As a private bank, we take responsibility – not only for your assets. As a company, we also have a responsibility towards society, our employees, future generations, and the environment. Sustainable and ethical behaviour has been firmly enshrined in Neue Bank’s mission statement since the bank was founded in 1992. Corporate responsibility is not just an empty phrase for us. It is the common thread that runs through the fabric of Neue Bank – from fair asset management and our social commitment to supporting young talent to our ideal and modern working conditions.

Our values: Security and sustainability

As an entrepreneurial private bank, we strive for constancy and continuous, healthy growth. In a nutshell: security and sustainability. Concretely, this means that we are guided by our comprehensive compliance rules and the corresponding legal requirements. We take our social responsibility seriously, so we always carefully weigh the consequences of our actions. This is further underscored by our use of a sustainability committee. We pursue a pronounced risk-conscious investment policy in our main business areas. We attach equal importance to capital preservation and to suitable performance of the assets entrusted to us. Thanks to the bank’s independence and the fact that we do not offer our own products, we avoid conflicts of interest.

The new asset management

With our PRIMUS-ETHICS asset management mandate, we give our clients the opportunity to include environmental and social considerations in their investment decisions in addition to financial aspects. But also our investment advice, our approach to reporting, and numerous awards demonstrate that sustainability can be found in all areas of our work.

Highest sustainability rating: PRIMUS-ETHICS

In PRIMUS-ETHICS, we invest the assets entrusted to us only in ethically and morally irreproachable companies. When Neue Bank launched its sustainable asset management PRIMUS-ETHICS in 2009, this was important pioneering work in the banking sector. The right kind of pioneering work. Today, the PRIMUS-ETHICS mandate has the highest sustainability rating of AAA, ranking first in its peer group of more than 30,000 investment funds. This is confirmed by the independent analysis platform yourSRI.

Comprehensive investment advice

We also take account of social and environmental aspects in the investment advice we provide. The client’s preferences are ascertained when we gather information for the investor profile. Does the client wish to make sustainable investments? Then the experts at Neue Bank will be happy to put together tailored investment proposals.

Sustainability reports at the portfolio level create transparency

We introduced this type of reporting in 2021. Clients – private clients, intermediaries, but also institutional investors – receive a detailed report on the various risks and opportunities of their own portfolio. The following aspects are taken into account:

• environmental
• social and
• governance criteria (ESG) and
• greenhouse gas emissions.

This report clearly shows how your investments are performing from a sustainability perspective. As you wish, the portfolio can be restructured and made more sustainable with the support of your investment adviser. Sustainability reports at the portfolio level help our clients to gain a better understanding of the advantages of sustainable asset management. In this way, we also underscore our leading role in sustainability in the Liechtenstein financial centre and already today meet the regulatory requirements of tomorrow.

Award-winning bank

In a pool of about 400 competitors, we demonstrate our quality. For years, we have been rated by the recognised testing institutes Fuchsbriefe and Elite Report for our performance in advisory services and asset management. In the Elite Report, Neue Bank has been awarded magna cum laude. The Fuchsbriefe test ranks Neue Bank among the top ten in its all-time list of the best providers over 19 years. Especially in recent years, we have improved our ranking by several places. The reason for this is Neue Bank’s sustainability culture.

Ethically irreproachable loans

Lending and loan management are based on qualitative and quantitative factors. Borrowers – and the project to be financed – are the focus of our assessment of creditworthiness. The type of loan – mortgage, Lombard, or business loan – is secondary. Neue Bank has clear exclusion criteria. For instance, no loans are granted for projects involving gambling, weapons, or the like.

Responsible corporate governance

We act responsibly and with a focus on the future. For us, ensuring sustainability and taking responsibility is not limited to our business areas – it is reflected in all fields of our corporate governance.

This includes:

• Neue Bank as an employer
• Environmental solutions in energy management and green IT
• Social commitment
• Compliance function and risk management

Responsibility as an employer

Gender equality is part of our corporate governance and has resulted in our current share of women of 45%. We hire according to aptitude and ability, not gender. We also consider it our responsibility to offer our employees an enjoyable working environment with good opportunities for development. Because at the end of the day, our employees are our most important capital.

These are some of the things we offer our employees:

• Equal treatment from the outset
• Part-time solutions
• Day-care spots at Villa Wirbelwind in Vaduz
• Ergonomic workplaces
• Support for continuing education
• Cost contributions for public transport

Environmental solutions – energy management and green IT

Neue Bank was an environmental pioneer already at the end of the 1990s when the bank building was planned. Environmentally friendly materials such as wood and granite were used. Climate-control ceilings were installed, along with a heat pump as a renewable energy source. Now a photovoltaic system will be added to produce part of our electricity ourselves.
But not only the building is constantly being optimised according to environmental considerations. We save electricity and resources wherever possible. And not surprisingly, Neue Bank was one of the first in the Liechtenstein financial centre to implement the green IT approach in its day-to-day work.

Environmental optimisation measures:

• Constant improvements to the building
• Saving electricity and resources
• Server and desktop visualisations improve environmental balance sheet
• Thin clients conserve resources
• Saving paper: Electronic transmission of account, custody account, and transaction data
• E-Banking

Also in procurement, Neue Bank pays attention to reconciling economic and environmental needs.

Neue Bank takes social responsibility

With our sponsorships, we support culture and social projects. We are happy to take the responsibility that comes with ownership. We donate to public-benefit organisations every year at Christmas time. During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic alone, we donated over half a million Swiss francs to projects. In that way, we supported people, associations, and organisations that were and continue to be severely impacted by the consequences of the pandemic.
And we don’t forget culture. We support young talent in culture and music, but also important events:

• Violinist Sara Domjanić
• Liechtenstein Symphony Orchestra
• Vaduz Classic festival

Compliance function and risk management

Last but not least: Sustainability and sustainable investments have been our maxims for a long time. Policymakers have also increasingly turned their focus to sustainability. Regulatory standards and projects such as the 2030 Agenda are coming into force. The aim is to strengthen sustainable business and promote transparency. Regulatory standards defined by the EU will also have to be implemented in Liechtenstein. Neue Bank is involved in this dialogue thanks to its membership in the sustainability committees of the Liechtenstein Bankers Association. We can help shape developments, and the regulatory requirements are being integrated into our compliance and risk management processes with the highest standards.