Nicolas Barben
Global Head of ESG Solutions
Responsible investment
Driven by our commitment to protect and grow your wealth now and for future generations, we are increasingly integrating sustainability into our investment advisory and wealth management activities.
Our rationale
The situation
Economic resilience and growth are being increasingly impacted by environmental and social challenges – from climate change, resource scarcity and biodiversity loss to social inequalities. Production and consumption patterns must change rapidly and radically to reduce global pressure on nature, while meeting the needs of a growing population aspiring to improve its standard of living.
How we respond
These factors are reshaping the investment landscape and it is our responsibility to identify and integrate non-financial risks and opportunities in order to protect and grow our clients’ wealth in the long term.
Our approach
It is our role to help you build a more resilient and robust portfolio depending on your individual needs, vision and level of sustainability ambition. Accordingly, we offer a gradual approach to integrating sustainability.
| No ESG preferences | ESG risks considerations | Negative impacts mitigation | Positive contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investments that apply minimum exclusions (high-risk or subject to UN sanctions countries, production of controversial weapons banned by international treaties (e.g., anti-personnel mines, cluster bombs, chemical or biological weapons) | |||
| …and avoid exposure to ESG related-risks which might negatively impact investments value and future performance. | |||
| … and aim to reduce negative externalities on environmental and social factors and that might promote environmental and/or social characteristics. | |||
| …and target sustainable business activities, which have positive contribution on environmental and/or social factors. | |||
Our four levels of sustainability integration
If you do not want to consider ESG factors you will be advised on financial factors only. Nevertheless, we apply our minimum exclusions to omit companies whose business activities violate international treaties, norms, or standards, or those that are exposed to businesses that may represent a financial risk for your wealth.
Exposure to environmental, social and governance risks, or ESG risks, is a growing challenge for companies. Failure to address major ESG risks may lead to reputational damage, operational inefficiency, regulatory scrutiny, fines and, ultimately, financial repercussions. This approach is based on enhancing portfolio resilience by avoiding companies that are highly exposed to ESG risks which might negatively impact its long-term value and future performance.
The way a company runs its operations, as well as the products and services it offers, can negatively impact the environment and society. Based on your preferences, this approach helps you to mitigate the negative impacts of your investments on more than 60 indicators which we have grouped into three areas of negative impact: climate change, environment, and social.
This approach aims to identify and invest in companies whose business activities contribute positively to environmental and/or social outcomes and are adapted to go through the sustainability transition. We seek them out through a framework of three macro trends – systems decarbonisation, regenerative economy, and human capital empowerment – encompassing several sustainable investment themes driven by consumer demand, technological innovation and regulation. We can then build your portfolio of sustainable companies according to your preferences.
Our offering
We offer several levels of service, ranging from advisory to managed solutions, across a range of asset classes such as equities, fixed income, and a broad selection of internal funds, certificates, and external funds, that are subject to the appropriate due diligence from our ESG specialists in order to select the best financial instruments.
Managed solutions
Multi assets
We offer two managed solutions with the following key benefits: Swiss stability, ESG focus, and an agile approach by actively allocating assets to short- and long-term investment opportunities.
Bespoke managed solutions
We can also build tailored responsible investment portfolios based on your individual requirements – from solutions with elaborate ESG risk management and those that mitigate the negative impacts of investments, all the way to solutions that invest in companies that make a positive environmental and/or social contribution.
Family office services
Our family office services have a unique approach to guiding you in your plans to pass on your wealth to the next generation while integrating sustainability goals and ESG criteria into your investment decisions. We follow a thorough process of research and setting clear objectives for portfolio construction. The offering ranges from family governance and philanthropy to asset allocation with the aim of reflecting your sustainability preferences and enabling you to invest responsibly.
Our tools
Adding sustainability into the investment process relies on screening and modelling a wide range of quantitative and qualitative information. Our team has access to:
- Advanced information systems and the latest technologies
- Comprehensive market and academic research
- Careful selection and modelling of thousands of data points from multiple verified sources
Thanks to this, we are well positioned to identify the impacts of sustainability transformations on industrial value chains, sectors, and companies, and to build a consistent investment universe integrating sophisticated sustainability views.
Your contact
18.12.2024
Building Bridges battles sustainable finance headwinds
From 9–12 December, Building Bridges attracted over 3,000 professionals from banks, insurance companies, big corporations, governments, international organisations, NGOs and academia for more than 70 plenary sessions, discussions, and workshops. Combined with over 6,000 viewers online, attendance at the 2024 edition of Switzerland’s leading sustainable finance event reached a record high.
10.12.2024
From regulation to innovation: the dynamic universe of biodiversity investments
In the three years since the launch of our biodiversity strategy, the investment landscape has undergone significant transformations, particularly in the realm of biodiversity and nature finance.
18.11.2024
COP29: will AI be mentioned in the final text?
Artificial intelligence has been discussed at previous climate conferences: as early as 2021 in Glasgow, there were discussions about both the benefits of AI, and the probable need for additional resources to power it.
10.09.2024
Nature-positive: a game-changer for economies and societies
We explore the importance of nature in our economies and societies – the concept of 'nature-positive', and how businesses can contribute to this global societal goal – in our interview with Dr Noëlle Kümpel, Senior Advisor at BirdLife International.
04.09.2024
Measuring biodiversity net gain
As part of its partnership with Peace Parks Foundation, UBP is guided by their expertise in biodiversity measurement and applies this knowledge when engaging with the corporate sector. The aim is to help companies learn from the conservation specialists and disclose more accurate data on nature.
28.08.2024
Summer wellness programme at UBP Hong Kong
Our CSR Team in Hong Kong organised a “Summer of Wellness” programme for colleagues – an initiative that demonstrates UBP's commitment to fostering a culture of health and well-being, not only within the organisation but also in the local community.
25.08.2024
The cost of transition: what are the implications of tariffs?
In a bid to preserve their own industries and reduce their dependency on China, the US and EU recently raised trade barriers against Chinese companies, sparking concerns about the cost and pace of the West’s energy transition. The debate is complex, and environmental and social externalities are a crucial part of it.
22.07.2024
First half-year results 2024
Union Bancaire Privée’s net profit rises by 24.6% to CHF 138.1 million
12.07.2024
Sustainability: an increasingly important consideration for wealth management
In early 2023, Nicolas Barben was appointed UBP’s Group Head of ESG Solutions within the Wealth Management division. We spoke to him about the role of regulation, the evolution of client interest in sustainability, and the performance of sustainable solutions, as well as his top priorities.