Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) has never been an entity to shy away from investing in profitable global trends.
Australia's most successful bank has forged a reputation in the market for making bets so successful, the ASX listed company has been called "the millionaires' factory".
That's why when this company invests $9.5 billion on one niche sector in FY 2018 alone, I take notice.
In FY 2018, Macquarie invested $9.5 billion in a sector so essential that Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) founder and billionaire Elon Musk has described it as addressing, "the biggest problem we need solve on earth this century".
This sector is the renewable energy and the clean technology industry.
| Year | Number of years | Macquarie Investments in renewable energy |
| FY 2010 – FY 2017 | 8 years | $15 Billion |
| FY 2018 | 1 year | $9.5 Billion |
As the table above illustrates, Macquarie's investment in this industry has increased significantly in 2018 when compared to the average of the previous 8 years. Investments made include wind farms in the UK and solar projects in India.
Whilst there may still be a while to go before renewable energy becomes the main source of energy that is used, it's this forward thinking vision and exposure to such exciting industries that sets Macquarie apart from other financial services businesses on the ASX.
I would certainly prefer to own Macquarie shares compared to the big banks Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ASX: ANZ) and National Australia Bank Ltd. (ASX: NAB).
For more direct exposure to renewable energy, AGL Energy Ltd (ASX: AGL) is also worth looking into. AGL is looking to rely more on renewable energy sources and less on coal powered power stations such as Liddell.
If you are interested in learning more about emerging industries such as clean technologies then you will not want to miss this exciting report prepared by our team of experts on what could be a trillion dollar technology.
