Sustainable investing has rapidly evolved from a niche practice to a central force reshaping global capital markets. This course equips participants with a comprehensive understanding of the drivers behind this shift, the tools and strategies available to investors, and the regulatory and compliance challenges that accompany it. Through a mix of conceptual foundations and practical applications, participants learn how to navigate sustainability preferences, assess real-world impact, and manage emerging risks – including non-compliance and greenwashing. Seeking a high degree of interaction, the course will be primarily based on use cases and group exercises.
- Examine the evolution of sustainable investing, the forces driving investor demand, and the range of approaches available
- Assess the impact of sustainable investment products and translate client sustainability preferences into investable solutions
- Navigate the EU regulatory framework of sustainable investing and use a toolkit to assess legal, regulatory & compliance duties
- Detect greenwashing and translate this into risk management and compliance for companies and financial advisors
This course is part of the prestigious part-time Goethe MBA Digital Transformation | Data Science | Sustainability, conducted in English on Fridays and Saturdays on Campus Westend. It offers a valuable opportunity to network and gain expertise without committing to a full degree program. Upon completion, participants receive a Certificate of Participation. This course may be credited towards the Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Sustainability & ESG when completed together with the other required courses within one academic year. As the number of seats is limited, we recommend to register early. If you're a GBS or Goethe University alum, explore our attractive alumni discount options.
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Dr. Nikolai Badenhoop
Dr. Nikolai Badenhoop is Head of the Leibniz Junior Research Group “Sustainable Finance Law in Europe” at the Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE. His research covers sustainable finance law, financial regulation, corporate governance and anti-money laundering. He has published in journals and served as legal expert to the European Parliament on the European Green Bond Regulation. He is a fully qualified lawyer in Germany and holds an LL.M. from King’s College London, a Laurea Magistrale from Sapienza University Rome, and a PhD in law from Humboldt University Berlin.
Prof. Dr. Florian Heeb
Prof. Dr. Florian Heeb is Assistant Professor of Sustainable Finance at SAFE and Goethe University Frankfurt and a Research Affiliate at MIT Sloan School of Management. His research focuses on the real-world impact of sustainable investing and investor decision-making. He has published in the Review of Financial Studies and serves on the board of ESG-AM, a Zurich-based asset manager. Prior to academia, he held executive roles at South Pole and worked with organizations in climate and environmental science. He holds a PhD from the University of Zurich and degrees from ETH Zurich and the University of St. Gallen.
Candidates with an undergraduate degree (i.e., bachelor or equivalent) of 180 credit points (CP) based on the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) can apply for our Open Programs. The allocation of credit points for work experience will appear on the Academic Transcript of Records and be titled ‘Prior Learning Assessment’.
Open Program applicants must submit a recent proof of English language proficiency at the higher B2 level per the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). The GBS Office of Admissions will accept test results of the following tests, taken no longer than two years ago upon the date of submission:
- TOEFL iBT®
- TOEFL iBT® Home Edition
- IELTS
- Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English
- English Language Level Test (ELLT) - Oxford International Digital Institute
Applicants may request a waiver of proof of proficiency in English in case one of the following conditions applies. The applicant
- is a native speaker of English;
- has graduated from an international baccalaureate program
- has completed their undergraduate or master-level studies in a program taught entirely in English;
- has worked in an English-speaking country for at least one year.
If the applicant has not taken any of the above tests when submitting the application, the applicant can upload a confirmation of the test registration to the online admissions portal.
Applicants who submit a language certificate older than two years but without an expiry date will be invited for an additional interview with a native speaker of English.
Proof of relevant post-undergraduate work experience of at least one year is to be submitted, e.g., a performance review, reference letter, or written confirmation from your employer.