(13 November 2019) The Athens Stock Exchange, a member of the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges initiative since 2018, published its first ESG Reporting Guide. The guidance is designed to share information and communicate it to investors and other stakeholders. The exchange marked the occasion of the launch with an opening bell ceremony during which Ms. Natassa Stamou, Vice Chair of the Hellenic Capital Markets Commission, rang the traditional bell. “The Hellenic Capital Markets Commission supports initiatives that go beyond the metrics and focus on the ‘big picture’, which is putting in place policies and practices that focus on long-term value creation for both the company and society”, she said during the launch ceremony. While the primary audience for this document are issuers listed on the Athens Stock Exchange, it will be a useful tool for companies of all sizes, across all sectors.

The guide is a tool for them to identify the ESG issues they should consider disclosing and managing, on the basis of their impact on long-term performance. The document also offers practical guidelines on the metrics companies should use to disclose. During the ceremony, the CEO of the Athens Stock Exchange, Mr. Socrates Lazaridis stressed the central role of sustainable development globally, focusing on its importance for capital markets and “the impressive growing investor interest for companies with strong performance and transparency on ESG matters”.

This launch follows the SSE’s global campaign to promote stock exchange guidance.

Since its start, 34 stock exchanges have published ESG Reporting guides. The SSE keeps a complete inventory on its website and provides technical advice to stock exchanges wishing to introduce their own guidance to issuers.

For more information about the Athex ESG Reporting Guide, please visit the Athens Exchange Group website.