Establishment of
Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth Singapore
     Empowers and Upskills Investors and Advisors in Sustainable Finance

• The Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth Singapore (CSP SG) is the Singapore offshoot of research and training programs originating at Harvard University and the University of Zurich.

• Supported by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), CSP SG is a first-of-its-kind, independent non-profit organization to accelerate Singapore’s development as a hub for sustainable finance in APAC by deepening skills and capabilities with research and training programs.

• CSP SG’s unique approach brings together APAC wealth owners and finance professionals to learn from world-class global experts, scientists, and thought leaders, in a trusted environment.

Singapore, 28 July 2022 – As sound sustainable finance practices play an increasingly pivotal role in Singapore’s long-term economic growth, the Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth Singapore (CSP SG) seeks to conduct research and empower wealth owners and wealth managers to make investment decisions supported by evidence to maximize positive impact and contribute to sustainable development.

CSP SG is the first organization in the region to offer specialized training – backed by rigorous academic research, as well as applied research, in sustainable finance – to (ultra) high-net-worth wealth owners and finance intermediaries to mobilize capital towards impact. Singapore was chosen as the site for the first Asian offshoot of CSP because of its vibrant ecosystem and strong momentum in both the private and public sectors towards achieving the targets set by the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda 2030.

“CSP’s proprietary programs rooted in academic research bring together the wealth holders of the next generation so they can seek sound investment opportunities, network, and hone their strategies to deploy capital for good. In the same way, wealth managers with advanced training will outperform their peers and achieve higher returns for themselves and their clients while benefiting society,” says Prof. Dr. Falko Paetzold, Ph.D., CSP Initiator and Managing Director of CSP Zurich at the University of Zurich. Prof. Dr. Paetzold is concurrently Assistant Professor in Social Finance at EBS University in Oestrich-Winkel, Germany.

Supported by MAS, CSP SG will enhance Singapore’s capabilities as an impact hub and catalyse blended finance to support Asia’s transition to a low-carbon economy. CSP SG does so by equipping individuals in the private wealth sector with technical and soft skills, while supporting them with a peer network that they need to enable positive change at scale through their investments.

Climate change will account for more than two-thirds of the annual global GDP loss and economies in APAC are under significant risk, according to a 2020 McKinsey & Company report.

“There is increasing demand from private bankers to serve their clients’ sustainability needs better. CSP SG will continue to grow from strength to strength as we educate more wealth managers who want to help their clients mobilize capital with high conviction and proficiency,” says Mr. Wilson Tan, Managing Director of CSP SG. “CSP SG’s success lies in our data-driven approach to inform and amplify wealth owners’ perspectives through training programs driven by data.”

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About the Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth (CSP)

The story begins in 2015 in Boston at the first Impact Investing for the Next Generation training program held at the Harvard Kennedy School. Bold ideas, strong partnerships, and the drive for impact rapidly grew into a university center dedicated to finding the answers to the complex question of how to make sustainable finance the default.

The spinoff of the training program was established as the first CSP at the University of Zurich in 2017.

By mobilizing capital to create real and responsible impact, over 180 global alumni have shifted approximately USD$7 billion to sustainable investments since 2015.

CSP Singapore is an independent non-profit based in Singapore. CSP SG is the first organization of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region offering foundational and advanced training programs to wealth owners and members of the financial services community to drive positive and practical change for impact and sustainable development.

The third CSP entity, CSP North America, is based in Monterey Bay, CA, south of the San Francisco Bay Area.