Sustainable Finance: Revoluce v pojišťovnictví či zaběhnutá praxe?

The thesis deals with the impacts of legislation in the issue of Sustainable Finance on the insurance sector, given the increasing demands for transparency in the field of sustainability. The research was conducted in accordance with the legal framework at the level of the European Union, which includes the Czech Republic and financial companies operating within it, through the Regulation of the European Parliament and Council (EU) 2019/2088 on the disclosure of sustainability-related information in the financial services sector. The aim of the thesis is to evaluate whether the approach of insurance companies to sustainability was already common practice, or whether the legislation brought significant changes in their attitude towards it. The approach is primarily evaluated in the practical part on the product and investment portfolios of insurance companies, or to a lesser extent based on the ESG score of rating agencies and activities related to sustainability. In addition to the main research, a comparison between the domestic and Western insurance market at the level of relationship to sustainability is developed in the thesis. At the same time, recommendations are provided on how entities can effectively implement new rules and principles arising from legislative requirements in the field of sustainability and ESG criteria. The theoretical part is processed mainly in the form of literature research and explanation. The practical part then uses a mixed approach to analysis, through qualitative and quantitative research methods, based on real data and information from practice. I see the contribution of the work primarily for entities interested in the insurance sector, striving for a deeper understanding of the practical solution of the issue not only on the Czech market, but also abroad. Added value in the work will also be found by the uninterested public, as most individuals and households own some insurance product. Given the still persisting and growing open question of the future of our country and the sustainability of its state in the shadow of environmental and social risks, it could be in the interest of these readers to find out what the development of the insurance market in response to new regulatory requirements was, related to sustainability and transparency of entities in the financial sector. What information they are entitled to and how this regulation affects entities in the financial sector, in terms of their product and investment portfolio.