The NZX Stock Exchange (NZX:NZE) announced that it has joined the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchange (SSE) initiative as a partner exchange.
The SSE initiative provides a platform for exchanges to discuss environmental, social and corporate governance enhancements and stimulate discussions about sustainable investment.
Joining more than 60 global exchanges this partnership reinforces NZX’s ongoing commitment to promote more sustainable and transparent capital markets here in New Zealand, and improved environmental, social and corporate governance disclosure by listed issuers to ensure increased transparency for investors.
In addition, this partnership reinforces the work currently being undertaken by NZX to update its Corporate Governance Code (Code), which will be released shortly. This will be the first substantive update to the Code since 2003 and represents a significant step forward in reducing fragmentation between various governance reporting requirements and guidance for NZX Main Board listed issuers.
Mark Peterson
NZX CEO Mark Peterson commented:
NZX is delighted to join the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchange initiative. Given the role NZX plays at the centre of New Zealand’s capital markets we have a unique opportunity to work with listed companies to encourage and enhance the quality of environmental, social and corporate governance reporting.
We are looking forward to collaborating with other partner exchanges and passing our learnings onto NZX listed issuers.
As part of this initiative, NZX will also join United Nations discussions on Green Finance, which will investigate how stock exchanges can work with regulators, policy makers, listed companies and investors to better support the transition to greener and more inclusive economies.
The SSE is organised by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the UN Global Compact, the UN Environment Program Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), and the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI).
UNCTAD Director of Investment and Enterprise James Zhan commented:
We welcome the New Zealand stock exchange to the United Nation’s global family of stock exchanges, working with us to promote responsible investment in sustainable development.
PRI Managing Director Fiona Reynolds added:
The PRI is delighted to welcome NZX as a partner exchange to the SSE initiative. We believe exchanges provide an important nexus point for bringing together investors, companies, policymakers and civil society to create a truly sustainable financial system.