Sustainability Articles and News from our Blog

Financial Data

ESG Ratings: Who Assigns Them? How Do They Originate? And Why Are They Important?

12 Dec 2024 5 minutes

ESG ratings are scores that shed light on how sustainably companies operate. Learn in this blog post how ESG ratings originate and what purpose they serve.

Financial Market Infrastructure

Carbon Footprint Explained: From Causes to Solutions

14 Nov 2024 5 minutes

More and more businesses and investors are seeking to precisely measure corporate CO2 footprints. One of the main drivers behind this movement is new regulatory requirements aimed at containing climate change and minimizing climate-related risks. Read below about what the term “CO2 footprint” means and what factors need to be taken into account when calculating it.

People & Culture

Mental Health: How Important Is Everyday Working Life?

30 Oct 2024 4 minutes

If you want to stay healthy, you have to look after both your body and your mind. In the interview with Karin Lügstenmann, Specialist Well-Being at SIX, discover why daily working life is an especially important social factor for mental health, and why mental illness and the ability to work aren’t mutually exclusive.

People & Culture

Leading Through Change: Hannah Zaunmüller on the Role of HR at SIX

26 Sep 2024 8 minutes

Hannah Zaunmüller, Chief Human Resources Officer at SIX, discusses her new role on the Executive Board and the strategic importance of Human Resources (HR). Find out how she works on aligning our company - including corporate culture, leadership development initiatives, and dealing with global growth in a rapidly evolving environment.

Financial Market Infrastructure

Understanding Greenwashing: How Do I Spot Misleading Sustainability Claims?

05 Sep 2024 6 minutes

Public opinion, lawmakers and regulators continue to narrow down the definition of which business practices are sustainable and which are not. At the same time the awareness of so-called greenwashing is on the rise. Read how some companies are at risk of making products and services seem more environmentally friendly than they really are.

Company Growth

Psychology of the Climate Crisis – Doconomy Addresses the Discrepancy between Attitude and Behavior

15 Aug 2024 3 minutes

The Elevator Pitch blog series introduces you to startups that SIX supports or advises. Today, you’ll get to know Doconomy. CEO and co-founder Mathias Wikström explains how he and his team tackle the pressing issue of climate change.

Financial Data

5 Reasons Why You Need Climate Data – Regulation Is Just One of Them

29 Feb 2024 4 minutes

Under the Paris Agreement, normative frameworks are turning into binding regulations. In order to comply with them, the financial industry needs to be able to count on a reliable underlying data basis. But that’s not all. Read in this article where portfolio and asset managers are likewise reliant on trustworthy and consistent climate data.

Financial Market Infrastructure

ICT Sector on the Way to Net Zero

01 Feb 2024 7 minutes

The digital future meets environmental responsibility. Read in this blog post how much emissions the ICT sector generates and how they can be reduced.

People & Culture

Leveraging Parents, Schools, and Social Media to Increase Youth Financial Literacy

24 Jan 2024 5 minutes

Financial literacy is at its lowest in the young and elderly segments of the population. Discover in this blog post how businesses can employ social media to get youths interested in financial topics.

Stock Exchanges

CO2 Offset: How It Works, What It Delivers – and What Has to Change

30 Nov 2023 6 minutes

Many companies buy CO2 certificates to offset their CO2 emissions. How exactly does that work? And how big a benefit does it deliver?

People & Culture

“We Can Achieve a Great Deal, but When It Comes to Sustainability, Everyone Has to Pitch In.”

24 Sep 2023 4 minutes

As a key player in the financial markets, SIX promotes the sustainable and responsible development of the financial markets. Read on to discover how Fabienne Strobel, Head Sustainability at SIX wants to take sustainability within the company to the next level.

People & Culture

How I Develop My Personality – and Benefit from It at Work

06 Sep 2023 7 minutes

What would you most like to change about yourself? Whether we want to become more patient, self-confident, neater, or assertive, for most of us there’s something that comes to mind. In this article, you will learn how you can develop your personality, and how important this is for your career.

Company Growth

Sustainability Reporting: No Longer Optional

31 Aug 2023 4 minutes

Sustainability reports have gone from being a nice-to-have to a must-have. Read below how far sustainability reporting has evolved and who is affected by the recent regulatory changes in the European Union. Spoiler alert! – they also apply to companies outside the EU.

Financial Data

What Is ESG? And Why Is Everybody Talking about Sustainability?

