Ethics in Finance Award

The Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Neuchâtel awards annually a distinction entitled Ethics in Finance Award to a financial market participant domiciled in Switzerland or Liechtenstein to honour a specific ethical behaviour in finance. 

The award recognises a product, a service, a (management) process or a practice that can be recognised as an example of good ethical behaviour by other financial market players. It has a purely idealistic and no monetary value. 

An eligible financial market participant must be domiciled in Switzerland or Liechtenstein and can receive the award regardless of its legal form (commercial company, branch or department of a commercial company) or its prominence in the said markets. Applications may also be submitted by third parties.

 

2024

Submissions are open from 15 December 2023 until 29 February 2024.

Applications must be submitted to the jury through the following secure online submission system: 

Submit here

 

Proceedings and timeline

A jury independently ranks the eligible candidatures based on the following behaviours:

• Act with integrity, competence, diligence, respect and in an ethical manner with the public, customers, potential customers, employers, employees, colleagues or other "stakeholders" of the global financial markets
• Place the integrity of the financial profession and the general interest above personal interests
• Encourage others to practice in a professional and ethical manner that will bring them credit
• Promote integrity and compliance with the rules governing the financial markets.

It is recognised that these behaviours are often expressed in products, processes or practices.

The candidates are informed about the outcome on 5 April 2024.

Up to three runners-up are invited to the Ethics in Finance Award ceremony, which takes place on 29 May 2024 in Neuchâtel and via video live-stream. The ceremony gives the runners-up the opportunity to present their contributions.

 

The jury emphasis that submissions (in English) including the candidate details need to be of high quality and complete and need to clearly show what the ethical practice, product, process or service is, and why it is considered ethical in the view of the submitting entity. Also the potential of why this ethical practice, product, process or service deserves a wider adoption need to be described in detail. Any submissions not complying with this requirement may be rejected. In exceptional cases, the jury may ask for the submission to be complemented with more information. The company concerned would have submitted themselves for the Award, or would at least be in written agreement with the submission.

The jury acknowledges the existence of greenwashing risk: the risk that a participating entity may abuse their participation in the Award for unethical purposes including misrepresentation. The University and the jury retain the right to issue a private and/or public statement to that extent and to reclaim any issued Award or consider any other sanction.

 

Jury

• Jean Berthoud, Chairman of Banque Bonhôte & Cie SA, alumni of the Faculty of Economics and Business
• Eelco Fiole, Chair, Adjunct Professor of Finance Ethics, University of Neuchâtel, and Managing Partner, Alpha Governance Partners
• Patrick Haack, Professor of Strategy and Responsible Management, HEC Lausanne, and Director, HEC Research Center for Grand Challenges 
• Carmen Hett, Treasurer of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Geneva
• Claudia Jonczyk Sédès, Representative of the Dean's Office and Professor of Strategic Management, University of Neuchâtel 
• Florian Weigert, Professor of Financial Risk Management, University of Neuchâtel.