Partners
Research and Cooperation Partners:
Absolut Research GmbH is an independent publishing house and research company for institutional asset management in German-speaking markets. In its publishing arm, Absolut Research launched the first dedicated magazine for sustainability and long-term investing in German language in 2016, Absolut|impact, alongside its flagship publication Absolut|report, which has been published since 2001. In its research department, asset managers are quantitatively analyzed based on their performance with mutual funds – including funds that integrate sustainability and ESG strategies.
Arabesque is a specialist ESG Quant fund manager that uses self-learning quantitative models and big data to assess the performance and sustainability of globally listed companies. Its investment technology processes over 100 billion data points to select an investment universe of equities with the aim of delivering superior returns, while integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) information within quantitative strategies. Its partnership is dedicated to taking sustainability into the mainstream by using finance as a catalyst for change, for the benefit of all. Prof. Dr. Alexander Bassen is a member of the Arabesque Advisory Board.
In 2017, the firm launched Arabesque S-Ray™, a unique tool that allows anyone to monitor the sustainability of over 7,000 of the world’s largest corporations. Through machine learning and big data, Arabesque S-Ray™ systematically combines over 200 environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics with news signals from over 50,000 sources across 15 languages.
The CSP drives research and trains current and future private wealth owners and their support systems to activate private wealth and sustainable finance, at scale, as a substantial driver for sustainable development. The CSP is based in the Department of Banking and Finance at the University of Zurich. Prof. Dr. Timo Busch is a senior fellow at the CSP.
Friends of the Earth (HK) was established in 1983 as a charitable organization. It is one of Hong Kong’s most prominent green groups with a vision to promote a healthy and sustainable environment for all. The organization’s focus is decarbonization via smart energy consumption, city forestry, as well as plastics reduction.
Friends of the Earth (HK) has also launched its Green Finance Advocacy in recent years, where it advocates sustainability investing to business and charity sectors, promotes green finance to the public, as well as lobbies for support from Hong Kong’s policy makers. FoE (HK) hopes to make Hong Kong climate ready for a resilient and sustainable future.
Prof. Dr. Alexander Bassen is a member of the German Council for Sustainable Development, an advisory body of the German Federal Government. Its tasks are comprised of developing contributions to implement the National Sustainability Strategy, specifying concrete areas for action and projects, and driving sustainability awareness among the general public.
The Global Research Alliance for Sustainable Finance and Investment (the ‘Alliance’) was founded in 2017 to promote multi-disciplinary academic research on sustainable finance and investment. The Alliance consists of global research universities, each with expertise in this emerging field.
The Alliance aims to: organise the major annual academic conference on sustainable finance and investment internationally; develop academic collaboration between researchers working on sustainable finance and investment; and nurture the growth and development of graduate students and junior academics working on sustainable finance and investment.
Hamburg Financial Research Center. Prof. Dr. Alexander Bassen and Prof. Dr. Timo Busch are affiliated Professors at the Hamburg-based center.
The ICMA Centre provides research and consultancy services to financial institutions, corporations and government agencies. Recent research projects have included work on assessing shareholder value, regulatory and policy research, risk management and investment, insurance and operations management, the history of sovereign credit. Prof Dr. Alexander Bassen is a Visiting Professor at the ICMA Centre.
ISS ESG solutions enable investors to develop and integrate responsible investing policies and practices, engage on responsible investment issues, and monitor portfolio company practices through screening solutions.
It also provides climate data, analytics, and advisory services to help financial market participants understand, measure, and act on climate-related risks across all asset classes. In addition, ESG solutions cover corporate and country ESG research and ratings enabling its clients to identify material social and environmental risks and opportunities.
Morningstar Sustainalytics is a global leader in ESG and Corporate Governance research and ratings. Over the last 25 years, they have brought together leading ESG research and client servicing professionals. Today, Sustainalytics supports hundreds of the world’s foremost investors who incorporate ESG and corporate governance insights into their investment processes. Its academic program aims to promote responsible investment research as well as meet increasing demand for ESG insights from academia. Through this program, Sustainalytics is offering a range of ESG data to support studies.
The SSEE is a leading interdisciplinary academic hub focused on teaching, research and engagement with enterprise on climate change and long-term environmental sustainability. Prof. Dr. Alexander Bassen was a Visiting Researcher at the SSEE from September until December 2017.
The Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) is the world’s leading proponent of responsible investment. It works to understand the investment implications of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors to support its international network of investor signatories in incorporating these factors into their investment and ownership decisions. Prof. Dr. Alexander Bassen is co-chair of the academic network.
The scientific members of the research group are founding members of the Science-Platform Sustainable Finance. This project comprise of several universities and institutes and is funded by Mercator Stiftung.
The Sustainable Finance Research Platform is a network of five German research institutions including DIW Berlin, University of Hamburg, University of Augsburg, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management and University of Kassel, that have been conducting intensive research on sustainable finance for many years. The aim of the platform is to provide scientific support in answering key social, political and private sector questions, to provide established and emerging knowledge and to play an advisory role in the political and public discourse, for example by providing input and feedback to the Sustainable Finance Advisory Board of the German Federal Government.
DVFA is the Society of Investment Professionals in Germany, founded in 1960. DVFA has more than 1,200 individual members representing over 400 investment firms, banks, asset managers, consultancies and counselling businesses. Prof. Dr. Alexander Bassen is a member of the corporate governance commission and the investor relations commission of the Society of Investment Professionals Germany.
EFFAS is the federation of analyst associations in Europe. It is comprised of 27 member societies representing more than 14,000 investment professionals and was founded in 1962. Prof. Dr. Alexander Bassen is a member of the Commission on Environmental, Social & Governance Issues (CESG) of the European Association of Financial Analysts Societies and academic director of their ESG training program.
Institutions (Verein für Umweltmanagement und Nachhaltigkeit in Finanzinstituten e.V.) This network serves as the primary effort in the DACH (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) region to promote sustainability practices in the financial industry. The network, established in 1995, is comprised of more than 40 financial institutions. Prof. Dr. Timo Busch is member of the scientific board.