This month’s edition features news from May, with highlights from Australia, GRI, IFRS, Kuwait, Malaysia, New Zealand, and more. Compiled by the SSE initiative, these monthly updates provide an overview of the latest developments in capital markets and sustainability.
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SSE & SSE PARTNER NEWS
The UN SSE has launched a new Market Insights Webinar Series, a free capacity-building programme for the SSE network. Running through 2026 and 2027, the series provides practical insights into commodity markets and instruments relevant to the net-zero transition, including sustainable aviation fuel, renewable energy, hydrogen, battery metals and carbon markets. The first webinar took place on 14 May 2026, with hundreds of participants joining from around the world. Future sessions will be communicated to the UN SSE network through social media, the UN SSE website, and newsletters.
The partnership is also convening a new Commodity Markets and Energy Transition Expert Group. The group will bring together exchanges, regulators and market participants to share insights, discuss market developments and identify challenges across commodity and environmental markets linked to the energy transition. Discussions take place under Chatham House Rules and will help inform a UN SSE white paper planned for 2027. Participation is by invitation only, to apply please register your interest here
Get involved by registering to attend the upcoming May 14, 2026, Market Insights Webinar: Carbon Markets and Renewable Energy Credits and applying to join the Commodity Markets and Energy Transition Expert Group.
Stock Exchanges Worldwide Unite for the Second Annual Ring the Bell for LGBTIQ+ Equality Initiative
Stock exchanges around the world are once again joining forces this month for the second annual Ring the Bell for LGBTIQ+ Equality initiative, a growing global movement supporting the rights, dignity, and economic inclusion of LGBTIQ+ people everywhere. This year, exchanges in 12 locations around the world are participating in the initiative, including ASX (Australia), B3 Brasil Bolsa Balcão, Euronext Group (with exchanges in Belgium, France, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the United Kingdom), London Stock Exchange Group, Mexican Stock Exchange, SET (Thailand), and TSX (Canada). Participating exchanges will host ceremonial opening or closing bell-ringing events throughout the months of May and June. These events serve as visible demonstrations of support for LGBTIQ+ equality and provide a platform for dialogue on the importance of inclusive workplaces, equitable economic participation, and protection from discrimination.
SSE ACADEMY UPCOMING WORKSHOPS & NEWS
The following SSE Academy workshops are coming up soon!
SSE Academy workshops are hosted by SSE Partner Exchanges and invitations are managed directly by the exchange. If you wish to register, please visit the event page. For all upcoming workshops, visit SSEinitiative.org/sse-academy/
- June 8 - Royal Securities Exchange of Bhutan Workshop on Sustainability for SMEs and Beginners
- 16 June - Chittagong Stock Exchange Workshop on IFRS Sustainability Standards
- 18 June - NSE India Workshop on Managing and Reporting on Nature
- 23 June - Colombo Stock Exchange Workshop on IFRS Sustainability Standards
- 30 June - AFCM Workshop on IFRS Sustainability Standards
- 1 July - Taller de FIAB sobre gestión y elaboración de informes sobre la naturaleza
- 6 August - The Philippine Stock Exchange Workshop on Managing and Reporting on Nature
- 13 August - South Pacific Stock Exchange Workshop on Managing and Reporting on Nature
UN SSE Academy Expands Training on Nature, SMEs and Board Oversight
The UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative Academy has opened registration for stock exchanges to host three new training programmes: “Managing and Reporting on Nature”, “Getting Started with Sustainability: An Introduction for SMEs and Beginners”, and “Board Oversight of ISSB-Aligned Reporting.”
Through expert-led sessions, case studies and hands-on exercises, participants gain practical tools to integrate sustainability into reporting, corporate strategy and risk management. Delivered online and free of charge to host exchanges, the programmes are designed for listed companies, investors and capital-market professionals working across sustainability, finance, governance and risk functions.
Stock exchanges interested in hosting a session are encouraged to contact the UN SSE Academy team. We have a limited supply of sessions, so book yours early.
EXCHANGE NEWS
ICE and Climate Bonds Initiative Announce Strategic Sustainable Bonds Data Collaboration: ICE announced a strategic collaboration with the Climate Bonds Initiative to improve transparency and consistency in the global sustainable bonds market. Under the partnership, ICE’s Sustainable Bonds Classification data will support CBI’s sustainable bond universe, research, and alignment assessments, while ICE plans to integrate CBI alignment indicators into its sustainable bond solutions. The collaboration combines ICE’s bond classification framework with CBI’s climate-alignment expertise, aiming to give market participants better insights into sustainable bond investments and their impact.
