You do not have to choose between competitive returns and your principles. Ethical investing — ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) or Shariah-compliant — aligns your portfolio with your values without sacrificing performance. At Cuber Capital, we help you invest with integrity.
- The Challenge We Solve
Greenwashing, lack of transparency
More investors than ever want to avoid companies involved in tobacco, alcohol, gambling, weapons, fossil fuels, pornography, or non-compliant business practices. Others actively seek companies with strong environmental records (low carbon emissions, renewable energy focus), social justice practices (fair wages, diversity, community investment), or faith-based compliance (Shariah, Catholic values, Jain principles).
However, identifying truly ethical investments is extremely difficult. Many funds claim to be “green” or “responsible” while still holding significant positions in oil companies, mining firms, or weapons manufacturers — a practice called “greenwashing.” Shariah compliance requires specialized screening for debt ratios (less than 33%), interest income (less than 5%), and prohibited activities (alcohol, gambling, pork, weapons, conventional finance). Most individual investors lack the tools, data, or expertise to do this properly. Even many financial advisors do not have dedicated ethical screening capabilities.
- Our Approach
We compare ethical options against conventional benchmarks (Nifty 50, BSE Sensex, category peers) and against each other. We analyze historical returns over 3, 5, and 10 years (where available), volatility (standard deviation), maximum drawdowns (worst peak-to-trough loss), expense ratios (for funds), portfolio turnover (tax efficiency), and consistency of outperformance across market cycles. Our goal is to find ethical investments that are competitively priced, have strong long-term fundamentals, and have not sacrificed returns for values. We are honest with you: some ethical funds have underperformed in certain years; we show you the data so you can make an informed choice.
We help you open accounts and execute purchases. For Shariah compliance, we can provide periodic certification reports (quarterly or annually) confirming that your portfolio remains compliant, or we can work directly with your Shariah advisor. For ESG portfolios, we use third-party ratings to validate holdings and provide a simple, one-page "Values Alignment Report" showing exactly what you own and why it meets your criteria. We also help you avoid common pitfalls: some ESG funds have high expense ratios (>1.5%) — we find low-cost alternatives; some Shariah funds hold cash balances that earn interest (controversial among scholars) — we identify funds that avoid this.
Companies change. An ESG leader may have a controversy (labor dispute, environmental violation, bribery scandal). A Shariah-compliant stock may accumulate prohibited debt (e.g., taking on debt to fund expansion) or enter a prohibited business line (e.g., a hotel chain adding a casino). We monitor your holdings monthly (for major changes) and quarterly (for detailed screening). If a holding no longer qualifies, we alert you immediately and recommend replacement options within 30 days. We also rebalance your portfolio annually to maintain target allocations, while staying within ethical boundaries.
- Our Capabilities
A complete toolkit for values-aligned investing
ESG Investing
Environmental, Social, Governance criteria for positive impact and long-term sustainability. Environmental: carbon emissions, water usage, waste management, renewable energy, biodiversity. Social: employee relations, diversity and inclusion, human rights, community investment, product safety. Governance: board independence, executive compensation, shareholder rights, tax transparency, anti-corruption. We use multiple data sources (CRISIL, MSCI, Morningstar, Bloomberg) to rate companies on each pillar. We then build portfolios that either exclude low-ESG companies (negative screening) or include only high-ESG companies (positive screening), or both.
Negative Screening
Excluding specific industries or companies based on your values. Common exclusions: tobacco (manufacturing, distribution, retail), alcohol (breweries, distilleries, bars, wine sellers), gambling (casinos, online betting, lottery operators), weapons (especially controversial/nuclear, landmines, cluster munitions), fossil fuels (coal mining, oil drilling, gas extraction, oil services), pornography (production, distribution), animal testing (cosmetics, pharmaceuticals if alternatives exist), or predatory lending (payday loans, high-interest consumer finance). We can apply revenue-based thresholds (e.g., exclude any company with >5% revenue from tobacco) or binary exclusions (any revenue at all).
Impact Investing
Going beyond screens to actively seek measurable positive social or environmental outcomes. Impact investments are made into companies, organizations, or funds with the explicit intention to generate measurable social/environmental impact alongside financial return. Examples: affordable housing funds (measuring number of families housed), microfinance funds (number of borrowers lifted out of poverty), clean energy infrastructure (MW of renewable capacity installed), education funds (number of students graduated). We help you define impact metrics, find impact investment opportunities (often private or illiquid, requiring higher minimums), and measure/report actual outcomes annually.
Our process
Values Discovery
We conduct a 60-90 minute values discovery session, articulating your ethical, social, or religious criteria in a written “Ethical Investment Policy Statement” (EIPS). This document specifies: which industries to exclude (and revenue thresholds), which industries to include (positive impact criteria), whether you prefer ESG, Shariah, faith-based, or impact investing, your return expectations and risk tolerance, and how often you want compliance reports. You review and approve the EIPS before any investments are made.
Universe Screening
Using your EIPS, we screen the investable universe: 5,000+ Indian and international equities, 500+ mutual funds and ETFs, 200+ bonds, and private impact opportunities. We provide a detailed screening report showing: number of companies that passed, number that failed (and why), top 10 holdings in your potential portfolio, and any “gray area” companies (e.g., borderline debt ratios for Shariah, or companies with both good and bad ESG scores). We discuss any tradeoffs — sometimes your ideal portfolio requires accepting lower diversification or slightly higher volatility.
Portfolio Construction
We build a diversified ethical portfolio across equities (large, mid, small, international), debt (green bonds, sukuk, SRI funds), and gold (ETFs or digital), following modern portfolio theory to optimize risk-return. We recommend specific instruments (direct stocks, funds, ETFs) with tickers, expense ratios, and rationale. We also advise on asset location: which accounts (taxable vs. retirement) to hold which assets for tax efficiency. You receive a written investment policy statement (IPS) and portfolio recommendation for your approval.
Implementation
We help you open accounts (if needed), transfer funds, and execute purchases. For mutual funds and ETFs, we help you set up SIPs (systematic investment plans) for disciplined investing. For direct stocks, we help you place orders through your broker or demat account. We coordinate with your Shariah advisor (if applicable) to ensure compliance certification. We also help you transition from your existing portfolio to the ethical portfolio in a tax-efficient manner (selling losers to offset gains, etc.).
At Cuber Capital, we have been helping values-driven investors build aligned portfolios for years. We are not a “green” fund that secretly holds oil stocks. We are independent advisors, paid by you, working for you. We use rigorous, transparent screening. We provide clear, honest reports. We do not greenwash.