26 Jul 2023 4 minutes

The ESG theme has been booming in recent years. Companies must become more sustainable and more transparent. But what does ESG actually mean? Who determines how sustainable companies are? And why is a good ESG rating so important these days?

Financial Market Infrastructure

Confidence, Transparency, Complexity: This Is How the Buy-Side looks at Digital Assets and ESG Investing

04 Jul 2023 4 minutes

Digital assets have reached a pivotal point in their journey towards mainstream, widespread institutional adoption. The pace and scale at which integration of ESG considerations into investment strategies is now happening across the global investment space is unprecedented. Read on to learn how investment managers recognize the respective growth potential presented by both areas.

Company Growth

Startup ClimateTrade Facilitates the Financing of Projects That Reduce or Eliminate Greenhouse Gas Emissions

06 Jun 2023 2 minutes

In the Elevator Pitch blog series, startup companies that SIX supports or advises introduce themselves. Today, you’ll get to know ClimateTrade. CEO and co-founder Francisco Benedito explains how he and his team approach the pressing problem of climate change.

People & Culture

Doing an Apprenticeship in IT as a Woman: “A Forward-Looking Profession with a Lot of Variety”

17 May 2023 3 minutes

Lea Zürcher finished her training as an IT specialist at SIX in summer 2022. The young woman is thus counteracting the worsening shortage of skilled labor in the IT sector. Read in the interview below why it’s a shame that men still account for the vast majority of her co-workers.

Financial Data

Sustainable Investment Strategies and a New Type of Responsibility for Asset Managers

05 Apr 2023 4 minutes

Sustainable investment is the order of the day. Read on to find out what the most important sustainable investment strategies are, and how important transparency is for asset managers.

People & Culture

A Day of Work for a Good Cause – How SIX Employees Go to Bat for Our Environment and Society

30 Mar 2023 4 minutes

Employees of SIX trudge through a snowy winter landscape. What is this all about? It means that SIX Social Days are back after a lengthy hiatus caused by the pandemic. Read below how and where employees of SIX are getting involved all over the place.

Payment Transactions

Financial Parenting: How Parents Influence Their Children’s Financial Behavior

16 Mar 2023 5 minutes

Children first have to learn how to handle money responsibly. Parents play an important role here. Read about what financial parenting means in the following interview with Andrea Schmid-Fischer. The head of budget counseling and the advisory office for financial support for young adults at the Frauenzentrale Luzern explains how parents can help their children acquire financial literacy.

Financial Market Infrastructure

Annual Report 2022: Solid Results for SIX in a Challenging Environment

09 Mar 2023 5 minutes

The diversified business model of SIX continued to demonstrate its strength in the past financial year. Learn more about the solid results of SIX and its progress in the challenging year 2022.

Stock Exchanges

What Does a Finfluencer Actually Do?

23 Feb 2023 4 minutes

Angela Mygind is a finfluencer known by the pseudonym Miss Finance. She imparts financial knowledge to her audience in an easy-to-understand way on her media channels. How did she set that up? And what does the job of a finfluencer entail? Read on in this blog post to find out.

Financial Data

What Actually Is an ESG Index?

02 Feb 2023 5 minutes

Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important issue in the financial sector. Investing is no longer just about profitability, but also about an investment’s social and environmental impact. ESG indices can serve as a basis for sustainable investment products. Read below about what an ESG index is and how one comes into being.

Financial Market Infrastructure

Future of Finance Study by SIX: Here Are 4 Selected Findings That Will Surprise You

10 Nov 2022 4 minutes

SIX asked executives from the financial industry about their assessment of future developments. Here you can read a selection of the results that were not necessarily expected.

Payment Transactions

Finance for Kids: Inspired by Shelley Zalis – A Podcast on the Foundations of Financial Confidence

07 Oct 2022 18 minutes

Mara Harvey has made it her mission to teach children – and their parents – the basics of successful wealth building. In our podcast, learn about the importance of starting early to talk to your kids about money and the role gender equality fighters like Shelley Zalis have in this.

Financial Market Infrastructure

Special Exhibition at the Swiss Finance Museum: From the Very First Bank to Neobanks

21 Sep 2022 4 minutes

The new special exhibition “Banks in Transition: From Counters to Apps” has opened at the Swiss Finance Museum. Read below how you can experience the technological transformation of the banking industry in Zurich.

People & Culture

Formula Student: When Students Build the Future of Electric Cars

15 Sep 2022 5 minutes

SIX is a dedicated sponsor of the EPFL Racing Team, a group of students who build a new electric race car every year to compete on the Formula Student circuit. This blog post gives you a peek behind the scenes of the engineering competition for students.

