IFFO hosts panel discussion on Sustainable Finance in Greater Bay Area at sixth Belt and Road Summit (with photo)
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The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) Infrastructure Financing Facilitation Office (IFFO) today (September 1) hosted a panel discussion on “‘Greener’ Bay Area: through the Sustainable Finance Lens” at the sixth Belt and Road Summit, delving into sustainable development and related financing in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), with a focus on green supply chain and infrastructure financing.
The Director General of the Guangdong Financial Supervisory Authority, Mr Yu Haiping, opened the session with a review of the green finance opportunities and its current situation in the GBA.
The panel discussion was moderated by the Executive Director (External) of the HKMA and the Deputy Director of the IFFO, Mr Darryl Chan, and featured the following guests:
- Head of Commercial Banking at The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, Mr Frank Fang;
- Managing Director of Macquarie Asset Management, Mr Neil Johnson;
- Chief Executive Officer of LFX, Mr Ed Lam; and
- ESG Partner of PwC Mainland China and Hong Kong Ms Sammie Leung.
The speakers discussed the landscape, opportunities, as well as upcoming trends of sustainable development and financing in the GBA.
“With the introduction of the overall goal of the country’s ‘Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality’, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has a new historical mission for green finance reform and innovation. In the future, the GBA will deepen and refine the green finance collaboration in accordance with the national ‘Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality’ policy framework. We suggest to jointly study and improve the green finance standards for the GBA, expand the scale of green financial products, and explore the development of a unified carbon market in the GBA,” Mr Yu said.
“Sustainable development in the GBA represents an opportunity that is too big to miss for all stakeholders,” Mr Chan said. “We are committed to strengthening Hong Kong’s role as an international financial centre and a green finance hub, and offering the needed financial solutions to accelerate the sustainable development of the GBA.”