The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) today (26 November) hosted the second Joint Climate Finance Conference. The hybrid conference, which took place in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, brought together nearly 250 participants across both regions.
As the flagship initiative of the DFSA-HKMA partnership to support and enable climate finance in the Middle East and Asia, this year’s conference focused on financial risks arising from climate change and innovation. It featured a series of dynamic discussions on how the two regions can leverage their strengths in finance and technology to collaborate on the development and deployment of innovative products and solutions, to facilitate energy transition and other sustainable development goals of the region and beyond.
The conference also provided a deep dive into the findings of the DFSA-HKMA joint research “Scaling Sustainable Debt in Emerging Markets”, developed with knowledge partner BloombergNEF, on the role of sustainable debt in scaling up climate finance in emerging markets.
Supported by strategic partners including Dubai International Financial Centre Authority, Nasdaq Dubai, and Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, the conference featured distinguished speakers in business, commerce, and financial services from across the Asia Pacific and Middle East and North Africa regions. Their participation underscores the event’s role as a premier platform for cross-industry dialogue, knowledge sharing, and collaboration on initiatives that drive long-term value and responsible investment in the region.
Mr Mark Steward, Chief Executive of the DFSA, said, “By combining our strengths as international financial centres, we are creating new pathways for sustainable investment and innovation. Tokenisation and other emerging technologies, which have been discussed in detail today, have the potential to make climate finance more transparent, efficient, and globally accessible – accelerating the transition across the Asia-Middle East corridor.”
Mr Darryl Chan, Deputy Chief Executive of the HKMA, said, “Dubai and Hong Kong are in a unique position to facilitate climate action across Asia and the Middle East, enabling economies in the region to capture the growth opportunities created by technology advancement in green sectors. With the window for decisive action narrowing, we must move fast to bridge the gaps between markets, between capital and projects, and between ambition and execution. The HKMA and the DFSA will continue to provide a platform for the much-needed dialogue and collaboration.”
Details of the DFSA–HKMA Joint Climate Finance Conference can be found here.
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
26 November 2025
(From left) Ms Danielle Bistacchi, Sustainability Director, Middle East, Emperor; Mr Darryl Chan, Deputy Chief Executive, Hong Kong Monetary Authority; and Mr Mark Steward, Chief Executive, Dubai Financial Services Authority, share their view on igniting climate finance through innovation.
(From left) Mr Paul Chow, Group General Counsel and Group Chief Sustainability Officer, HKEX,; Ms Luying Gan, Managing Director, Head of Sustainable Finance, Greater China and North Asia (GCNA), Standard Chartered Bank; Mr Hua Liu, General Manager, ICBC Dubai, DIFC Branch; Mr Eric Salomons, Executive Vice President, Head of Product Development, Dubai Financial Market and Nasdaq Dubai; and Mr Cliff Zhang, CEO and Founding Partner, Templewater, exchange views on how to green the Asia-Middle East corridor.
(From left) Mr Jameson McLennan, Sustainable Finance Researcher, BloombergNEF; Mr Vijay Bains, Chief Sustainability Officer and Group Head of ESG, Emirates NBD; Mr Michael Fitzgerald, Finance Director, MTR Corporation Limited; and Mr Carlin Naidoo, Group Vice President, Sustainability, DP World, deep dive into the insights from the joint research of the Dubai Financial Services Authority and Hong Kong Monetary Authority.
(From left) Mr Stephen Gotz, Head of Business, DIFC Innovation Hub; Ms Ussrah Hussain, Director, Digital, Data & Innovation, MSS MENA, HSBC; Mr Francois Tilly, Global Head of Official Institutions, Euroclear; and Ms Georgina Lok, Head, Market Development, Hong Kong Monetary Authority, explore how tokenisation can drive global transition.