From Compliance to Commitment: How Bursa Malaysia is shaping the ESG future: Bursa Malaysia continues to strengthen ESG practices across its markets through sustainability reporting requirements, disclosure frameworks and ESG assessment tools. These efforts aim to improve the quality, consistency and comparability of listed company disclosures, while supporting investor confidence and long-term value creation. The exchange’s approach reflects a broader shift from ESG as a compliance requirement toward ESG as a core part of corporate strategy and market development.
Boursa Kuwait Emphasizes Commitment to Gender Equality and Inclusion in Capital Markets: Kuwait Stock Exchange (Boursa Kuwait) confirmed Sunday (May 17) its commitment to empowering women and promoting inclusivity and gender equality in the Kuwaiti capital market and the wider economy, describing it as a core institutional principle rather than a temporary initiative. Boursa Kuwait underlined that its participation is a natural extension of its institutional strategy based on diversity, inclusion, and good governance – essential elements for building a trusted, balanced, and sustainable national capital market.
WFE Publishes Draft Principles for Listed Companies In Transition to Going Green: The World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) has published draft Transition Equity Principles to support exchanges in developing designations for listed companies pursuing credible decarbonisation pathways. The principles aim to improve clarity, consistency and credibility around transition equities, helping investors identify companies with robust transition plans while supporting issuers’ access to transition finance. Developed with input from WFE members and industry experts, the principles build on the WFE’s earlier Green Equity Principles and transition finance guidance. The WFE plans to formally consult on the draft principles and publish supporting guidance once they are finalized.
REGULATOR AND STANDARD SETTER NEWS
Europe - Commission seeks feedback on revised sustainability reporting standards: The European Commission launched a one-month public feedback process on revised ESRS and a voluntary standard for smaller companies. The revisions aim to reduce administrative burden while maintaining the quality of sustainability disclosures. The draft revised ESRS reduces mandatory datapoints by more than 60% and total datapoints by more than 70%.
New Zealand - FMA releases updated guidance that provides more clarity on sustainability-related disclosures: New Zealand’s Financial Markets Authority released updated guidance on sustainability-related disclosures for financial products with environmental, social or value-based characteristics. The guidance explains how existing fair-dealing and disclosure obligations apply to sustainability claims, emphasizing that claims must be clear, substantiated, consistent and properly manage third-party involvement. The FMA said the update aims to help investors better understand sustainability-related claims and ensure issuers disclose material information without being misleading. It replaces earlier 2020 and 2022 guidance.
ISSB Meeting on Nature-related Financial Disclosures: The ISSB met to discuss its research on nature-related disclosures, including nature-related scenario analysis and identification of nature-related risks and opportunities. On nature, the ISSB tentatively decided not to add incremental requirements for disclosing scenario analysis used to identify nature-related risks, but did support additional disclosure on how scenario analysis is used to identify nature-related opportunities and assess the effects of nature-related risks. The ISSB also tentatively decided to require entities to use nature-related scenario analysis to provide information on resilience, broadly aligned with IFRS S2’s approach to climate scenario analysis. The Board further agreed that the proposed IFRS Practice Statement should reference the TNFD LEAP approach as a potentially relevant tool for identifying nature-related risks and opportunities, while making clear that LEAP would not be mandatory.
Australia - ASIC issues early observations on sustainability reporting ahead of 30 June 2026: ASIC published early observations from its review of the first sustainability reports lodged under Australia’s new mandatory climate reporting regime, ahead of the 30 June 2026 reporting season. ASIC found that the new requirements are improving the quantity, quality, consistency and comparability of climate-related financial information, but identified areas for improvement. Key issues include inappropriate disclaimers, unclear assumptions and measurement uncertainty, voluntary information obscuring material disclosures, weak cross-referencing, and inconsistent treatment of legally required climate targets. ASIC will continue reviewing reports and publish final observations in the second half of 2026.
GRI and IFRS Foundation reaffirm commitment to complementary disclosures: GRI and the IFRS Foundation issued a joint statement reaffirming how GRI Standards and ISSB Standards can be used together to support efficient, comprehensive sustainability reporting. The statement explains that the two sets of standards serve distinct but complementary purposes: ISSB Standards focus on investor-relevant sustainability-related financial disclosures, while GRI Standards address broader impacts on people, the environment and the economy. It also highlights ongoing alignment work between the GSSB and ISSB to reduce duplication and improve consistency for organizations using both standards.