KUALA LUMPUR: Investors are increasingly studying the sustainability practices and policies of companies as a factor in their investment decisions, says a World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) survey.
The survey was recently conducted by the WFE’s Sustainability
Working Group (SWG) and received responses from 56 exchanges (93 per cent) out of WFE’s 60 member exchanges worldwide last year.
Thirty nine percent of respondents to the global exchange survey (22 out of 56) stated they had received ESG-related queries from investors, of which 10 said that such inquiries are on the increase.
The finding shows how ‘ESG’ (Environment, Social and Corporate Governance) concerns are becoming widespread among global capital market participants. Exchanges provide an important informational and regulatory nexus on ESG issues between companies and the capital markets which serve their financing needs.
The publication of the results comes just ahead of the inaugural conference under the ASEAN CAP10 Sustainability Series jointly organised by Bursa Malaysia and WFE in Kuala Lumpur today.
The event aims to promote conversations amongst leading financial and corporate stakeholders on ESG issues as well as a more widespread awareness of the sustainability agenda.