Singapore Sustainable Finance Association (SSFA)

Financing Decarbonisation in Real Estate - Addressing the challenge of decarbonisation in real estate, SSFA, in collaboration with Singapore Green Building Council (SGBC), supported by Building and Construction Authority and Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), led a closed-door roundtable discussion yesterday.   The insightful conversation brought together industry leaders, sustainability experts, financial institutions (FIs), and government representatives. Here are 3 key takeaways: 1️⃣ Getting the Asia Context: Decarbonisation pathways need to consider the unique challenges faced across Asia, including those specific to Singapore. 2️⃣ Collective Action is Key: Collaboration across all stakeholders – developers, investors, FIs, tenants, and the supply chain – is critical for success. 3️⃣ Data Drives Progress: A data-driven approach is essential, but challenges in data collection and standardisation need to be addressed. While this discussion is a significant positive step, coordinated action across the entire ecosystem is essential for continued progress. We extend our gratitude to the SSFA Transition Finance workstream co-leads (Helge Muenkel, CFA from DBS Bank, Kelvin Tan from HSBC, and Mervyn Tang from Schroders), SGBC's Executive Director, Yvonne Soh, our moderators, Eu-Lin Fang and Bing Yi Lee (with support from Simon Burns) from PwC Singapore), and all participants for their valuable contributions. Organisations & Participants: BCA (Kian Seng Ang)| CapitaLand (Vinamra Srivastava & FOO Peng Er .) | CBRE (David Fogarty) | City Developments Limited (Esther An) | DBS Bank (Helge Muenkel, CFA & Sang Lye See) | Frasers Property Limited (Maxine Chen) | GREAT EASTERN (Keng Hong Lim) | GreenA Consultants (Farizan R.) | HSBC (Kelvin Tan) | JLL (Lydia Lim) | Keppel (Fund Management & Investment) (Lilian Goh) | MAS (Pamela Lee) | OCBC (Benjamin Towell) | Schroders (Mervyn Tang) | SGBC (Yvonne Soh) | SSFA (Kavitha Menon, CFA) | UOB (Jasper Wong) #ssfa #singapore #sustainablefinance #sustainability #realestate #decarbonisation #climatechange

SSFA is honoured to be appointed as a member of the ASEAN Working Committee on Capital Market Development (WC-CMD) and ASEAN Capital Markets Forum (ACMF)'s Joint Sustainable Finance Working Group (JSFWG)'s Industry Advisory Panel (IAP) for the 2024-2026 term. The IAP operates under the WC-CMD-ACMF JSFWG, which coordinates the sustainable finance agenda for ACMF and WC-CMD, including the implementation of the recommendations in the ACMF Roadmap for ASEAN Sustainable Capital Markets and the WC-CMD Report on Promoting Sustainable Finance in the ASEAN region.    Specifically, we will be contributing in the working group focusing on Sustainable Finance Taxonomy for ASEAN and Transition Standards. SSFA is excited to play our part together with other stakeholders to drive impactful changes and foster a resilient financial ecosystem in the ASEAN region.    Read more about the IAP here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gm8HGduX   Sustainable Finance Institute Asia | Eugene Wong | Jeannie Y. #ssfa #singapore #sustainablefinance #sustainability

SSFA attended our first #FC4S Mid-Year Progress Meeting last week. We are pleased to join fellow members across different continents and appreciate the warm welcome from the community.     While every financial centre's sustainable finance journey and approach naturally differ, we are united by our common interest to share best practices and learn from one another's experiences.   Kudos to UNDP Financial Centres for Sustainability (FC4S) for putting together such an informative and engaging exchange! Stephen Nolan | Ayesha Babar #ssfa #fc4s #singapore #sustainablefinance #sustainability

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) published its Sustainability Report 2023/2024 yesterday, highlighting its progress on key sustainability initiatives.    As Chief Sustainability Officer, Gillian Koh Tan mentioned, a strong sustainable finance ecosystem will support Singapore in reaching its net zero transition and sustainability goals. SSFA stands ready to support this ecosystem-building effort by bringing together the financial and non-financial sectors (including the real economy corporates) to work on initiatives collectively 🤝.   Refer to the report here👉 https://lnkd.in/ghduD-67 #ssfa #singapore #sustainablefinance #sustainability #netzero

As part of SSFA's work, we strive to facilitate collaboration between the real economy and financial industry, supporting the low carbon transition and sustainable economic growth of Singapore and the region. This can only happen when we break silos and collaborate across industry associations.    At last week's Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS) Sustainable Finance Committee Meeting, hosted by Kavita Gandhi and Khai Yang Koh from Keppel (Infrastructure Division), our director, Kavitha Menon, CFA, presented on SSFA's work and other Singapore initiatives supporting transition finance. We also learnt from SEAS members about their interests in sustainable finance and where they hope to see more support.    Thank you SEAS for the invite and partnership! Nor Azlyn Supingi | Syed Adam #ssfa #singapore #sustainablefinance #sustainability #collaboration

