Sustainable Investing Gains Momentum In Wake Of Covid-19

A vast majority of regional investors have become interested in sustainable investing in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to new statistics from Swiss investment bank UBS.

According to a new global survey from UBS, 75 percent of wealthy investors worldwide have concluded that life will never return to the way it was before the pandemic.

In the UAE, however, 81 percent of respondents said they believe “a sense of fear will prevail for a long time.”

Ali Janoudi, UBS Global Wealth Management’s head for the Middle East and Africa, said that the despite the concern about the future, positive trends may emerge from the pandemic.

“A silver lining in this pandemic is that while 79 percent of millennial investors in the UAE told us they were financially impacted by Covid-19, 85 percent said they are highly interested in sustainable investing, and want their money to have an impact,” Janoudi said. “We can and already have supported them in thus investment choice, which we firmly believe is the right way forward.”

Around the world, the UBS statistics show that 83 percent of investors want more guidance than usual from their financial advisor on their financial affairs during the pandemic.

In the UAE, however, the number climbs to 87 percent.

“This survey shows on a global scale what we are witnessing every day here in the UAE,” said Niels Zilkens, head of Arabian Gulf at UBS Global Wealth Management. “Local investors are reconsidering the way they invest holistically. They are looking for guidance.”

Globally, the survey also revealed that 56 percent of investors worry about not having enough saved in the event of another pandemic, while 58 percent said they worry about working longer to make up for retirement losses.