frankfurt in Germany and which will publish a first set of global norms next year.
Co-author of the Lucerne study, Manfred Stüttgen, said that strictly speaking “only those funds for which sustainable aspects are essential to the strategy of the fund should be considered as sustainable.”
Some 200 of the 1,289 funds the researchers studied followed “clearly” a climate strategy, which means they directly aimed to decarbonise the investment portfolio and limit climate-related risks. Other funds are “passively” sustainable: i.e. they don’t explicitly invest in environmental projects, but are linked to measures of sustainability.
The total amount of assets in Swiss public investment funds – managed by 214 providers – comes to just over CHF7 trillion, according to the study.
Popular Stories
More
Culture
Documentary portrays Swiss teenagers forced to return to parents’ homeland
Switzerland condemned for deciding to deport gay Iranian
This content was published on
Switzerland violated the prohibition on inhuman treatment by considering that a gay Iranian could be returned to his country.
Gestational diabetes found to increase risk of adult-onset diabetes
This content was published on
A research team from the Lake Geneva region has identified persistent dysfunctions in glucose regulation in women with gestational diabetes. In the long term, this can increase the risk of adult-onset diabetes by up to ten times.
Swiss village must be evacuated by midday on Sunday
This content was published on
The village of Brienz-Brinzauls in eastern Switzerland, which is threatened by a rockfall, must be evacuated by 1pm on Sunday. All residents must leave the village.
This content was published on
A former judge of the Graubünden Administrative Court in eastern Switzerland has been found guilty of rape, sexual harassment and threatening a former trainee.
Costs and care time increase in Swiss retirement and nursing homes
This content was published on
In 2023 the costs of retirement and nursing homes increased by 5% compared to 2022 and those of assistance and care at home by 7%. Together, they amounted to CHF15 billion.
This content was published on
Almost half of the population in Switzerland shows clear to pronounced signs of smartphone addiction, according to a survey.
Swiss healthcare stakeholders want to save CHF300 million
This content was published on
The main players in the Swiss healthcare sector want to save around CHF300 million ($340 million) in healthcare costs a year from 2026.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Geneva loses bid to host sustainable finance body
This content was published on
Frankfurt is to be the seat of a new sustainable finance reporting body announced at COP26. Observers say Geneva was overlooked for political reasons.
Swiss sustainable finance: world leader or wishful thinking?
This content was published on
Defining the exact nature of sustainable finance and measuring its performance is an ongoing challenge that needs to be solved.
How Swiss investors are reacting to climate activism
This content was published on
The call for action to address climate change has never been so loud. Is the Swiss financial sector stepping up to the plate?
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.