Earlier this week, SSFA kicked off its Natural Capital & Biodiversity Workstream bringing together key players working on financing in #nature, including banks, investors, data providers, NGOs and academia. Our workstream participants recognised that much work would be required to promote nature and biodiversity-positive outcomes, financing, and investing in the region. The workstream is also keen to expand capacity building, to deepen the understanding on nature-related risks and how to mitigate, and enhance nature-related financing and investing. Watch this space for more workstream updates! 👉 Join SSFA's general membership to get involved in the Natural Capital & Biodiversity workstream conversation! https://lnkd.in/gPZhQdzG Co-leads:  Eric Lim from UOB, Eric Nietsch, CFA from Manulife Investment Management, and Valerie Lau, CFA from UBS Participating Organisations: Amundi | BlackRock | Bloomberg | BNP Paribas Asset Management | Climate Impact X | Conservation International Asia-Pacific | DBS Bank | HSBC | KPMG Singapore | Manulife Investment Management | Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking | National University of Singapore | Prudential Assurance Company Singapore | OCBC | Robeco | Singapore Green Finance Centre | Standard Chartered | Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation – SMBC Group | Temasek | The Nature Conservancy Asia Pacific | UBS | UOB #ssfa #singapore #sustainablefinance #sustainability #workstreams #naturalcapital #biodiversity

Reducing emissions along the supply chain is a challenge that needs corporates and financial institutions to come together to create innovative solutions. At the virtual roundtable on "Promoting sustainable supply chains in the Asia Pacific Region", co-organised by APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), Asia-Pacific Financial Forum (APFF), and OCBC, SSFA's Director, Kavitha Menon, CFA moderated the third panel discussion on the capacity building requirements for the industry and helping businesses to upskill and prepare their workforce to support sustainable supply chains. Joined by Jesse Oeni (Enterprise Singapore), Keiichi Aritomo (FinCity.Tokyo (東京国際金融機構)) and kokwing tham (Singapore Business Federation), the session highlighted the importance of (1) capacity building programmes; and (2) the power of an ecosystem approach in empowering SMEs to manage their supply chains more sustainably. SSFA will continue to delve into how sustainable financing can play a role in supporting the greening of supply chains. #OCBC #SBF #ABAC #APFF #SustainableSupplyChains

SSFA kicked-off its Taxonomy workstream this month, bringing together key industry stakeholders (i.e., financial institutions, data providers, service providers, SPO providers, industry bodies, and regulators) to further enhance the understanding and application of the Singapore-Asia Taxonomy launched by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) (Dec 2023). Our workstream members are committed to working together as a collective to facilitate applications of the taxonomy and address any challenges faced along the way. Watch this space for more workstream updates! 👉 Join SSFA's general membership to get involved in the Taxonomy conversation! https://lnkd.in/gPZhQdzG Co-leads:  Shilpa Gulrajani from BNP Paribas, Sylvia Chen from Amundi, and  Yoonmee JEONG from OCBC Participating Organisations: Amundi | APLMA (Asia Pacific Loan Market Association) | Bloomberg | BNP Paribas | Climate Bonds Initiative | Clifford Capital | DNV | EY | HSBC | IBFSG - The Institute of Banking & Finance Singapore | ICMA - International Capital Market Association | Manulife Investment Management | MSCI Inc. | OCBC | Standard Chartered | Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation – SMBC Group | UOB #ssfa #singapore #sustainablefinance #sustainability #workstreams #singaporeasiataxonomy

🤝 Building bridges for sustainable finance.   We are delighted to host the City of London Corporation delegation led by Chris Hayward at our office today. The City of London Corporation and Singapore Sustainable Finance Association (SSFA) share common interests in areas such as transition finance and voluntary carbon markets. It was useful to exchange notes on the different initiatives being worked on and develop a deeper understanding of each other's ecosystems. Both parties also share a common interest to collaborate across borders.   Thank you to members from our transition finance workstream co-leads' teams in DBS Bank and HSBC for joining us in the conversation. Chris Hayward | Sarah Bridgman | Doris Chan | Sang Lye See | Ping Yao Goh | Kavitha Menon, CFA | Kai Scene N. #ssfa #sustainablefinance #sustainability #transitionfinance #netzero #carbonmarkets

SSFA's kick-off meeting for the Carbon Markets Workstream brought together key players in the carbon credit value chain, including investors, developers, financiers and exchanges. Our workstream members are keen to support Singapore's offerings as a carbon services and trading hub. One key area this workstream recognises is the need for capacity building, both in Singapore and across the region. Watch this space for more workstream updates! 👉 Join SSFA's general membership to get involved in the Carbon Markets conversation! https://lnkd.in/gPZhQdzG Co-leads:  Mikkel Larsen from Climate Impact X, and Chris Leeds, with support from Lucy Palairet from Standard Chartered Participating Organisations: Carbon Growth Partners | Climate Impact X | Conservation International Asia-Pacific | GenZero | HSBC | Morgan Stanley | NUS Centre for Governance and Sustainability (CGS) | OCBC | Pollination | SGX Group | South Pole | Standard Chartered | Sylvera #ssfa #singapore #sustainablefinance #sustainability #workstreams #carbonmarkets