Climate change: sustainability increasingly important factor for wealthy investors in Hong Kong, Singapore, St James’s Place says

More than 60 per cent of affluent, high-net-worth individuals said sustainability plays a key role in their investment decisions

‘Definitely more focus on environmental factors’ among investors, says regional head of UK asset manager St James’s Place

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An engineer conducts maintenance work at a floating solar farm in China’s Anhui province. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 11:30am, 1 Sep 2021Updated: 9:54pm, 1 Sep 2021

Sustainability has become an increasingly important factor in the minds of wealthy investors in Hong Kong and in Singapore as they build their portfolios, according to St James’s Place Wealth Management Asia.

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors and sustainability played a key role in investment decisions among 63 per cent of affluent and high-net-worth individuals in Hong Kong and in Singapore, according to a survey commissioned by St James’s Place.

More than 40 per cent also said they were willing to divest investments in companies that do not operate sustainably, the “Wealthy, Healthy Planet – The Power of Personal Wealth in Sustainable Development” survey found.

“We’re definitely seeing more ask from our clients in terms of sustainable investing,” said Angelina Lai, CEO of St James’s Place International (Hong Kong) and head of the UK asset manager’s Asia investment division. “There’s definitely more focus on environmental factors.”

The survey interviewed about 2,000 affluent and high-net-worth investors in Hong Kong and in Singapore in February and March this year.

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