People & Culture

Working from Home Sustainably: 5 Tips for the Office inside Your Own 4 Walls

07 Sep 2022 6 minutes

At first, many employees were forced to stay home during the pandemic. Today, many of them are allowed to work from home if they wish. When a temporary arrangement becomes an everyday routine, new challenges arise. This blog post gives you some useful tips on how to work sustainably in your office at home.

People & Culture

Women Belong in IT, Right Where They’ve Always Been

17 Aug 2022 4 minutes

Women are sorely underrepresented in the field of computer science. Discover in our blog post how this wasn’t always the case and doesn’t have to be today. Three women in IT at SIX tell their stories.

Financial Data

EU ESG Regulations: How Can Financial Institutions Overcome the Upcoming Challenges?

17 May 2022 3 minutes

The EU Taxonomy and SFDR are the single-largest pieces of ESG-related legislation introduced anywhere in the world, and their compliance requirements are equally daunting. Find out what financial institutions now need to know and who can help.

Financial Data

Data Facilitates Markets

27 Apr 2022 3 minutes

Financial information is an ever-growing mainstay in the diversified business portfolio of SIX. But the importance of data goes beyond just being a source of income: Data links different businesses and even industries together. Read how data creates transparency, makes processes more efficient, and enables growth.

People & Culture

Mental Stress when Working from Home? – Taking Stock after Two Years of Pandemic

23 Mar 2022 5 minutes

Working from home creates flexibility, but can also cause psychological stress. This makes it all the more important for workers to get professional support when needed. Learn in this blog post what effects working from home can have on our mental health and what aspects need to be taken into consideration in new working models.

Stock Exchanges

Tackling Climate Change: Why Exchanges Play a Crucial Role

15 Mar 2022 3 minutes

In a new whitepaper SIX examined how exchanges can help fight climate change. Read in the following interview, why they play an important role in this regard.

Stock Exchanges

Sustainable Finance: Inspired by Christiana Figueres – A Podcast on the Effect of Stubborn Optimism

16 Feb 2022 20 minutes

Sabine Döbeli, CEO Swiss Sustainable Finance, remembers a time when sustainable financial markets were still a niche topic. Find out why Costa Rican diplomat Christiana Figueres was already an inspiration back then and where the Swiss financial center stands today.

Financial Data

Wealth Management in Change: 4 Competencies the Industry Needs to Build for the Future

09 Feb 2022 4 minutes

Like other business areas within the Swiss financial center, wealth management is facing major challenges. What adjustments to the business model are necessary? Find out which competencies will be helpful in connection with data and technology.

People & Culture

Jan Bieser

Is Working from Home Better for Our Climate?

02 Feb 2022 6 minutes

Homeworking – a blessing for many, a curse for others. And what about for our climate? In the following interview, Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute senior researcher Dr. Jan Bieser reveals how homeworking affects our environment and explains how companies can structure remote work to minimize impacts on our climate.

Financial Market Infrastructure

Stability in Times of Crisis – How SIX Ensures the Continuity of Its Business

21 Jan 2022 2 minutes

SIX is the backbone of the Swiss and Spanish financial centers, and its services are essential to both economies. The Business Continuity Management unit at SIX ensures the availability of these services – even during times of crisis.

People & Culture

Hannah Zaunmüller

Working from Home Works

06 Dec 2021 2 minutes

Hannah Zaunmüller has been the Chief Human Resources Officer and a member of the Extended Executive Board at SIX since February 2021. After stints at Deutsche Post DHL and Swiss Post, the German-Swiss dual citizen most recently held the same role at media group Ringier prior to joining SIX. She is convinced that a hybrid approach to working is the model of the future.

Stock Exchanges

Inspired by Sheryl Sandberg: The Impact of Taking Control

06 Oct 2021 18 minutes

Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, has inspired many women around the world with her book “Lean In.” One of them is the blogger Angela Mygind, better known under her pseudonym “Miss Finance.” In our podcast, she explains why women should take their financial planning into their own hands and why financial literacy is important.

Stock Exchanges

Capital Markets Embrace Sustainability: Three Factors That Drive Inflows Into ESG Assets

09 Sep 2021 4 minutes

Financial market infrastructures like SIX with its stock exchanges in Switzerland and Spain are playing an increasingly important role in helping sustainable companies – or those in transition – obtain financing through the capital markets. The ascendency of ESG-linked assets, i.e. those taking environmental, social or governance factors into account, shows no sign of decelerating. However, some challenges are not yet resolved.

