News

A successful first edition for the Certificate in Sustainable Finance

  • Faculté de Droit, d'Économie et de Finance (FDEF)
    17 juin 2021
  • Catégorie
    Recherche
  • Thème
    Finance

The first edition of the 8-day Certificate in Sustainable Finance programme wrapped up on Thursday, 3 June 2021 with a total of 16 course participants from diverse professional backgrounds including banking, risk management, fund administration and law completing the course.

The Certificate, which is organised within the framework of the Sustainable Finance Chair, supported by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development, aims to provide a comprehensive foundation of sustainable finance, covering financial concepts, the regulatory and legal dimension, and current reporting and disclosure standards.

Alongside Faculty instructors, Dr. Peter Joseph Mathis (Course Director), Prof. Michael Halling, and Prof. Dirk Zetzsche, participants also heard from sustainable finance professionals and were encouraged to share their experiences and network with others within the group. Due to the health and safety measures in place, the programme was held in hybrid mode for the summer semester 2021. However, future sessions are planned to be held in-person, as the Certificate is intended for local Luxembourg professionals.

Relevant information for practitioners and a welcome critical analysis

For John Hosie, Conducting Officer, the decision to complete the Certificate in Sustainable Finance was based on the increasing relevance of the topic to his firm and to his position specifically, “My role within the operations and financial reporting function will be directly impacted by Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation and the EU Taxonomy requirements,” says Mr. Hosie, “The course provided me with an increased understanding of these regulations, the background as to why they have been developed, the regulators objectives and the operational impact they will have.”

Regarding the content of the programme, Mr. Hosie especially appreciated the fact that “the course challenged a lot of the assumptions around ESG.” By presenting a balanced opinion, and not taking for granted the benefits of ESG, performance or investor appetite for ESG products, Mr. Hosie says that the course “allows you to properly assess ESG products, data and the risk associated with these products.” Mr. Hosie’s key takeaways from the course included “a more detailed understanding of the regulatory impact to my area of the business, accounting and financial reporting,” as well as “a broader understanding of ESG and how this will need to be integrated throughout the organisation, its processes, its culture and its products.” 

According to another participant, Natalia Krzempek, the course provided “in-depth understanding of the environmental and social pressures facing the current financial system and of how sustainable finance strategies can create long term added value for all sides: society, businesses and financial market actors.” Overall, Ms. Krzempek found the programme to be “very interesting, accurate as well as very practical.”

Interested in taking a deep dive into sustainable finance?

The Certificate in Sustainable Finance is an ECTS-granting programme which occurs once each university semester. To better accommodate working professionals, week one and week two occur at a three-week interval. The next session is scheduled to begin in January 2022 with exact dates coming soon.

Candidates need to hold at least a Bachelor diploma or equivalent 3-year degree in any field. As all instruction is given in English, a minimum level of B2 is required. Applicants should demonstrate an interest in sustainable finance, whether through professional experience or publications. The number of participants during each session is limited to 20.

More details can be found on our website, or by getting in touch with Coralie Deshayes, programme administrator.