Winners Rationale

“BNP Paribas Wealth Management (BNP Paribas WM) has shown much commitment to sustainable and responsible finance, weaving sustainability factors throughout its discretionary management, fund vetting and strategic investment workflows. The bank’s commendable Clover evaluation approach – which has been updated – ensures that key environmental, social, and governance considerations have been factored into constructing portfolios, which range from reviews of private market holdings to scrutinising individual securities,” said Jeremy Chan, senior reporter, Asian Private Banker. 

“The bank delivers customised impact analysis to its clients, and has introduced mandatory validation steps for every asset category, which underlines its dedication to maintaining transparency, even through its sustainability reports. The bank also utilises a specialised biodiversity footprint review within its research to carefully assess the ecological impact of companies. This also ensures that nature-based risks have been worked into the investment process.

“BNP Paribas WM has also seen a sizeable increase in AUM led by discretionary sustainable investment mandates, reflecting strong client adoption of sustainable investment strategies. The bank’s SRI Model Portfolio has also seen strong outperformance since inception. Furthermore, BNP Paribas WM’s emphasis on client engagement, as evidenced by its thought-leadership events and partnerships with academia, demonstrates the bank’s efforts to raise awareness among the next generation of leaders. 

“By improving its selection framework with rigorous ethical thresholds, it is clear that BNP Paribas WM places much importance on sustainable investing in a time when sentiment is waning. Congratulations to the team for winning Best Private Bank – Sustainable Investments & Impact.”