The Chair in Detail
Overview
Editorial by Maxime Merli
Head of the Finance and Environmental Challenges Chair
The transition toward a more frugal and less-polluting economy requires the mobilization of all economic actors—first and foremost those in the financial sector. Given the enormous challenge, savings and investments must now more than ever change course and play a role in reaching this objective. Despite the willingness of some players, there are still plenty of obstacles (uncertain European regulations; divergent ESG ratings, questionable impact measures; problematic investment horizons; greenwashing). Through this corporate chair, we seek to play a part in promoting finance that serves the environment and climate.
Maxime MERLI
Our Research Areas
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Performance of sustainable investments
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Environmental impact of bond portfolios
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Investment behavior and preferences in response to climate change
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"Green" savings and the financial choices of households (and individual investors)
Our Mission
Created in September 2022, the corporate chair Finance and Environmental Challenges will be funded for three years by a donation from CIC Marchés to the University of Strasbourg Foundation. Its aim is trifold:
- provide a platform for exchanges between market professionals and academics,
- support the development of research on responsible and sustainable investments, and
- foster the development of original teaching material for students.
Our Members
- Catherine D’Hondt - UCLouvain, Louvain School of Management, LFIN / LIDAM
- Maxime Merli - EM Strasbourg Business School, University of Strasbourg, LaRGE
- Joël Petey - Sciences Po Strasbourg, University of Strasbourg, LaRGE
- Tristan Roger - ICN Business School, CEREFIGE
Front-office traders from CIC Marchés complete the steering committee.
Recent Publications
- Green Values and Transparency of Household Savings: A Survey, (M.Merli, M.Pulikova, T.Roger), The European Journal of Finance, 2024.
- Going Green? On the Drivers of Individuals’ Green Bank Adoption, (M.Merli, J.Pallud, M.Pulikova), Business Ethics, the Environment and Responsibility, 2024.
- Retail Investors and ESG investing: Demand Drivers, Trading Behavior and Investors Profile, (C.D’Hondt, M.Merli, T.Roger), Research Report / OEE, 2024.
- ESG investing: Retail Investors Profile and Behavior, (C.D’Hondt, M.Merli, T.Roger), Research Report / IEF, 2024.
- Do Financial Analysts Care About ESG? (T.Roger), Finance Research Letters, 2024.
- What Drives the Retail Portfolio Exposure to ESG Factors? (C.D’Hondt, M.Merli, T.Roger), Finance Research Letters, 2022.
Testimonials
“I am very pleased with the creation of this corporate chair and the opportunity to collaborate with a team of research lecturers on an essential topic. This partnership enables us to pursue the objectives of accelerating internal reflection at CIC Marchés, conducting scientific studies, and enabling researchers to publish academic articles dealing with ‘green’ finance and sustainable investments. This chair strengthens the long-standing and recurring ties that exist between our institutions, forged through executive education and the welcoming of students to our company.”
“I am very pleased with the creation of this corporate chair and the opportunity to collaborate with a team of research lecturers on an essential topic. This partnership enables us to pursue the objectives of accelerating internal reflection at CIC Marchés, conducting scientific studies, and enablin...
Contact
Maxime MERLI
Head of the Finance and Environmental Challenges Chair