Exchange in Focus: Bursa Malaysia launches one-stop knowledge hub on corporate governance and sustainability

9 May, 2018

Bursa Malaysia, an SSE partner exchange since 2015, recently launched BURSASUSTAIN, a comprehensive online portal designed as a one-stop knowledge and information hub on corporate governance and sustainability.

BURSASUSTAIN was developed following extensive research, benchmarking and engagement with various stakeholder groups. The hub aims to provide a platform for users, such as listed issuers, investors and other key stakeholders, to have easy access to the latest information on CG and sustainability. Designed to be user-friendly, BURSASUSTAIN contains webcasts, case studies, commentaries, videos, reports, e-learning and weekly news updates from both local and international sources, to serve stakeholders with diverging needs.

Chief Executive Officer of Bursa Malaysia, Datuk Seri Tajuddin Atan said, “The Exchange in its role as a regulator, market operator and sustainability champion is in a unique position to influence and develop the Malaysian capital market by inculcating better and stronger corporate governance culture and sustainability practices. BURSASUSTAIN demonstrates our commitment to further elevate and integrate responsible business practices amongst our key stakeholders. What sets BURSASUSTAIN apart from other knowledge platforms is that it seeks to provide comprehensive and up-to-date information on developments and trends in the area of corporate governance and sustainability for our stakeholders.”

The Exchange hopes that BURSASUSTAIN will act as a catalyst for listed issuers to adopt and implement quality corporate governance and sustainability practices, as well as improving the quality of disclosures and reporting to be on par with international standards. For investors, BURSASUSTAIN also provides information on responsible investment and Islamic finance. There are case studies and value propositions showcasing the advantages of responsible investing. This initiative is part of the Exchange’s continuous efforts to ensure inclusiveness that will further enhance market quality and attractiveness.

The three key pillars housed in BURSASUSTAIN are as follows:

The Corporate Governance (CG) pillar provides resources that help listed issuers understand the benefits and value of adopting good CG practices. Listed issuers can have a better understanding of managing and improving CG within their company with the availability of all relevant information under this section including the Malaysian Code of Corporate Governance, CG Guide and other guidance as well as related literature.

The Sustainability pillar contains tools and resources to inform and inspire listed issuers at different stages of their sustainability journey. This section contains the essentials on sustainability, which includes detailed content on specific sustainability issues that are trending both locally and globally that can help them to improve current practices and drive value over the long term.

The Responsible Investment pillar gives investors a better understanding of applying the latest environmental, social and governance (ESG) information alongside their financial and market consideration, which will allow them to make better informed investing decisions.

Bursa Malaysia has required ESG disclosure from its listed issuers since 2015. Other existing sustainability measures include;