Financial Data

Inspired by Thomas Tuchel: The Passion for Detail

01 Sep 2021 19 minutes

It is impossible to imagine modern football without numbers, statistics and systems. Christian Bahr, Head of Index Services at SIX, is all the more familiar with them. In our podcast, he tells us what other similarities he has discovered with football coach Thomas Tuchel.

Financial Data

The Future of Data – Is Data Management Sexy Now?

20 Jul 2021 4 minutes

I was once asked at a conference “Is data management sexy now?” AI is sexy. Analytics too. Insights generated from analytics really turn heads. But the key to all this is still the fundamentals of data management and quality. Not so sexy, sadly. Where are we going with data, and how will we get there?

Financial Market Infrastructure

The Rhyme of History

30 Jun 2021 4 minutes

There are parallels, or a rhyme, between the Roaring Twenties and the 2020s, particularly with regard to widening inequalities in the distribution of income and wealth. This situation cannot be remediated by a perpetuated policy of running up debt, but is rectifiable through productivity advancements and a functioning social market economy. This is the only way to succeed in transforming our economy and society to “net zero.”

Financial Data

The Future of Sustainable Finance

25 Jun 2021 4 minutes

Sustainable finance is the practice of taking environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations into account when making investment decisions, leading to more sustainable economic activities and projects. Today investment funds that use ESG have more than $50 trillion in capital and are growing fast. Indeed, it may be this tsunami of ESG capital investment that will produce the sort of “stakeholder capitalism” envisioned by the World Economic Forum and the OECD as being the future of trade and investment.

People & Culture

Inspired by Margaret Hamilton: The Importance of Female References

03 Jun 2021 18 minutes

At BME Inntech, Berta Ares and her team work on technological innovations for the financial markets. Margaret Hamilton is a daily inspiration for her. In our podcast, she tells us among other things how the pioneer of software engineering enabled Neil Armstrong to set foot on the moon.

Stock Exchanges

ESG Bonds Boom

04 May 2021 3 minutes

Green, Social, and Sustainable Bonds (ESG Bonds) are becoming increasingly relevant on the capital markets. The volume issued is growing exponentially from year to year. With the Swiss Exchange and BME, SIX offers corresponding listing locations and trading venues in Switzerland and Spain.

Stock Exchanges

Inspired by Margarete Steiff: The Will to Make It Happen

16 Feb 2021 21 minutes

On our podcast, Andrea Weidemann, Director of the Swiss Finance Museum, tells the moving story of Margarete Steiff and recounts surprising anecdotes about successful entrepreneurs behind historical securities.

People & Culture

Inspired by Johan Cruyff: The Way to Play

17 Dec 2020 22 minutes

SIX CEO Jos Dijsselhof explains in our podcast how the Dutch soccer legend Johan Cruyff inspired him and what it takes for a company to “score” in a growing market.

Stock Exchanges

“Investing in Gender Equality Is Key For Sustainable Development.”

17 Nov 2020 6 minutes

Impact investing is a trending topic. As a specific form of impact investing gender lens investing focuses particularly on gender equality and the inclusion of women in the economy. How does this topic influence the financial industry? What are the social and economic impacts when investing with a gender lens? And how does it pay off for investors? SIX asked three experts on the subject at a panel discussion in Zurich.

People & Culture

SIX Participates in Powercoders Program

21 Oct 2020 1 minute

The non-profit organization Powercoders arranges IT internships for migrants at renowned companies. On Tuesday, job providers and job seekers met for "speed dating" at the SIX Convention Point in Zurich. SIX also offered open positions.

People & Culture

7 Steps toward Attracting More Female Talent at SIX

05 Oct 2020 4 minutes

Studies show that a more diverse workforce brings about many benefits for a company. SIX has a highly diverse workforce in terms of languages and cultural backgrounds. However, women are underrepresented at almost every level – especially in senior positions. Therefore, SIX is striving to grow the percentage of women at each middle and top management level to a minimum of 25% by 2023. Learn the seven steps SIX has taken to get closer to this objective.

Financial Data

ESG Data for a Better View of the Big Picture

20 May 2020 6 minutes

Alternative data enables investors to value companies also on the basis of non-financial aspects. ESG data, for example, makes it easier to invest in accordance with sustainability criteria – a hot trend at the moment.

Financial Data

Marion Leslie

Data Is the Fuel of Financial Markets

08 May 2020 5 minutes

Marion Leslie has headed the Financial Information business unit at SIX since the start of 2020. In this interview, she talks about how the data business has changed during her career, what the future holds, and what opportunities this presents for SIX.

