Sustainable Finance - Q3

Participation Prerequisites

No course prerequisites are required for participation.

Course Content

What can investors do to combat global warming and promote gender equality? Sustainable investing was once seen as a niche topic—often discussed in the media but rarely put into practice. Today, it has become a core strategy across the global investment industry. Its rapid growth has also drawn criticism, especially accusations of “greenwashing.” Does sustainable investing deliver on its promises? And what exactly does it encompass, given the many buzzwords—such as “green investing,” “carbon-neutral investing,” and “socially responsible investing”? This course will give you the foundation to critically evaluate whether, and how, sustainable investing can create both social impact and financial value.

The course systematically builds the concepts needed to understand and assess sustainable investing. We will introduce the investment ecosystem as a whole, along with the fundamentals of portfolio theory and the portfolio management process. In parallel, we will categorize key sustainability approaches and concepts and discuss how they can be incorporated into investment analysis and decision-making.

Intended Learning Outcomes and Competencies

After participating in this course, students will be able to:

• Identify the key players in the investment management industry and explain their roles and functions.
• Explore the broader sustainability ecosystem, understand the contributions of different stakeholders, and assess the impact of sustainable investing using real-world examples.
• Evaluate different approaches to sustainable investing; explain and compare actual financial products by their investment approach and sustainability focus; review and evaluate the impact of regulatory and self-regulatory initiatives.
• Navigate the current debate around sustainable investing, considering its ethical, economic, and regulatory dimensions.

Instruction Type

Presence

Form of Examination

Literature

Required readings will be provided via Moodle.