New Swiss Stewardship Code Aligns with International Standards

On October 4, 2023, the Asset Management Association Switzerland (AMAS) and Swiss Sustainable Finance (SSF) released the Swiss Stewardship Code. This Code can serve as an international reference for its alignment with key global and national standards, particularly: the Global Stewardship Principles of the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN), the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) and the UK Stewardship Code. The Swiss Code’s nine principles identified as necessary for effective stewardship include: (1) governance, (2) stewardship policies, (3) voting, (4) engagement, (5) escalation, (6) monitoring of investees, (7) delegation of stewardship activities, (8) conflicts of interest, and (9) transparency and reporting.

Board leadership, appropriate oversight and regular review of governance practices are some of the points the Code particularly emphasizes as essential to be maintained and monitored.