Sustainable Investing Capabilities of Private Banks

In the fourth edition of the report “Sustainable Investing Capabilities of Private Banks” we approached an entirely different landscape to when we began the program in 2017: sustainable investing is now truly mainstream, more options than ever for clients are available and regulation such as the EU taxonomy and SFDR is now in full force.

Twenty financial institutions were assessed in the 2022 report, including UBS, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Danske Bank, Triodos Bank, and Globalance Bank Ltd. Bank. The study, by CSP in collaboration with PwC Switzerland, focused on aspects of sustainability strategy and governance, sustainability risk, range and depth of sustainable investing products, and client interactions and reporting. 

Since 2019, when the last report was published, “the portion of assets managed using sustainable approaches has markedly risen to levels that have made sustainable investing a topic that cannot be ignored – neither by any bank nor by regulators and investors,” says Andrew Douglas, CFA, institutional programs manager at the CSP and co-author of the report. 

“Nevertheless, we continue to see client advisors struggling with sustainable finance and needing continuing, in-depth training to become confident sparring partners for their more demanding clients looking to invest sustainably,” says Andrew.

See the presentation with key findings  of the 2022 report (PDF, 9 MB) 
 

Why this project?

Less than 1 percent of the global population controls around 50 percent of the world’s wealth. Many wealth owners are aware and mindful of global challenges such as climate change and inequality, and want to move capital toward investments that help realize a more sustainable future starting today. A central barrier for wealth owners in doing so lies in wealth managers, including private banks.

That is why we started the “Sustainable Investing Capabilities of Private Banks” project together with a panel of experts and wealth owners in the summer of 2017. The goal of the research project is to develop a robust framework to help private investors and banks to understand their sustainable investing capabilities and do better.

   - 2022 Report: Print friendly (PDF, 9 MB),Key findings (PDF, 9 MB)
 Accessing from outside of Switzerland? Use this link to view and download the document

   - 2019 Report: online (PDF, 1 MB),Print friendly (PDF, 1 MB)
   - 2018 Report: Print friendly (PDF, 4 MB)
   - 2017 Report: Print friendly (PDF, 3 MB)

How to Use the Report

For private investors, this project provides a frame of reference when engaging in discussion with their banks and wealth managers. 

For private banks, this project offers an overview of the industry and an opportunity to engage in the question of how to improve sustainable investment offerings specifically for private investors.

Tool: DIY Questionnaire for Private Investors

As a private investor interested in sustainable investing, it can be challenging to find the right bank.

This questionnaire is a spin-off result of the Sustainable Investing Capabilities of Private Banks project. It is an adjusted version of the questionnaire we have used to map out the sustainable investing capabilities of banks. Each question is accompanied with a checklist and a good/bad practice to guide the private investor through the response. Download the tool here (PDF, 937 KB).