About the webinar
While the ESG shift continues to bring exciting opportunities to the asset management industry, managers in Switzerland are also facing significant challenges in interpreting and implementing EU regulations, understanding local market practices both in Switzerland and abroad, and addressing data transparency issues and greenwashing risks.
With this series of short webinars, we aim to bring concise and practical information and guidance to asset managers in Switzerland, helping them tackle the challenges brought by ESG.
In the ninth episode of the series, we turn our spotlight to ESG ratings. Having touched on this topic of ratings in several of our previous episodes, in this episode we dedicate ourselves an in-depth expert panel discussion to the topic. After opening with a regulatory snapshot, covering the latest timeline and brief updates on the EU Omnibus package and AMAS self-regulation 2.0, our panel will discuss latest research findings on ESG ratings, the view from a well-known ESG rating provider, and practical considerations from an asset manager’s perspective.
Agenda
| 10:00 | Welcome and introduction
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| 10:05 | Regulatory snapshot
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| 10:20 | Panel discussion and audience Q&A – ESG ratings
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Register now
https://pages.pwc.ch/view-form?id=701Vl00000g90S2IAI&embed=true&lang=en
Previous webinar recording
Episode 8
In the eighth episode of the series, our focus was on the updated AMAS self-regulation on sustainability. In June 2024, the Federal Council recognised that the AMAS self-regulation adequately aligns with its stance on preventing greenwashing in the financial sector. As a result, the previously existing self-regulatory guidelines have been updated and enhanced, leading to a number of key changes and action points for asset managers in Switzerland.
Episode 7
In the seventh episode of the series, our focus was on the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative. We’ve discussed the background and intentions of the initiative, before moving on to the practical challenges involved in implementation and best practices for overcoming them. We’ve also discussed Swiss-specific elements including the Swiss Climate Score. What’s more, we dived deeper into these topics with an expert guest panel.
Episode 6
The focus of the sixth episode in the series was on pension funds. We discussed the regulatory backdrop in Switzerland, including in particular the latest guidance and recommendations on ESG Investment Reporting from the Swiss Pension Funds Association ASIP, and what this means in a practical sense – both from the perspective of pension funds themselves and for the Swiss asset managers that manage their investments and their investment reporting providers. During the webinar, we dived deeper into these topics with an expert guest panel including representatives from the City of Zurich Pension Fund, UBS and Zürich Cantonal Bank.
Episode 5
In the fifth episode of the series, we focused on the impact of SFDR Level II, which came into force from 1 January 2023. In particular, we discussed the related challenges faced and practical processes that have been implemented by players in Swiss market in order to satisfy the reporting requirements for EU funds. The guest panel included representatives from two major Swiss asset managers and from PwC Luxembourg.
Episode 4
In the fourth episode of the series, we have discussed recent updates to the regulatory timeline in Switzerland and the EU and shared findings from our recent publication entitled “Greenwashing and Greenwishing”. We've then discussed practical issues related to the topic as well as challenges faced by players in the Swiss market. The episode featured a guest panel that included representatives from two large Swiss asset managers as well as Asset Management Association Switzerland.
Episode 3
In the third episode of the series, we discussed upcoming investment reporting challenges in the context of SFDR and good market practice. We also shareed the results of our recent study survey on ESG investment reporting, which was conducted in partnership with bmpi (bmpi.ch), and includes responses from a total of 28 of the largest Swiss asset managers, custodian banks and asset owners. We discussed the practical implications from the study results, what they mean for Swiss investment managers and investors, and the actions that should be taken.
Episode 2
In the second episode of the series, we shared lessons learned and practical findings from our recent study highlighting the lack of ESG comparability in fund information documents. We provided practical guidance on tackling the data issues presented by the upcoming SFDR Level 2 regulation, particularly PAI disclosures. Then we discussed the real-life experiences and challenges encountered in implementing best practice ESG processes and controls, with a leading industry player.
Episode 1
In the first episode, we focused on upcoming EU regulation, including SFDR Level 2, local market practices and regulatory requirements in fund domicile jurisdictions (Luxembourg and Ireland), and observations from a recent study that we conducted in partnership with Conser.
Jack Armstrong
Partner, Sustainable Capital and Sustainability & Strategic Regulatory Leader, PwC Switzerland
+41 58 792 45 23