Sustainable Finance refers to any financial services integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria into the investment decisions making processes for the lasting benefit of both clients and the society. The objective of this course is to provide the participant with the fundamentals of Sustainable Finance, such as definitions and concepts, as well as the current legal framework, initiatives, and regulatory developments on supranational level and in Switzerland.

1. The first part of the training addresses various initiatives and regulations on supranational level, including

• The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

• The UN Paris Agreement on Climate Change

• The EU Action Plan on Sustainable Finance

• The European Green Deal Investment Plan (EGDIP)

• The integration of sustainability factors into the MiFID II, AIFMD and UCITS regimes.

2. The second part of the training focuses on Switzerland’s approach to sustainable finance by outlining national initiatives and regulatory developments with particular focus on the requirement for financial service providers to consider ESG factors in their suitability processes. The course covers

• FINMA’s Risk Monitor report

• Relevant publications by the Swiss Bankers Association (SBA)

• The Asset Management Association Switzerland (AMAS)

• Swiss Sustainable Finance (SSF).