Environmental, social and governance-themed financing continues to grow rapidly in Asia, with both offshore and onshore markets seeing innovative new structures and increased depth.
Standards differ across jurisdictions, though there have been efforts to align countries’ guidelines with European standards and progress has been made in developing an ASEAN framework.
Recent years have seen the emergence of new varieties of financing like orange bonds to fund gender equality projects and Asia’s first blue bonds to support cleaner rivers and oceans. Sustainability-linked loans have also adopted new targets in areas like gender equality and clean transportation.
At the same time, issuers have become more aware of greenwashing risks, ensuring that they set ambitious, meaningful targets in their sustainability-linked bonds and loans, while regulators in places like Australia have started to fine institutions that make misleading claims about ESG investments.
That makes transition finance in Asia a tough balancing act, as companies in carbon-intensive industries commit to reducing emissions without negatively impacting economies or vulnerable people. Through the lens of a just transition, some European ESG standards may be too inflexible when emerging market countries need time to bring renewable energy capacity online. Development banks and concessional finance providers can take some risk off the table and boost returns through blended finance structures to crowd private capital into ESG-related projects.
IFR Asia and LPC will assemble two panels of expert speakers in Singapore to discuss these issues and more across the Asian bond and loan markets. The discussions will include:
- What is the outlook for ESG issuance across bonds and loans in Asia? Are local currency markets seeing any differentiation in structures or investor demand?
- How does ESG inform investors’ decisions, even in unlabelled transactions? What kinds of ESG questions are investors asking corporate issuers?
- How are standards of disclosure and transparency improving among Asian corporates?
- Does an ESG label help issuers achieve a greenium or are there other benefits beyond pricing?
- How can carbon-intensive companies fund their transition journeys?
- Are there any limitations to ESG finance? Are there assets or projects that have a positive impact but can’t be funded by current ESG instruments?
The event is free to attend, but you must be registered. Secure your place using the short form on this page.
SPEAKERS
Loans Panel
- Stella Saris Chow - Head of Sustainable Finance – International, ANZ
- Colin Chen - Head of ESG Finance, Asia Pacific, MUFG
- Atul Jhavar - Head of Asia Pacific Sustainable Capital Markets, Barclays
- Martijn Hoogerwerf - Head of Sustainable Finance for Asia Pacific, ING
- Prakash Chakravarti - Asia Pacific Bureau Chief, LSEG LPC (moderator)
Bonds Panel
- Ian Hay - Head of Institutional Risk, CGIF
- Sarah Ng - Director, Debt Capital Markets, ANZ
- Shailesh Venkatraman - Head of Origination – South & Southeast Asia, Debt Capital Markets, MUFG
- Melissa Cheok - Associate Director, ESG Research, Sustainable Fitch
- Eric Nietsch - Head of ESG, Asia, Manulife
- Gabriel Wilson-Otto - Head of Sustainable Investing Strategy, Fidelity International
- Tze Khai Poh - Deputy Director, Monetary Authority of Singapore
- Bryan Woon - Head of Capital Markets Structuring and Distribution, Bayfront Infrastructure Management (a Clifford Capital Group company)
- Daniel Stanton - Editor, IFR Asia (moderator)
EVENT DETAILS
Date: Tuesday 11th June 2024
Timings:
14:00 - Registration
14:30 - Bonds Panel
16:00 - Loans Panel
17:15 - Close
Format: In-person, two-panel event
Venue: LSEG, One Raffles Quay, #28-01 North Tower, Singapore 048583
REGISTER TODAY
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For more information on how LSEG uses your data, see our Privacy Statement.
You can adjust your preferences at any time through the preference link in any electronic communication that you receive from us.For more information on how LSEG uses your data, see our Privacy Statement.
You can adjust your preferences at any time through the preference link in any electronic communication that you receive from us.
