Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) is today pleased to announce the official launch of the Sustainable and Green Exchange (STAGE), Asia’s first multi-asset sustainable investment product platform, supporting fast-growing global demand for sustainable finance.
At the heart of the STAGE platform is an online product repository, which at launch features 29 sustainable-themed products from leading Asian corporates. These HKEX-listed sustainable products include sustainability, green, and transition bonds from issuers across a variety of sectors including utilities, transportation, property development and financial services as well as ESG-related exchange traded products. Over time, the scope of the product repository will increase across asset class, industry, in Hong Kong and beyond.
“The opportunities in sustainable finance in Asia are growing rapidly. There is a need for information about sustainable products and ESG data, and we hope that STAGE will help meet that demand,” said Wilfred Yiu, HKEX’s Head of Markets. “STAGE will connect market participants, issuers and investors, providing a one-stop shop for reliable green data and products, helping to drive growth potential, transparency and access to Asia’s exciting green and sustainable financial market.”
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STAGE will allow issuers to provide investors with more information on their sustainable investment products, promoting transparency and facilitating access. Issuers included on STAGE must provide additional voluntary disclosures on their sustainable investment products, such as use of proceeds reports, as well as annual post issuance reports.
This additional information will enable investors to access a trusted, easy-to-use platform for the region’s fast growing ‘green sector'. At the same time, the data will act as a benchmark for issuers seeking to raise funds for their sustainable projects, and will also contribute to the standardisation of sustainability metrics.
Globally, in excess of US$30 trillion is invested in the sustainable finance market, but less than one per cent of that is in Asia. But with increasing government and policy support, the business and investment case for sustainable finance in Asia is stronger than ever.
“HKEX is at the forefront of driving the sustainable finance agenda in the region. With the launch of STAGE, we are seeking to support the growth of Asia’s sustainable finance market by increasing awareness, accessibility, data availability, and transparency of green and sustainable investment products. Ultimately, we aim to guide future capital flows to support our society’s transition towards sustainability. We are actively encouraging all regional issuers of green and sustainable products to consider application for inclusion on STAGE, in turn helping to build Asian financial markets’ own sustainability,” said Grace Hui, HKEX’s Head of Green and Sustainable Finance.
STAGE is also an online repository of green and sustainable finance resources, promoting market education, knowledge sharing and stakeholder engagement in sustainable finance. This extensive, and growing resources library providing case studies, webcast videos, guidance materials, research papers and other publications aim to help market participants enrich their understanding of sustainable finance, green products, ESG integration and sustainable investing. HKEX is working closely with local, regional and international partners to further expand the available content on STAGE.
Source: HKEX