Overview

The Sustainable Investment Asset Owner Survey is an annual benchmark series produced by FTSE Russell. It explores global trends in the adoption of sustainable investment, tracking the attitudes and practices of senior members within sustainability, investment, and management teams. The 2026 edition reflects responses from 402 asset owners across 24 countries in the Asia Pacific, EMEA, and North America regions. This research series covers a wide range of asset owner types, including pension funds, insurance companies, government-related entities, sovereign wealth funds, and endowments. It provides a multi-year perspective on how sustainability is becoming a mainstream feature of the day-to-day work of balancing risk and return in portfolio management.

Purpose

The report exists to provide a comprehensive understanding of how asset owners integrate sustainability considerations into their investment strategies and the factors driving these decisions. It is designed to inform market participants about evolving priorities, such as climate risk and governance standards, and to highlight the challenges and enablers in the sustainable investment landscape. By providing empirical data on implementation levels and asset allocation trends, the series helps finance professionals navigate the complexities of sustainability-related risk and return. The findings are intended to assist in strategic asset allocation and to help organisations understand the shifting sentiment towards specific themes like climate transition and social factors.

Methodology

The analysis is based on a global survey of 402 asset owners, conducted by FTSE Russell as the ninth edition of this research series. The respondent base is diversified by region and size:

• Region: 30% from Asia Pacific, 40% from EMEA, and 30% from North America.
• Assets Under Management (AUM): 22% manage US$100 billion or more, 48% manage between US$1 billion and US$100 billion, and 30% manage less than US$1 billion.
• Asset Owner Types: The cohort includes pension funds (45%), endowments, foundations and family offices (18%), insurance companies (15%), and government-related or sovereign wealth funds (15%).

The survey evaluates implementation across various asset classes, including public equity, private equity, fixed income, infrastructure, and real estate. It utilises a comparative framework to track changes in priorities and barriers from previous years, specifically measuring metrics such as the percentage of portfolios implementing sustainability considerations and the preference for engagement versus divestment for carbon-intensive assets such as oil, gas, and mining stocks.

Use for Finance Professionals

Finance professionals can use this report to benchmark their own sustainable investment practices against global peers and to identify emerging risks and opportunities. The findings on governance, tax, and shareholder rights—now the most commonly cited priority—provide insights into thematic areas that warrant increased scrutiny. The report identifies significant shifts in investor sentiment, such as the increase in concern regarding physical climate risk and the growing impact of technology and artificial intelligence on governance standards. Additionally, the report offers data on the growing use of passive investment solutions and custom indices, which helps professionals understand shifts in implementation strategies and cost-management practices. By identifying the primary barriers to adoption, such as concerns over the quality of corporate reporting and disclosures, the research assists professionals in managing stakeholder expectations and navigating the evolving regulatory environment. The data on divestment versus engagement also provides a useful reference point for developing climate transition strategies and addressing high-carbon asset exposures.