As CA Indosuez returns to Building Bridges in 2026 as an Event Sponsor, we spoke with Gerrit Dubois, Responsible Investment Specialist – DPAM, to discuss how the sustainable finance landscape is evolving. From shifting investor priorities to the growing focus on measurable outcomes, they share insights into the opportunities and challenges shaping the market today.
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What motivated you to reconnect with the initiative, and why do you believe Building Bridges is relevant today?

We are returning to Building Bridges because it remains one of the most relevant platforms in Switzerland for bringing together the right stakeholders (finance, business, policymakers, and experts) to move from dialogue to implementation. 

In 2026, the challenge is no longer to discuss why sustainability matters, but to accelerate credible solutions and mobilise capital at scale. For Indosuez, participating again is a way to reaffirm our long-term commitment to responsible finance and to the transition of the real economy.

Sustainable finance has evolved significantly in recent years, facing both higher expectations and greater scrutiny. From your perspective, what has changed most in the way clients think about sustainability today?

Over the past few years, sustainable finance has evolved from a largely nascent field governed by ‘soft principles’ into a far more regulated and structured market. Regulatory efforts have focused heavily on streamlining definitions, standardizing reporting, and improving transparency. 

Yet, despite these advances, the market has not fully converged. The result has been a wide variety of products and interpretations, which can make it difficult for clients to see the broader picture amid the detail.

In particular, the concept of “sustainable objective” has given rise to a broad range of views and approaches across the industry. 

The combination of frequent regulatory change, increasing regulatory complexity and different approaches contributed to some fatigue among market participants, including investors, intermediaries, and clients, as reporting or approaches were so diverse (too broad, too detailed, too technical , etc.). 

In addition, geopolitical events complicated the investment landscape, often hitting the sustainable finance domain particularly hard (e.g. energy crisis, military conflicts).

Yet at the same time, it has also prompted a number of stakeholders to double down on their commitments, with both investors and clients continuing to seek more credible, differentiated, and purpose-aligned solutions.

In particular, views have shifted in following ways:

  • From exclusion screens to integration and transition strategies.
  • From broad sustainability commitments to more measurable, outcome-driven mandates.
  • From product-led demand to governance-, reporting-, and data-led demand (measurable outcomes and transparency to make sustainable finance evidenced, and not just marketed).

To illustrate this with a couple of examples, we noticed:

  • Large EU pension funds shifting away from US and to EU managers with stronger sustainability credibility
  • Large EU players demanding bespoke, not off-the-shelf, solutions (segregated mandates, custom climate indices, and tailored transition strategies, not pooled ESG setups)
  • Some US pension funds moving away from ESG language and ESG constraints.

Hence, considering all of the above, we believe rebuilding and maintaining credibility in the domain of sustainable finance will require clearer communication, realistic positioning and a more precise articulation of what sustainable finance can and cannot reasonably deliver.

No rejection of sustainability but rather a maturation of the market as investors have become more sophisticated and more sceptical of broad ESG claims. If in Europe this debate has been driven by regulation and disclosure requirements, we may mention the more pragmatic approach of other regions notably Switzerland for a pragmatic approach focusing on the outcomes. (i.e. measurable and tangible evidence of the sustainability feature). This pragmatic approach is also reflected in Asia or emerging markets where sustainability is viewed from the transition angle, and linked to it the economic development (economic & investment solutions for energy security, urbanisation, water, healthcare & climate adaptation).

What sustainability-related issues are private investors most focused on today, and how are those priorities influencing investment decisions?

We believe private investors today are mainly focused on sustainability issues that have a direct impact on risk, resilience, and long-term value creation, such as supply chain resilience, transition risks and physical climate risks.

In short, private investors are no longer just asking, “Is this sustainable?” They are asking, “Does this help protect value now, reduce real risks, and prepare the portfolio for the future?”

While mitigation and decarbonisation remain central to sustainable investing, what role do resilience and adaptation play in investment discussions today?

The nascent, complex topic of scenario analysis has always required market actors to focus on both climate mitigation and climate adaptation. 

Yet, the past years, the probability of scenarios in which the latter materialized have increased. Beyond probability alone, extreme weather events have impacted the market. 

Floodings impacting communities across the world, droughts disrupting operations in transport or agriculture, wildfires frightening homeowners and businesses.

This resulted in the integration of resilience and adaptation from a risk management perspective, but also from an opportunity seeking perspective.

What message would you leave with our readers about the role finance can play in navigating the challenges and opportunities ahead?

Today’s challenges are tomorrow’s opportunities. Many of today’s challenges being closely tied to sustainability opportunities (climate change, social conflicts, health and safety, artificial intelligence). 

Hence, define your broader sustainable finance objectives and discuss with your manager or banker what sustainable finance can and cannot reasonably deliver with the investment time frames defined.

This can range from managing financially material ESG risks or supporting long-term value creation to delivering measurable real-world impact. A wide variety of credible, meaningful approaches and solutions exist or can be developed. 

Furthermore, seek for disclosures which are meaningful, accessible and appropriately tailored to you.

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Building Bridges est bien plus qu'un simple événement : c'est un espace de collaboration enrichissante, de perspectives nouvelles et de liens durables. À travers nos témoignages, nous mettons en lumière les expériences personnelles qui marquent chaque édition. Si vous souhaitez partager votre expérience avec Building Bridges, qu'il s'agisse d'une idée clé, d'un moment mémorable ou de l'impact des ponts tissés, n'hésitez pas à nous écrire à community@buildingbridges.org.