Retail investors in the UAE can mobilise more than Dh367 billion ($100bn) towards top environmental, social and governance (ESG) priorities, particularly the financing of climate transition to net zero, a report by Standard Chartered has found.
This capital could play a critical part in bridging funding gaps in the UAE’s other ESG priorities, including food and water security and pollution and waste management, said the report, which surveyed 3,113 people across 10 markets.
More than 40 per cent of investors in the Emirates want to put their money towards addressing climate issues, the research found.
“Our global research reveals a significant amount of retail investor wealth which can flow into sustainable investment should the investment barriers be overcome,” said Owen Young, head of affluent and wealth management for Africa, Middle East and Europe at Standard Chartered Bank.
“There is significant appetite in the UAE to take ESG investment from a niche play to a mainstream investment strategy.”
The UAE is aggressively pursuing goals to reduce its carbon footprint and became the first country in the Middle East to set a net-zero target last year. The Emirates aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and plans to invest $160bn on clean and renewable energy sources over the next three decades.
The Emirates will require Dh2.5 trillion in investment to finance its transition to a net-zero economy, according to an April report by Standard Chartered.
Private investors can contribute more than Dh300tn of the Dh350tn that is required by emerging markets for the energy transition, the bank said.
About 38 per cent of investors in the UAE cited climate change and carbon emissions as their top ESG priority, followed by 31 per cent who referred to energy and resource use and 26 per cent who picked pollution and waste management, the latest Standard Chartered report found.
However, barriers need to be overcome to unlock more than Dh411bn to translate this investor interest into actual impact, the report said.
Forty-seven per cent of UAE-based investors picked comparability as the top barrier to increasing their sustainable investments, while 45 per cent cited perceived low returns and higher risk, and 44 per cent highlighted comprehensibility, according to the research.
Financial institutions must democratise access to sustainable investments by making more solutions available via digital platforms, the report suggested. They must also provide transparent information, address investor apprehensions and provide data-led advice on how to match investors’ ESG priorities with the right solutions, the lender said.
Meanwhile, more than Dh30tn of investable retail wealth can be channelled into sustainable investments by 2030 to finance ESG objectives in 10 growth markets, the research found.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The five pillars of Islam
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
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Tuesday - 5.15pm: Team Lebanon v Alger Corsaires; 8.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Pharaohs
Wednesday - 5.15pm: Pharaohs v Carthage Eagles; 8.30pm: Alger Corsaires v Abu Dhabi Storms
Thursday - 4.30pm: Team Lebanon v Pharaohs; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Carthage Eagles
Friday - 4.30pm: Pharaohs v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Team Lebanon
Saturday - 4.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Team Lebanon
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