Dieter Aigner, Managing Director of Raiffeisen KAG and Chief Sustainable Investment Officer
Almost two years ago, we therefore defined ‘future themes’ at Raiffeisen Capital Management that we consider to be particularly relevant against the backdrop of the climate crisis, but also against the backdrop of other social challenges, and which we now analyse in a structured manner by interdisciplinary teams in fund management and prepare from the investor's point of view. Currently, these are the topics of
energy (transition),
technology,
infrastructure,
raw materials,
health & nutrition, and
circular economy & recycling.
The big bracket within which the individual teams at our company examine these cross-sectional issues is the meta-theme of sustainability. This means that an assessment regarding ESG is a central aspect in the discussion. The list of topics is by no means static but is oriented towards the major geopolitical and global economic developments and can be continuously expanded.
The aim is to use this networking of topics and teams to strengthen dialogue and knowledge building throughout Raiffeisen Capital Management, to generate a well-founded corporate opinion on the individual focal topics (keyword: policy) and ideally to develop innovative (impact) products (such as the Raiffeisen SmartEnergy ESG Equities) for our investors. In addition, the insights gained also flow into our expanded investment process. The working groups do not only act on their own, but also exchange information with other ‘future themes’ teams. It often turns out that the topics intertwine, and the exchange allows further connections to be identified.
The intensive examination of topics that drive and shape our society and the development of sound know-how in this area strengthens the competence of Raiffeisen Capital Management and contributes to even greater credibility among our investors. With the knowledge built up in this way, positions - such as the current clear rejection of nuclear energy - can be coherently argued and defended.
The fund exhibits elevated volatility, meaning that unit prices can move significantly higher or lower in short periods of time, and it is not possible to rule out loss of capital.