Upfront with Amy Lo

The co-head of UBS Global Wealth Management Asia Pacific, and head and chief executive of UBS Hong Kong reflects on the rise of sustainable investing

There has been a sea change in investment trends in the last 24 months. “Previously clients would ask, why should I invest sustainably? Now they ask, how can you help me invest sustainably?” says Amy Lo.

Sustainable investing is something that Lo has advocated for many years, well before it became the buzzphrase it is today. And the fact that investors are finally coming round to the proposition is clearly a welcome change.

“Finance has a catalyst role to play to help solve some of the biggest challenges in the world. That’s our corporate responsibility,” says Lo. “And as the largest global wealth manager, UBS is in a position to lead and shape and to mobilise wealth for public good.”

In September 2020, UBS made the landmark decision to make sustainable investments its preferred solution over traditional investments for private clients wishing to invest globally. “At that time, it was a very bold announcement and commitment,” says Lo; UBS was the first global wealth manager to do so.

Since then, Covid-19, climate change, macroeconomic factors and greater investor awareness have all contributed towards staggering growth in sustainable investment and the integration of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors across investment.