A neobroker for sustainable investments

: an examination of the market potential in Germany

Abstract

The market for mobile investment solutions has gained popularity among individuals due to the growth of low-cost Neobrokers. Especially driven by the growing interest of younger generations, who have firmly anchored the topic of sustainability in their values, the demand in sustainable finance solutions has grown in recent years. However, despite many providers, the offer for trading transparently presented sustainable investments is limited. Therefore, this master thesis investigates the market potential of a Neobroker exclusively for sustainable investments. With a quantitative evaluation of 136 survey participants regarding their usage intentions, a first customer segmentation is performed. Similar to what has already been proven by other studies and confirmed by the present analysis, age in particular plays a decisive role in the intention touse such a solution. Likewise, those who would like to have their sustainable values reflected in an investment are identified as a target group. The qualitative study of the market holds insights into the threats and differentiation potentials. The former is mainly driven by the regulatory environment, which is accompanied by both monetary and personnel barriers. The latter, meanwhile, is driven by the lack of a framework for the selection and communication of sustainable investments among the competition. This framework can be regarded as a key concept for the success of introducing such a solution and will therefore be developed further on. Hence, this thesis illustrates the need for innovation in the financial industry to contribute to a more socially responsible and environmentally sustainable world.

Date of Award	26 Jan 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Rute Xavier (Supervisor)