ESG/impact-driven investment firms, financial services, FinTechs, and investors in this space are facing some unique challenges at present.
Data from PwC shows Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards are seen as massively important amongst consumers and employees. 83% of consumers and 76% of employees surveyed “across Europe and America think companies should be shaping ESG best practices.”
For investors, this is an encouraging headline: “Global ESG assets surpassed $30 trillion in 2022 and are on track to surpass $40 trillion by 2030 — over 25% of projected $140 trillion assets under management (AUM)”, according to a latest ESG report from Bloomberg Intelligence (BI).
However, we know this isn’t the full story, with the sector facing challenges and headwinds:
- The current macroeconomic climate and hostility to climate initiatives (particularly in the US);
- Claims of greenwashing;
- Lower brand awareness compared to big finance;
- Questions over the returns/ROI compared to big finance
- Questions over the real environmental and social impact.
This can make it difficult for ESG-based investment firms and investors to accelerate growth, traction, and make the kind of impact they want.
We can help you solve those problems.
Let’s take a look at how Uncommon can work with you to make the impact you (and all of us) need.
Why Uncommon LOVES Impact-Driven, Ethical, ESG FinTechs & Financial Services
Whether you’re running an ESG/impact-driven investment firm or are an investor in this space, you are making a difference.
We love what you do and want to help you make an even bigger impact!
Our planet, climate, environmental ecosystems, and human societies, are at numerous dangerous tipping points.
ESG-based finance shows us a clear way forward, and your work is contributing to humanity’s most important goals in a big way.
Nordea, an impact-driven Nordic banking giant, looked at the C02 savings from sustainable investing (vs. traditional investing), and found it to be 27X more impactful than making lifestyle changes.
This is why we at Uncommon are keen to support as many ESG/impact-driven investment firms, financial services, FinTechs, and investors in this space as possible.
How Uncommon Can Support Your Unique Brand
As a specialist alternative asset marketing studio, we know what it takes to support unique financial sector brands.
Our mission is to give impact-driven FinTechs and financial services expert content that surpasses industry standards, generates results, and establishes them as thought leaders in the ESG investment space.
We are dedicated to supporting your mission, to make the world a better, greener place, to make a difference through positive impactful investing.
We are equally committed to supporting any VC, PE, or bank that invests in impact-driven FinTechs and financial services, climate initiatives, climate tech/GreenTech, women entrepreneurs, and ethical & transparent finance.
Here are 5 ways we can support and make a difference to your mission, brand, and bottom-line:
- Create marketing materials that engage your audience and reach them where they hang out online
Creating engaging content and distributing/promoting it to reach your audience is marketing 101.
The goal of marketing activities is to let investors know:
1) that you exist;
2) that you can solve their problems, and
3) that you are trustworthy, likable, and capable.
The trust element here is huge for ESG-based investment firms and funds because investors are considering putting a great deal of their capital, time, and energy into your offer.
How do you prove to them that your firm is trustworthy, is truly environmentally and ethically focused, and can generate a better risk-adjusted ROI than non-ethical funds?
This has always been a significant marketing and communications challenge, but it is even more important in the impact-investing landscape.
We help solve those problems.
We work with you to create marketing strategy, messaging and branding, and then implement a growth-based strategy to support your goals.
- Demonstrate your ESG credentials proudly
For investment firms in this sector, there are numerous ways you can accreditate and verify your ESG credentials.
In Europe, Article 8 and 9 funds can have their ESG credentials verified using the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation.
Another way that banks and investment firms can demonstrate your ESG credentials is to be benchmarked in the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook, comparing 10,000 organizations’ ESG and Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) criteria.
A great example of this is the Nordic banking giant, Nordea. In 2025, they were recognised “among the top 15% of the world’s most sustainable banks. In 2024 Nordea’s Corporate Sustainability Assessment ESG score improved from 67 to 70.”
As they say: “At Nordea, sustainability remains at the core, influencing how we organise, operate, and manage risks, in order to actively engage to drive the transition and capture growth opportunities.”
A look at their website, papers, commitments and accountable actions shows customers that Nordea is making great strides towards operating as a 100% sustainable bank, in every way, from the investments it makes to being net zero.
Your firm can do the same. With the right marketing strategy, you can stand out and demonstrate your strong ESG and ethical investment credentials. This is the most effective way to show potential customers and investors why they should invest with you instead of a big financial giant.
- Flex your ROI muscles
Investors care about getting an ROI.
As attractive and valuable as ESG-based investments are, if you want to attract institutional investors and fund managers, you’ve got to show them that your fund can perform.
Like other investment firms in this space, Liontrust supports environmental and ethical credentials with data-backed reports that show, very clearly, what investors can expect from ESG-based investments compared to the alternatives.
As the saying goes, if you’ve got it, flaunt it. If investors are getting a better ROI from their investments than they’d get via non-ethical/ESG funds, then make sure to point this out.
We know this isn’t always easy to do because it often requires a deep-dive comparative analysis between your fund(s) and ones of comparable size, vintage, and other characteristics that make the comparison worth making.
This is something we can help you with.
- Showcase your ESG impacts
For consumers and investors, sustainable investing focuses on the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit.
A huge meta-analysis of 2200 research papers showed that returns from sustainable investing are 60% higher than traditional, unsustainable investments (Fried et al, ESG and financial performance, Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, 2015).
If you’re an ESG-driven investment firm or an impact-driven bank or fintech in this space, we will help you find your own most impressive and memorable examples to get in front of potential investors and customers.
- Give your business an authentic voice, and make an impact with your authenticity
Having an authentic voice and being genuine with your stakeholders is crucial in this market.
One firm that does an excellent job at this is Generation, a “pure-play sustainable investment manager”, with $35.6bn AuM, and a further $11.4bn of of assets under supervision.
With Al Gore as Generation’s chairperson, the firm’s green credentials are firmly anchored. But it goes much deeper than that, with serious commitments backed up by the right messaging, reports, and videos across every comms channel.
Taking a similar approach, but in a tone of voice that’s authentically and unashamedly YOU (your team, firm, brand) is the approach you need to succeed in 2025.
We are working with some really exciting brands at present, and as soon as we’re able, we will be publishing case studies.
For now, take a closer look at our other case studies.
Want a Free Tailored Sample & Marketing Analysis?
We want to support every type of ESG, impact-drive, ethical finance, and financial services company that we can.
We’d also love to collaborate with more VC firms that support women entrepreneurs, climate initiatives, CleanTech, and startups and scaleups in those spaces.
So you can see what we can do, we are offering any company that’s interested a free, no obligation:
- Marketing Analysis
- Tailored Sample
- 90-second explainer Loom
Ready to see how we can accelerate the growth of your business and the positive impacts you can make?
Take a closer look at our case studies.