Bank Cler Nachhaltig Aktien (CHF) V

CHF 14 million in a 97% equity fund. Bank Cler's ESG stock fund is critically undersized.

Bank Cler Nachhaltig Aktien ranks #60 among 67 3a investment funds in Switzerland. It's the identical twin of BKB's equity sustainability fund, with 97% in stocks and a 1.27% TER. The three-year return of +26.73% mirrors its sibling almost exactly. At CHF 14 million, this is the smallest equity fund in the 3a universe.

What Are You Actually Paying For?

The 1.27% TER is the highest among all pure equity 3a funds. For perspective: you're paying three times what VIAC charges (0.41%) and getting roughly half the three-year return. The active ESG management adds cost but hasn't added performance compared to passive alternatives.

On CHF 14 million in total assets, the management fees generate less than CHF 180,000 per year. That barely covers the cost of active management infrastructure. The fund is arguably too small to sustain itself economically, which raises the question of how long it can continue independently before being merged into BKB's version.

What Actually Stands Out

Bank Cler's digital banking experience is better than most traditional banks. If you're a younger investor who wants sustainability and app-based management, the user interface is a genuine plus. The ESG screening is thorough, applying the same BKB group criteria that exclude controversial industries and positively select strong governance.

Swing pricing is included, which is especially important for a fund this small. Without it, a single large investor entering or exiting could significantly impact the fund price for everyone else. The mechanism provides some protection, but it can't fully compensate for the fundamental size problem.

What Most Reviews Miss

At CHF 14 million, this fund is at survival risk. Fund providers routinely merge or close funds below CHF 50 million because they're uneconomical to run. While BKB Group won't let a product fail publicly, the most likely outcome is a quiet merger into the parent BKB fund. That's not necessarily bad for investors, but it means the Bank Cler label may be temporary.

The three-year return of +26.73% is marginally better than BKB's +26.53%, but the difference is within normal tracking variation. These are the same fund with different labeling. Choosing between them based on a 0.2% performance difference over three years would be a mistake.

The Bottom Line

Bank Cler Nachhaltig Aktien is a product that's hard to recommend on its own merits. The CHF 14 million fund size, highest-in-class TER, and availability of dramatically cheaper equity alternatives make it a niche product for dedicated Bank Cler customers only. See what else is available in our Pillar 3a comparison tool.

Verdict: Too small, too expensive, and functionally identical to BKB's slightly larger version. Only makes sense if you're already a Bank Cler customer and ESG equity is non-negotiable.