Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) has just announced the launch of the Sustainable and Green Exchange (STAGE), the first multi-asset sustainable investment product platform in Asia, supporting fast-growing global demand for sustainable finance.
The STAGE platform is an online product repository, which features 29 sustainable-themed products from leading Asian corporates. These HKEX-listed 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. With time, the scope of the product repository will grow across asset class, industry, in Hong Kong and beyond.
Wilfred Yiu, HKEX’s Head of Markets commented:
Wilfred Yiu
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. 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.
With STAGE issuers will be able to provide investors with more information on their sustainable investment products, promoting transparency and facilitating access. Issuers 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 allow investors to access a trusted platform for the region’s quickly expanding ‘green sector’. At the same time, the data will act as a benchmark for issuers looking 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 1% of that is in Asia. However, with increasing government and policy support, the business and investment case for sustainable finance in Asia is stronger than ever.
Grace Hui, HKEX’s Head of Green and Sustainable Finance said:
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.
STAGE is also an online repository of green and sustainable finance resources, advancing 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 is designed to help market participants improve their understanding of sustainable finance, green products, ESG integration and sustainable investing. HKEX is working closely with local, regional and international partners to further grow the available content on STAGE.
Experienced writer and journalist, working in the global online trading sector, Steffy is the Editor of LeapRate. She has previous experience as a copywriter and has been with the company since January 2020. Steffy has a British and American Studies degree from St. Kliment Ochridski University in Sofia.
