Growth despite the headwinds
Each year FTSE Russell conducts a global survey to explore trends in sustainable investment adoption and asset owners’ priorities, concerns and approaches to key risks and opportunities
This year’s findings from 402 asset owners across 24 countries reveal:
- Sustainable investment adoption has returned to near-record levels last seen in 2022, with 84% of asset owners incorporating sustainability considerations into investment decisions, up from 73% in 2025.
- Climate risk concerns have intensified, with one-quarter of asset owners ranking their concern at 10 out of 10, up from 11% in 2025.
- Governance, tax and shareholder rights has risen to the top sustainability priority, cited by 32% of respondents, up from 18% in 2025.
- Corporate reporting and disclosure quality is now seen as the leading barrier to increased sustainable investment adoption.
- Almost one third of investors now favour divestment of high-carbon assets over engagement, although 60% still hope to encourage oil, gas and mining companies to transition to lower-carbon business models.
Read the report to explore the full findings, including trends in the adoption of sustainability considerations across entire portfolios, the growing use of custom sustainable investment indices in passive allocations, and other key insights shaping asset owners’ investment decisions.
Key Stats:
- 51% of asset owners apply sustainability considerations to more than 50% of their assets (up from 26% in 2025)
- 52% of asset owners consider climate risk in strategic asset allocation (up from 36% in 2025)
- 85% of asset owners expect to implement more sustainability considerations or use more sustainable investment products over the next 1-3 years.
Who participated in the 2026 survey?
402 asset owners across 24 countries
Regional representation: North America (30%), Asia Pacific (30%), EMEA (40%)
45% pension funds, 15% insurance companies, 15% government-related and sovereign wealth funds, 18% endowments, foundations and family offices and 7% other.
Some 22% of respondents have AUM of USD 100 billion or more, 48% have AUM of USD 100 billion to 1 billion, and 30% have AUM of less than USD 1 billion1.
[1] including impact of reweighting
Originally published on September 22, 2026 on LSEG blog
PHOTO CREDIT: https://www.shutterstock.com/g/Mark+B+Pixels
VIA SHUTTERSTOCK
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