17.11.2025No Bees, No Business? Why Biodiversity Loss Is Becoming a Material Financial Risk

Prof. Zacharias Sautner from our department will participate in a high-profile industry seminar hosted by the Swedish House of Finance:

• Title: “No Bees, No Business? Why Biodiversity Loss Is Becoming a Material Financial Risk”
• Date: Wednesday, 26 November 2025, 08:00–09:00
• Location: SSE Building, Bertil Ohlins Gata 4, Stockholm

Why This Matters

Biodiversity loss is not just an environmental concern, it is emerging as a systemic financial risk. Global biodiversity has declined by nearly 70% since 1970, and more than half of global GDP depends on ecosystem services. Unlike climate risk, biodiversity risk is highly localized, complex, and hard to quantify, yet its financial implications are growing rapidly.

The seminar brings together leading thinkers from academia and industry to examine how companies and investors can detect, measure, and manage nature-related financial risks before they escalate. 

Topics of Discussion

During the event, speakers will address:

• Latest research on the nexus between biodiversity and financial markets
• How financial institutions (especially banks) consider biodiversity in their risk management and sustainability policies
• The translation of ecological loss into measurable portfolio and balance-sheet risks
• Approaches to simplify ecological complexity into financial metrics

Speakers & Moderation

• Zacharias Sautner, Professor of Sustainable Finance, University of Zurich 
• Johanna Fager Wettergren, Head of Group Sustainability, Swedbank 
• Julia Ripa, Senior Analyst at AP4, co-author of Integrating Biodiversity into Investment Decisions 
• Mark Sanctuary, Associate Professor, KTH & Sustainable Finance Lab
• Moderator: Jan Starmans, Associate Professor at the Swedish House of Finance, Stockholm School of Economics 

Significance for UZH & Sustainable Finance

Prof. Sautner’s involvement underscores the University of Zurich’s leadership in biodiversity finance, a rapidly growing research frontier. His ongoing research with the Swiss Finance Institute investigates how investors are increasingly factoring corporate biodiversity footprints into valuations, anticipating both regulatory changes and nature-dependent risks. 

As the financial sector evolves, understanding and managing nature-related risks has become as essential as managing traditional market risks. This event highlights UZH’s commitment to pioneering research that bridges natural capital and financial markets.

More information:

• Swedish House of Finance at the Stockholm School of Economics: Link
• Event details: Link 
• UZH Department of Finance: Initative in Sustainable Finance

Photo source: Microsoft

Initiative in Sustainable Finance News