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
Demonstrators rally in support of Swiss steelworks Gerlafingen
This content was published on
Around 1,000 people demonstrated in front of the Stahl Gerlafingen steel plant on Saturday to demand the preservation of the site.
Basel autumn fair attracted over 1 million visitors
This content was published on
The Basel autumn fair, or Herbstmesse, saw record attendance, with more than a million visitors, city authorities said on Saturday.
Swiss Federal Railways want direct trains between Zurich and Rome
This content was published on
In addition to the new connections to Italy announced on Friday, the Swiss Federal Railways would like to see a direct link between Zurich and Rome.
Swiss village Brienz to be evacuated due to rockslide risk
This content was published on
Local authorities announced that up to 1.2 million cubic metres of rock could move towards the mountain village of Brienz. The municipality is preparing a preventive evacuation.
Swiss businesses losing billions due to Temu and Shein
This content was published on
Swiss businesses are losing billions of francs a year as a result of the spread of Chinese online platforms Temu and Shein, says the director of the federation of Swiss retailers.
Direct trains to run from Zurich to Florence and Livorno
This content was published on
The Swiss Federal Railways and Trenitalia will offer direct trains from Zurich to Florence and Livorno and vice versa from 2026.
Number of Swiss armed forces exceeds specified limit
This content was published on
The Swiss armed forces had an effective headcount of around 147,000 as of March 1, 2024. This exceeds the upper limit of 140,000 specified in the army organisation by 5%.
More than 400,000 cross-border commuters now work in Switzerland
This content was published on
More than half of all cross-border commuters were resident in France (around 57%). Large proportions also lived in Italy (23%) and Germany (around 16%).
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.