Global finance in the era of sustainability

Our world is constantly evolving. So is how we invest in it. We believe the future of finance and sustainability can no longer be separated. Here’s why.

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View from above of a reservoir with a dam.

There’s no doubt that we are living in the era of sustainability. Awareness of social and environmental challenges has grown significantly. Consumer preferences and demands are changing. And companies and institutions globally are taking steps to change strategy and action.

Finance is changing too. Investors increasingly consider environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks and opportunities as part of a core investment approach. They do so in order to enhance potential risk-adjusted returns, as well as to better understand the environmental and societal effects of their investments, align more closely to personal preferences, and, in certain cases, drive positive impact.

At UBS, we are strongly committed to the view that sustainable investing should enable investors to achieve comparable, or better, returns. For our global wealth management clients, we have developed a comprehensive offering that enables them to invest sustainably in a variety of ways across asset classes and approaches. Our award-winning internal capabilities and world-class external partnerships have enabled us to develop solutions including:

  • the first 100% sustainable cross-asset portfolio for private clients, which exceeded USD 9 billion in assets under management globally at year-end 2019 and is our fastest-growing mandate offering;
  • impact investing solutions, including the largest healthcare impact investing fund to date focused on oncology;
  • innovative fund vehicles that enable private clients to invest in multilateral development bank bonds issued by institutions such as the World Bank;
  • personalized advice solutions, powered by our proprietary methodology, that help align client portfolios with individual sustainable investing preferences.

We believe that sustainable finance represents the future of finance. Recognition of impact on financial performance, regulatory developments, evolving societal norms, investor demand and consumer preference all contribute to driving the continued evolution of mainstream investing toward more holistic long-term-oriented approaches.

We will continue to play a leading role in efforts to shape the industry, supporting development and adoption of common frameworks and conventions, driving innovation in sustainable products and solutions, and encouraging increased private investment through education and awareness.

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