People & Culture

“Girls 4 IT” Day: Playfully Learning What IT Is

27 Feb 2020 6 minutes

SIX hosted its inaugural “Girls 4 IT” day. Around 40 schoolgirls learned about career possibilities and got acquainted with coding at the SIX headquarters in Zurich.

People & Culture

Programming Is Not Just a Man’s Game

22 Dec 2017 8 minutes

With the worldwide success of Niche – A Genetics Survival Game, game designer Philomena Schwab has proven that computer programming doesn’t have to be a man’s realm. Today she is a prefigurative role model, but interdisciplinary education programs and a societal change in thinking will hopefully soon make her the norm.

#sustainability

Read all articles about: sustainability

ESG Ratings: Who Assigns Them? How Do They Originate? And Why Are They Important?

Carbon Footprint Explained: From Causes to Solutions

Mental Health: How Important Is Everyday Working Life?

Leading Through Change: Hannah Zaunmüller on the Role of HR at SIX

Understanding Greenwashing: How Do I Spot Misleading Sustainability Claims?

Psychology of the Climate Crisis – Doconomy Addresses the Discrepancy between Attitude and Behavior

5 Reasons Why You Need Climate Data – Regulation Is Just One of Them

ICT Sector on the Way to Net Zero

Leveraging Parents, Schools, and Social Media to Increase Youth Financial Literacy

CO2 Offset: How It Works, What It Delivers – and What Has to Change

“We Can Achieve a Great Deal, but When It Comes to Sustainability, Everyone Has to Pitch In.”

How I Develop My Personality – and Benefit from It at Work

Sustainability Reporting: No Longer Optional

What Is ESG? And Why Is Everybody Talking about Sustainability?

Confidence, Transparency, Complexity: This Is How the Buy-Side looks at Digital Assets and ESG Investing

Startup ClimateTrade Facilitates the Financing of Projects That Reduce or Eliminate Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Doing an Apprenticeship in IT as a Woman: “A Forward-Looking Profession with a Lot of Variety”

Sustainable Investment Strategies and a New Type of Responsibility for Asset Managers

A Day of Work for a Good Cause – How SIX Employees Go to Bat for Our Environment and Society

Financial Parenting: How Parents Influence Their Children’s Financial Behavior

Annual Report 2022: Solid Results for SIX in a Challenging Environment

What Does a Finfluencer Actually Do?

What Actually Is an ESG Index?

Future of Finance Study by SIX: Here Are 4 Selected Findings That Will Surprise You

Finance for Kids: Inspired by Shelley Zalis – A Podcast on the Foundations of Financial Confidence

Special Exhibition at the Swiss Finance Museum: From the Very First Bank to Neobanks

Formula Student: When Students Build the Future of Electric Cars

Working from Home Sustainably: 5 Tips for the Office inside Your Own 4 Walls

Women Belong in IT, Right Where They’ve Always Been

EU ESG Regulations: How Can Financial Institutions Overcome the Upcoming Challenges?

Data Facilitates Markets

Mental Stress when Working from Home? – Taking Stock after Two Years of Pandemic

Tackling Climate Change: Why Exchanges Play a Crucial Role

Sustainable Finance: Inspired by Christiana Figueres – A Podcast on the Effect of Stubborn Optimism

Wealth Management in Change: 4 Competencies the Industry Needs to Build for the Future

Is Working from Home Better for Our Climate?

Stability in Times of Crisis – How SIX Ensures the Continuity of Its Business

Working from Home Works

Inspired by Sheryl Sandberg: The Impact of Taking Control

Capital Markets Embrace Sustainability: Three Factors That Drive Inflows Into ESG Assets

Inspired by Thomas Tuchel: The Passion for Detail

The Future of Data – Is Data Management Sexy Now?

The Rhyme of History

The Future of Sustainable Finance

Inspired by Margaret Hamilton: The Importance of Female References

ESG Bonds Boom

Inspired by Margarete Steiff: The Will to Make It Happen

Inspired by Johan Cruyff: The Way to Play

“Investing in Gender Equality Is Key For Sustainable Development.”

SIX Participates in Powercoders Program

7 Steps toward Attracting More Female Talent at SIX

ESG Data for a Better View of the Big Picture

Data Is the Fuel of Financial Markets

“Girls 4 IT” Day: Playfully Learning What IT Is

Programming Is Not Just a Man’s Game

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