Stockholm (NordSIP) – Formue, a Nordic independent wealth adviser to individuals, families and entrepreneurs, has announced it is collaborating with BlackRock to broaden its range of investment opportunities, lower costs and help its clients navigate increased macroeconomic uncertainty and market volatility.
Collaborating to Navigate an Uncertain World
Through the collaboration, Formue’s clients will be able to access to a wide range of index-based and active global managers across asset classes and markets.
“The collaboration with BlackRock strengthens our investment platform with more proven and quality-assured solutions. This gives us cost-effective access to both broad index products and specialist managers across asset classes. It is an important step at a time when it is not short-term market movements, but long-term structural trends, that should drive the direction,” says Michael Livjin, Chief Strategist at Formue (translated).
“We are proud that Formue has chosen BlackRock to strengthen its investment offering in the next phase of their growth strategy and help them offer more sophisticated solutions across the entire portfolio. We are pleased to be able to deliver our global investment solutions, both within index and active management, and support their clients with diversified portfolios to achieve their long-term financial goals,” adds Elisabeth Sterner, Head of Nordics at BlackRock (translated).
Formue’s CEO also highlighted the importance of keeping a long-term investment approach in a market increasingly characterised by volatility. “When the world changes, panic and impulse actions often arise, but that doesn’t help. Experience from crises such as the financial crisis and the corona pandemic has shown that with a long-term strategy of 10–20 years, you should navigate calmly even through extreme fluctuations. It’s about having a clear direction and standing firm,” says Lars Uppsäll, CEO of Formue Sweden (translated).
More Green Transition Investment Opportunities?
Although the announcement did not focus exclusively on sustainable strategies, the stated goals of the collaboration suggest that formue’s clients will perhaps enjoy enhanced exposure to green transition strategies, among others. “The goal is to strengthen Formue’s investment platform and its clients’ conditions to navigate a new economic reality, characterized by megatrends such as artificial intelligence, geopolitical uncertainty and green transition,” the announcement explained.
Established in 2000, Formue oversees SEK170 billion in capital under management. The investment advisor argues that sustainability plays an important role in its work, including through regular sustainable market analysis and commentary. “Our vision includes a responsibility to preserve and develop the values that matter most to our customers, as well as a responsibility for sustainable social development. Our mission is therefore about more than generating a return on the capital we manage,” the Nordic advisor explains on its website.
Diversity, inclusion and equity are also important factors for Formue. “Working with diversity and inclusion is a strategic business issue for us. To best serve our customers, we need to reflect the society we operate in. This also means embracing differences and diverse perspectives to develop solutions that are in the best interests of our customers,” Formue adds.
According to its sustainability profile, Formue explains that it follows a three-step approach to investing in the green transition. “We invest strategically to promote the green transition through a three-step approach: universe, selection and evaluation. Through carefully selected funds and collaboration with managers, we contribute, together with our clients, to sustainable development and work to achieve our own and the UN’s goals.”
Although BlackRock does not have any additional comments on the specific mandate, Elisabeth Sterner notes that BlackRock remains fully committed to sustainable and transition investing as a fiduciary to its clients and an enabler of choice. “The money we manage belongs to our clients and we invest it at their direction. In 2024, our sustainable platform crossed $1 trillion of client assets under management (AUM) making it the largest in the industry. This represents an 850% increase in 5 years,” she says.
