With UBS reporting a 40% surge in discretionary assets last year and Standard Chartered almost doubling its book, the industry is aggressively rolling out self-directed and AI-enhanced platforms to democratise access to the CIO office, intensifying competition in the expanding discretionary space. Multiple leading institutions Asian Private Banker spoke to recently enjoyed robust growth in 2025, and in some cases, […]

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Exploring the world of green creativity, we asked sustainable investing expert Mario Knoepfel from UBS a thought-provoking question: If you had to create an ESG-themed superhero, what would their name and superpowers be? In response, the head of sustainable investing advisory for Asia Pacific highlighted that given how climate change stands as a paramount challenge in our time, his superhero Climate […]

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The growing awareness surrounding ESG investing has made private clients of UBS Global Wealth Management in Asia more attuned to companies that are transitioning to sustainable models, or that are considered to be ESG change-makers. Speaking to reporters on 11 May, Mario Knoepfel said clients generally like ESG leaders, “and are also looking at who is destroying performance from a […]

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The COVID-19 pandemic has helped to broaden the scope of the region’s investors when it comes to ESG integration, with many now focusing on themes around social inequality and not just those related to the environment. “The pandemic has encouraged us to look at what makes businesses resilient and what are the key aspects that we actually need to resolve […]

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UBS saw AUM from APAC clients on its My Way platform exceed the US$1 billion mark by the end of 2Q21. The bank has introduced a self-directed alternative, “My Flex”, to savvy institutional-level clients, with Asia being the first stop. First made available to Asian clients in 4Q20, the customisable discretionary portfolio management (DPM) solution has received strong traction and […]

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UBS’s group-wide sustainability drive reached a new crescendo in 2020, with invested assets in what the bank calls “Core Sustainable Investments” rising by 62% to US$793 billion. In all, Core SI products and mandates accounted for 19% of total invested assets at the bank — up from 13.5% at the end of 2019. The increase was helped along by a […]

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Among all ESG offerings, thematic sustainable investment (SI) strategies will be a key focus for UBS Global Wealth Management in Asia in 2021. Mario Knoepfel,  the bank’s head of sustainable and impact investing advisory, APAC, told Asian Private Banker that Asian HNWIs are “really keen” on the thematic approach in terms of ESG and the overall SI strategies. “We play […]

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UBS has said that it will recommend sustainable investments (SI) over traditional investments for its WM clients, who have become keener on incorporating sustainability into their investment portfolio. The trend towards SI has been particularly pronounced in Asia. Asian Private Banker has learnt that at the end of July 2020, the number of clients in Asia invested in the 100% sustainable […]

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UBS has launched a bespoke ESG flat fee advisory mandate — UBS Advice SI — as the bank is enjoying ever increasing interest among clients in sustainable investing. Mario Knoepfel, head sustainable & impact investing advisory, Asia Pacific, UBS Global Wealth Management told Asian Private Banker that the bank launched this solution in Switzerland in January, and the team is […]

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In a bid to expand its existing sustainable investing offering, UBS Global Wealth Management has launched its first ESG engagement high yield fund to its private investors in Asia. Mario Knoepfel, head sustainable & impact investing advisory, investment platforms and solutions, Asia Pacific, UBS Global Wealth Management told Asian Private Banker on Tuesday that the newly-launched fund is exclusively available to its […]

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UBS Global Wealth Management’s Asia clients have again played a major part in the bank’s global raising activities in the impact investment space — this time for a strategy managed by private equity major KKR. Around 25% of a total US$225 million in commitments came from the private bank’s APAC clients, according to Mario Knoepfel, UBS GWM’s head of sustainable & […]

The post UBS’s Asia clients play their part in KKR impact fundraise as bank edges closer to 5-year SDG objective appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

With many best-in-class sustainable investing strategies having already priced in ESG factors from a valuation perspective, it could pay to shift some exposure from companies that are leaders in the space to those which are committed to improving their ESG standing, UBS Global Wealth Management told Asian Private Banker. James Gifford, head impact investing, CIO office at UBS GWM highlighted […]

The post UBS GWM shifts fund exposure from ESG leaders to “ESG improvers” appeared first on Asian Private Banker.

UBS Wealth Management today launched its widely-anticipated, fully sustainable portfolio in Asia, amidst an industry-wide push into ESG investing. The solution, first mooted at the tail-end of 2017, combines ESG screening and impact investing to generate investment performance at parity with existing portfolios in risk-adjusted terms, and is “the first 100% sustainable investment offering” for private banking clients, according to […]

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The industry-wide push to bring ESG (environmental, social, governance) investing to the mainstream continues, with DBS Private Bank set to roll out ESG-themed discretionary portfolio management (DPM) solutions to harness growing regional demand. Rocky Cheung, the bank’s head of investment product and advisory, Hong Kong wealth management, confirmed the development but said that the bank is currently in the initial stages […]

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Impact investing – an approach that aims to effect a positive social impact and generate positive financial return – is yet to go mainstream. Even so, more (U)HNWIs are taking a serious look at philanthropic instruments, attracted by the unlikely marriage of philanthropy and private equity and the opportunity make a difference while making money. Earlier this year, UBS Wealth […]

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