Hong Kong Green Week – Finance Stream

The CBF is co-hosted by the IFC and the HKMA and will take place from 26 to 28 February 2024. As a flagship event of the IFC, it is anticipated to bring together esteemed thought leaders from the Asia-Pacific region, including industry representatives, financial institutions, government agencies, and media professionals. The forum aims to delve deeply into the necessary steps to unlock the financing needed for a resilient and inclusive transition in Asia and the Pacific.

Attachment

Asia accounts for more than half of global greenhouse gas emissions with coal being the largest source. Unlike other regions, Asia's energy infrastructure is relatively young, making the move away from fossil fuels towards clean energy one of the greatest challenges in the energy transition. Many stakeholders look to carbon pricing and markets to facilitate this transition in an economically efficient way, building on the successes achieved elsewhere. The high-level panel will touch on the salient issues and bring governments, corporates and investors together to outline the role of carbon markets in Asia's energy transition.

Building on the context set in the carbon markets panel, this round table discussion will take a more technical approach and explore the state of carbon prices across the globe, the abatement price needed for different sectors, the methodologies for decarbonisation of high emitting sectors as well as how domestic systems of participating countries are performing and their link to international carbon pricing.

Driven by policy, technological innovation, and expanded consumer choice, the global electric vehicle market has seen incredible growth over the past decade. This roundtable will unpack market growth opportunities and challenges across Asia and beyond. It will examine how electrification of mobility can help countries tackle transport emissions while creating local economic opportunities and bring key stakeholders together to discuss how to overcome challenges ranging from upstream critical minerals supply to charging infrastructure.

The cocktail reception hosted by Crédit Agricole CIB, starts with a short lightening talk on green and sustainable finance market outlook and key trends, will provide an exclusive opportunity to exchange ideas and forge valuable connections in sustainable finance.

Transition Finance is increasingly relevant and appealing to Asian market participants thanks to its “whole-of-economy” approach. Asia Pacific’s diverse economic landscape includes both highly industrialised nations and emerging economies, all facing unique sustainability challenges. Simultaneously, there is a need to mitigate risk potential negative effects of a disorderly transition including restricted access to affordable and reliable energy, unemployment, and potential broader social impacts. The session will explore this emerging instrument and focus on how it can be leveraged to improve the ability of sectors or firms to gain access to financing to support their transition to net-zero emissions.

Building on the context set in the previous panel, this round table will explore issues such interoperability challenges when it comes to existing work on frameworks, taxonomies, and roadmaps of national-level transition pathways for hard-to-abate sectors? It will also focus on sharing views on where and how pilot taxonomies are starting to show progress in particular sectors and what lessons may be which can be applied to other contexts.

The roundtable on Climate Change and Impact on Healthcare will focus on the impact of climate change on health equity across Asian emerging markets. The discussion will involve multiple stakeholders in the healthcare landscape, including health care providers, insurers and public health officials. Market participants will explore ways that the sector will need to adapt to the changing climate whilst also promoting wider sustainable health access for all.

In light of the 30-60 “Dual Carbon” goals, China is gearing up to accelerate its transition into a sustainable economy. Financial institutions play a crucial role in providing and mobilizing funding to enable this transition, which will bring transformative shifts to our society and economy while paving the way for a green and sustainable future. This event aims to provide a platform for experts from the financial sector, businesses, academia and the public sector to exchange ideas on the opportunities and challenges arising from developing sustainable finance in China, and collaborate on devising strategies to propel cooperation and innovations. Special focus will be placed on the role Hong Kong plays as a regional green and sustainable finance hub, and exploring its potential to drive and support sustainable development of China, Asia and the Belt and Road area.

The dinner hosted by HSBC will mark the conclusion of the Climate Business Forum: Asia Pacific and provide VIP guests with an opportunity to continue conversations from the event and make new connections.

Event Highlight

The Asia Climate Finance Roundtable will be co-hosted by the IMF and the HKMA on 29 February 2024. The purpose of this event is to thoroughly examine critical aspects related to climate finance, with a specific focus on two key areas: scaling up climate finance and the role of central banks and regulators in managing climate risks. Esteemed experts, policymakers, and industry leaders will come together to engage in in-depth discussions on these urgent matters. By providing a platform for collaboration, the event aims to generate valuable insights and actionable outcomes to advance global climate finance initiatives.

Event Highlight

This seminar will discuss the importance for financial institutions to make transition planning, and share global best practices on target setting, implementation and client engagement strategies through case studies. It will also explore new business opportunities in supporting the net-zero transition in emerging markets and developing economies, including financing the managed phase-out of high-emitting assets and infrastructure projects.

Attachment

Event Highlight

This seminar will showcase the concerted efforts by the official sector, academia and industry on the important subject of taxonomy, particularly how they contribute to more consistent standards in Hong Kong. The seminar will also explore how these efforts can contribute to the transition of financial institutions and corporates in Hong Kong, GBA, and the Asian region more broadly.

Attachment

Event Highlight

This seminar will discuss how to leverage on Hong Kong’s green and sustainable finance infrastructure and ecosystem to facilitate the financing of green initiatives in the Belt and Road countries.

Attachment