Our Take on BKB Nachhaltig Wachstum (CHF) V
A 1.22% TER on a sustainability fund. BKB's growth option charges a premium for going green.
BKB Nachhaltig Wachstum ranks #36 among 82 3a investment funds in Switzerland. It's the growth-oriented option in Basler Kantonalbank's sustainability range, blending 77% stocks with 20% bonds. Decent performance over five years, but the fees are among the highest in its category.
Are the Fees Worth It?
The 1.22% TER is steep. On a CHF 50,000 portfolio, you're paying CHF 610 per year in fund management fees alone, before any flat fee from your 3a provider. Compare that to a passive fund charging 0.10-0.20%, and the difference adds up to thousands over a 30-year investment horizon.
The five-year return of +22.61% is respectable but not exceptional for a 77% equity fund. After adjusting for the higher fees, the net gain trails many cheaper alternatives with similar allocations. The active ESG screening adds cost, but the question is whether that cost translates into meaningfully different returns or just a feel-good label.
What Actually Stands Out
Swing pricing protects existing investors when large inflows or outflows hit the fund. This mechanism adjusts the fund price so that trading costs are borne by the investors causing them, not by you. In a volatile market, that's a subtle but real advantage worth 0.1-0.2% annually.
The CHF 106 million fund size is adequate for a cantonal bank product. BKB applies its own sustainability criteria, excluding controversial weapons, coal, and companies with poor governance. The cantonal bank backing provides an implicit state guarantee that adds a layer of institutional security.
What Most Reviews Miss
BKB Nachhaltig Wachstum and Bank Cler Nachhaltig Wachstum are essentially the same fund with the same management team and nearly identical returns. Bank Cler is BKB's subsidiary. The TER differs by just 0.01%. If you're comparing these two, you're splitting hairs on products that perform within 0.1% of each other.
The three-year return of +23.32% sounds decent until you realize a passive global 75/25 fund would have returned significantly more at half the cost. Active management in this fund hasn't demonstrably outperformed its benchmark. You're paying for the ESG label and cantonal bank comfort, not for alpha generation.
The Bottom Line
If you bank with BKB and want a sustainability-focused growth fund, this gets the job done. But the 1.22% TER makes it hard to recommend over cheaper alternatives with similar allocations. Check our guide to the best 3a investment funds in Switzerland for options that deliver comparable returns at lower cost.
Verdict: A solid cantonal bank ESG option, but you're paying a meaningful premium for the sustainability label and active management.
Pros
- Good 3-year performance (+23.3%)
- No custody fee
- Swing pricing protection
Cons
- Higher total costs (1.22% p.a.)
- Active management = higher fees
Product Details
At a Glance
- 77% stocks allocation
- TER: 1.22%
- Swing pricing protection
- Actively managed
- No custody fee
Fund Details & Allocation
Fund Details & Allocation
Asset Allocation
Stocks
77%
Bonds
20%
Other
2%
Investment Strategy
Actively-managed fund
Fund Size
CHF 106M
Depositary Bank
UBS Switzerland AG, Zürich
Swing Pricing
Yes
Fees & Costs
Fees & Costs
Synthetic TER
1.22%
Custody Fee
Free
Performance Over Time
Historical performance of this investment fund. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
1 Year
+2.9%
3 Years
+23.3%
5 Years
+22.6%
Retirement Projection
Based on max. contribution of CHF 7'258/year, age 30 to 65 (35 years), starting from CHF 0.
Compare to Similar Products
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is +22.61% over 5 years strong for a 77% equity fund?
- It is roughly 4.2% annualised after compounding, modest for a high-equity allocation in a strong 5-year equity window. The 1.22% TER costs roughly 6 percentage points of cumulative return and is the main reason a passive 80% equity 3a fund would have outperformed this product over the same period.
- Where does this fund's CHF 105.58M sit in the BKB Nachhaltig family?
- It is the second-largest in BKB's sustainable lineup, behind the balanced CHF 180M sibling and ahead of the equity (36M) and income (49M) variants. CHF 105.58M is below the segment average of CHF 464M, so it is a mid-sized fund with reasonable but not exceptional scale.
- Is the 1.22% TER the most you'd pay for any high-equity active 3a fund?
- It is on the upper end. The segment average TER is 0.68% and the cheapest passive 80% equity options sit near 0.05% on TER plus a flat fee. BKB's 1.22% is almost double the average, traded against active sustainability selection rather than reliable outperformance.
How We Rated This Product
BKB Nachhaltig Wachstum (CHF) V was evaluated as a product using our weighted scoring system.
Ratings are updated monthly based on the latest available data. All products are evaluated using the same methodology.
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