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08-02-2010
Sustainable investment opportunities in Asia (excl. Japan) massively underestimated - potential of up to USD 4,000 billion by 2015
A study just published by the Vontobel Group shows that investors are significantly underestimating Asia in terms of its sustainability. The Asian region (excl. Japan) offers a
very high yield potential for sustainable investments, whereby the assets under management could increase from their current level of USD 20 billion to as much as USD 4,000
billion. Vontobel's sustainability experts are seeing a tremendous pace of change in social, environmental and corporate governance standards within the region. Investors are
familiar with the corresponding risks but underestimate the potential, thanks to the major progress achieved in data availability, for identifying Asian companies with high
standards of sustainability and for optimising their investments accordingly.
Falko Paetzold, author of the sustainability study: "With the information we have collated and evaluated we enable investors for the first time to reliably identify the
factors in the success of sustainable investments in Asia and consequently to invest successfully in this huge growth market."
The latest Vontobel study entitled "Sustainable Investing in Asia - Uncovering Opportunities and Risks" for the very first time provides an in-depth examination of
the true importance and development of a sustainable path of economic growth in Asia (excl. Japan) and comes to the following conclusions, amongst others:
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Asia is faced with massive environmental problems and social challenges in a range of areas. By contrast to the West, however, it is not civil society which is demanding and
driving forward a process of sustainable development, it is the governments themselves who are taking extremely decisive action in countering these acute problems with various
broadly-based initiatives.
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Asian companies are tackling the challenges in differing ways. In this context, the difference between progressive companies with comprehensive sustainability initiatives and
those companies whose actions are of a more defensive nature is much greater than in Europe. Contrary to the assumption amongst many investors, we are seeing a rapid improvement
in the situation regarding information on these topics.
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Vontobel anticipates strong growth in the volumes of sustainable investments in Asia (excl. Japan) by 2015. The current USD 20 billion in sustainable investments represents just
0.4 percent of the global "sustainable" assets under management. An increase up to the current global average share of sustainable investments alone would mean such
assets rising to USD 1.5 trillion in this region. A corresponding growth in the sustainable global assets under management could in fact see the assets increasing up to USD 4.0
trillion in 2015.
The study is available with immediate effect at www.vontobel.com/en/about_vontobel/sustainability/publications.
Contacts
Author of the study:
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Falko Paetzold
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| +41 58 283 64 22 |
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Media Relations:
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Reto Giudicetti
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| Corporate Communications |
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| +41 (0)58 283 61 63 |
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