Sustainability is a megatrend – also when it comes to financial issues. At the Sustainability Congress of DKM digital.personlich on October 26th, 2020, experts with practical experience demonstrated what opportunities companies now offer in terms of green financial products – and why and how they can be good business for consultants, product providers and customers.
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Sustainable investments and insurance are a huge growth market. But they still mostly lead a niche existence. But that can and should change. That is the key message of the Sustainability Congress of DKM digital.personally in cooperation with MehrWert GmbH. Ralf Berndt from the Stuttgart insurance group referred, among other things, to the upcoming EU regulation. From 2021, ESG criteria will therefore be of particular importance – in capital investments, in products and also in advice. Although the EU Action Plan will be relevant next year, according to a survey, 95% of advisors do not know it or only know it very vaguely. That means a great need for information. Consultants should now deal with it at the latest.
Growing importance for life insurers
The Stuttgarter itself has been offering the Green Pension since 2013. With GrüneRente Index-safe, the first green index pension since 2019. Both are available in company pension schemes as well as in private pension schemes and currently account for 17% of new business; according to Berndt, it is likely to increase to 20% by the end of the year. The majority of this relates to unit-linked products. Sustainability is also becoming increasingly important at Allianz Lebensversicherung, as Gabriele Recke from the head of sustainability at Allianz Leben, together with Neil A. Robertson, from Asset-Liability & Product Management Life / Health at ALLIANZ Deutschland AG, demonstrated.
Green returns regardless of the stock market
Christian Lhotka spoke on behalf of Uwe Mahrt for Pangea-Life about “green returns independent of the stock market”. He showed what sustainable investments mean in concrete terms for the Bayerische subsidiary – from wind parks to solar projects to small hydropower plants that offer investors target returns of 7% and more. With the Pangea Life Fund, Pangea-Life is also aiming for a return that is not dependent on the stock exchange, as many customers, especially in Germany, find it difficult to deal with the usual market fluctuations.
Use influence on sustainable developments
The ALH Group also sees the future in sustainable investments. In his digital lecture, the expert Heiko Storjohann showed the focus of the Alte Leipziger – Hallesche in terms of sustainability. Six factors play a particularly important role: Soil, air and water as life requirements and environment / nature, health, social contacts as factors for a happy life. All of these factors should be preserved in sustainable investments. The ALH Group also highlights four of the 17 sustainability goals of the UN: no poverty, health and well-being, decent work and economic growth and measures for climate protection. Insurers have the greatest influence on these factors and should use them.
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