About rfu research

rfu research is a specialist for sustainable investment in the comprehensive sense. Based on this core competency we are designing sustainable investment products, preparing sustainability research and integrating sustainability into investment processes.

Our customers and partners are institutional investors, asset managers, banks, companies and organisations in Austria as well as globally. rfu’s know-how is translated into portfolios which have reached an overall volume of several billion euros.

The “methodological heart” is beating in rfu’s sustainability models for companies, sovereigns and commodities as well as in specific models for portfolio controlling. Several products based on our concepts are bearing recognised sustainability labels. Our indices are proof of the positive performance effect of rfu’s sustainability rating.

The History

rfu was founded in 1997 by Reinhard Friesenbichler, one of the pioneers in the field of sustainable finance in the German-speaking region. Today, rfu is operating via two companies: rfu research GmbH, registered with ESMA as an ESG Rating Provider since 2026, and rfu consulting.