Swiss Stewardship Code for asset owners to launch

October 4th, 2023

The Asset Management Association Switzerland (AMAS) is to launch a Swiss Stewardship Code in October requiring institutional investors to be transparent about their investment processes.

The code outlines nine principles for effective stewardship, including governance, voting, engagement and escalation.

It also sets out a definition of stewardship and the role of asset owners, asset managers and service providers in implementing stewardship activities, emphasising the importance of effective coordination and ongoing dialogue between different parties in stewardship processes.

The code will be launched with trade association Swiss Sustainable Finance (SSF) and aims to advance shareholder rights in Switzerland and serve as a guide of good practices for asset owners, asset managers and other financial providers.

The voluntary guide offers recommendations for integrating stewardship into the investment process.

Sabine Döbeli, CEO of SSF, said: “There is increasing pressure on companies and investors to play their part in making a sustainable impact.

“With the new Stewardship Code, SSF and AMAS are helping Swiss financial players communicate their goals to companies and encourage them to adopt more sustainable business models and create long-term value.”

The code is set to work in conjunction with AMAS’ self-regulation for sustainable finance, which was introduced last year.

Its self-regulation framework outlined organisational requirements for financial institutions, including those for product design and information provided to investors.

The framework aims to set higher standards for the quality and transparency of collective assets with a sustainability connection.

At the start of this year, Minerva partnered with Inrate, the independent Swiss sustainability research, rating and proxy voting firm, to provide integrated global proxy voting agency services to Swiss investors.