ECCT financial services forum highlights best global ESG practices

The European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan (ECCT) today hosted the 2022 Europe-Taiwan Financial Services Forum with the theme "Building a robust ESG model for Taiwan - Sharing best practices from Europe & Taiwan". Organised by the chamber’s financial services committees (Banking, Asset Management, and Insurance), the full day event brought together policy makers and leading experts from Europe and Taiwan to share the latest developments in Environmental Social and Governance and best practices in leading markets with the aim of showing the way forward to build a robust ESG model for Taiwan. The event was opened by Legislative Yuan President You Si-Kun, British Office Taipei Representative John Dennis, and ECCT Vice Chairman Erdal Elver. This was followed by four sessions on the topics: 1) ESG in the mainstream - retail & institutional money fast converting; 2) Financing the energy transition for a greener Taiwan future; 3) Product innovation & regulation and 4) Looking into the future – Building sustainability investment and financing models in Taiwan.

Guest speakers from the government who participated in the forum were Dr Huang Tien-mu, Chairperson of the Financial Supervisory Commission; Dr Yu Cheng-Wei, Director General, Bureau of Energy, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Brenda Hu, Director General, Department of Planning, Financial Supervisory Commission. International guest speakers from industry were Erin Bigley, Head of Fixed Income Responsible Investing, AllianceBernstein; Dr Dennis Hänsel, Global Head of Investment & ESG Advisory, DWS; David Hutchins, Portfolio Manager- Multi-Asset Solutions, AllianceBernstein; Carsten Quitter, Chief Investment Officer Allianz Group; and Mervyn Tang, Head of Sustainability Strategy, APAC, Schroders. The line-up also included representatives from financial corporations operating in Taiwan, who participated in the sessions as presenters and panellists.

ESG factors are increasingly recognised as critical determinants in the success or failure of corporations. ESG factors can directly affect a company's reputation, intellectual property, and brand value. Financial institutions have been pioneers in developing and driving ESG concepts into the mainstream and they are playing a crucial role in helping governments and non-financial corporations to address the greatest challenges of our time, especially climate change, environmental sustainability, social fairness, equality, diversity, and corruption.

ECCT members in the financial services industry have always been at the innovative edge in developing products and services to support economic development globally and here in Taiwan. An important example is Taiwan’s energy sector, which is currently highly reliant on imports of fossil fuels. To enhance its self-reliance and increase its diversity of energy sources is crucial. Sustainable finance can stimulate the flow of private funds into the energy transition, which will help achieve global economic transformation in the face of rising threats as a result of climate change.

Among the main topics of discussion at the forum were: How international financial institutions are updating their product portfolios to include ESG products, how asset managers are changing to respond to ESG trends, Taiwan's climate strategy, the successful experience of sustainable finance and financial innovations and challenges in developing sustainable and renewable energy. Speakers and panellists shared their experience and best practices of sustainable finance development in Europe, and how they can assist local enterprises to achieve sustainable development goals, with a view to enhancing Taiwan's international status and visibility in ESG/sustainable development.

游錫堃：感謝歐洲商會致力推動永續發展

歐洲在臺商務協會（ECCT）今日舉辦2022年歐洲–臺灣金融服務論壇，主題為「建立臺灣成為ESG永續投資的楷模－歐洲與臺灣的實務分享」。歐洲商會金融服務委員會邀請來自歐洲和臺灣的政策決策者與領頭專家，分享環境、社會和治理的最新發展及領先市場的最佳實踐，協助台灣朝建立堅強的ESG楷模的目標前進。活動由立法院院長游錫堃、英國在台辦事處代表鄧元翰 ( John Dennis)和歐洲商會副理事長艾偉 (Erdal Elver)代表致詞。論壇涵蓋以ESG四大相關主題：1）ESG已成為投資的主流– 一般投資人與金融機構如何因應此趨勢，進行投資布局； 2）藉由能源轉型融資，協助台灣發展更環保的未來； 3）產品創新與法規監管及  4）台灣 ESG 永續發展之未來展望。 其他出席人員為：金融監督管理委員會主任委員黃天牧博士；經濟部能源局局長游振偉博士和金融監督管理委員會綜合規劃處處長胡則華博士。

游錫堃表示，感謝歐洲商會促進臺、歐經貿合作及分享歐洲ESG永續推動實務經驗，ESG成為評估各企業是否能永續經營的指標，臺灣政府也持續引導企業實踐ESG。游錫堃指出，立法院也曾提出多項永續發展的相關政策，包括無紙化作業、立委線上提案及電子提案連屬系統等，此外，立法院也成立了跨黨派「立法院聯合國永續發展目標策進會」，由蔡其昌副院長擔任會長，呼應聯合國共同關心地球永續發展相關議題。

金管會主管黃天牧則提出了推動永續金融的四大策略，包括風險管理、訊息揭露、支持轉型與國際同步，並分享了綠色金融3.0所展現的五大領域。ESG已被視為企業成敗的關鍵，能直接撼動公司的聲譽、智慧財產和品牌價值。金融業扮演關鍵角色，為ESG發展的先驅者，協助政府和非金融公司面對現今最大挑戰，如氣候變遷、環境永續性、社會公平、多樣性及反貪腐。

ECCT金融服務業的會員，對於產品開發、服務，向來有創新優勢，支持全球和臺灣經濟發展。最顯著的例子是臺灣的能源部門，依然依賴石化燃料進口，因此增强其自給自足的能力，並增加其能源多樣性至關重要。永續金融可以引導私人資金流向能源轉型，有助於面對日益嚴重的氣候變遷，實現全球經濟轉型。

論壇中討論的主要議題有：國際金融機構如何使其產品組合更加進步，以納入ESG產品、資產管理者如何改變以應對ESG趨勢、臺灣的氣候策略、永續金融和金融創新成功經驗談，以及開發永續和再生能源的挑戰。講者和小組成員分享了歐洲永續金融發展方面的經驗和最佳實踐方式，及如何幫助當地企業實現永續發展目標，希望提高臺灣在ESG永續發展的國際地位和知名度。