This month includes news from ASX, ICE, LuxSE, MSE, TASE and more. Monthly news highlights are compiled by the SSE to give an overview of the capital markets' sustainability news from that month. You can subscribe to our monthly news highlights by clicking here. SSE INITIATIVE NEWS & EVENTS  UN SSE and IFC to Support Stock Exchanges in Advancing SDGs and Climate Efforts 19 May 2022 The UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges (UN SSE) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), member of the World Bank Group, announced an expanded partnership to support stock exchanges and companies in emerging markets in addressing sustainability-related issues, including developing climate and biodiversity disclosure guidance, and advancing gender equality. New SSE TV New Episodes Released! The SSE TV has released new episodes featuring Walt Lukken (CEO & President of FIA Global), Carole Laible (CEO of Domini Impact Investments), Samuel Ho Hock Guan (CEO of Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Berhad), Luc Fortin (CEO & President, Montreal Exchange & Global Head of Trading at TMX Group). SSE upcoming events: UN SSE, CDP & IFC to Provide Free Climate Disclosure Training to Exchanges and their Issuers In order to provide markets with high-quality training on climate disclosure and provide an overview of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations, the UN SSE together with IFC and CDP, have created a multifaceted CPD accredited course for exchanges to distribute to their markets, free of charge. These sessions have been delivered in more than 20 markets so far, from New York to Bangladesh and London to South Africa. For more information on past and future training sessions, visit the SSE Academy event page. Contact: climate@sseinitiative.org if you would like to host a training session in your market. This is a NO COST service available for all SSE Partner Exchanges. EXCHANGE NEWS TASE Publishes Its First Sustainability Report         01 May 2022 The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) published its first annual Sustainability Report, detailing the company’s strategy, partnerships, and initiatives in the field of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting and implementation for the year 2021. ATHEX: New edition of its ESG Reporting Guide 01 May 2022 In order to meet market and regulatory driven demands, the Athens Stock Exchange conducted a review of the ESG Reporting Guide 2019 and updated the content and metrics according to recently published or amended standards and legislations. TISE Welcomes Record Green Bond To Sustainable Segment 04 May 2022 The International Stock Exchange (TISE) has welcomed the UK vehicle leasing sector's largest green bond to its sustainable market segment. MSE has published its first ESG Reporting Guidelines 05 May 2022 The Macedonian Stock Exchange (MSE) recently launched its first ESG Reporting Guidelines for listed companies. The guidance responds to increasing demand from investors and other stakeholders for environmental, social and governance (ESG) information, as well as the incentives from policy-makers and regulators that are driving a growing share of global financial flows towards sustainable investment. CME Group: Energy Risk Awards 2022 - Commodity Exchange Of The Year 05 May 2022 The CME Group has won the 2022 Energy Risk Commodities Exchange of the year award, after developing and launching a suite of products that address the resulting risk-management needs and enabling organizations to validate their green hedging efforts. SET introduces Sustainability Reporting Guide to Listed Companies And  Investors 06 May 2022 The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) unveils its Sustainability Reporting Guide for listed companies together with ESG metrics for each industry group, to be used as guidance on the disclosure of sustainability-related information with transparency, quality and standardization. London Stock Exchange Partners with TreasurySpring 10 May 2022 The London Stock Exchange has partnered with TreasurySpring to offer issuers an opportunity to access sustainable short term funding in addition to the range of funding options offered by our listing business. LSEG: Voluntary Carbon Market To Support Direct Investment On The Path To Net Zero 11 May 2022 The London Stock Exchange’s Voluntary Carbon Market will be a designation for closed-ended investment funds that are listed or admitted to the Exchange’s markets. It will enable investors and market participants to readily identify those funds which have committed to invest in carbon credit projects that meet internationally recognised standards. ASX listed company about Impact Investing: Delivering Financial And Social Returns 11 May 2022 The Ideas Exchange podcast presents a new episode with Caroline Gurney, CEO of Future Generation, the first listed investment company in Australia that aims to deliver both investment and social returns. Hear all about how their model works, and how fund managers waive their management or performance fees so 1% of company assets can be invested in charities every year. Exchange in Focus: Euronext new ESG Guidelines for Listed Companies 12 May 2022 Euronext announced the new edition of its ESG Reporting Guide. This new edition has been revised with a focus on the 1.5°C global temperature increase trajectory, in line with Euronext's “Fit for 1.5°” commitment, one of the key pillars of its “Growth for Impact 2024” strategic plan. HKEX: Board Diversity & Inclusions in Focus 12 May 2022 HKEX presents a platform to identify what a diverse board should include and make good use of a broad range of skills, experience, background, and technical knowledge to seek to reflect a balance of gender, ethnicity and expertise amongst its directors. LSEG hosted The Net Zero Delivery Summit 15 May 2022 LSEG hosted The Net Zero Delivery Summit which evaluated the progress made so far, set new milestones, and accelerated on delivery since COP 26 in Glasgow. Speakers include, John Kerry, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, Alok Sharma, MP, and COP 26 President; Mark Carney, Co-Chair of GFANZ and UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance. ASX joins Crackdown on 'Greenwashing' 16 May 2022 The Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) has warned companies against using the market's disclosure system to make unnecessary or misleading statements that overstate climate and emission reduction achievements, faking green credentials to pump up their share price. NGX calls for Long-Term Sustainable Finance 23 May 2022 Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Exchange (NGX), Temi Popoola, has called for an increase in long-term sustainable finance to achieve the sustainable development goals in Sub-Saharan Africa during CEO Breakfast Roundtable event hosted by United Nations Global Compact Network Nigeria. Bahrain Bourse hosts training on Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures 23 May 2022 Bahrain Bourse, in collaboration with the UN SSE, IFC and CDP, hosted a training workshop on Climate Disclosure and overview of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). The training workshop is in line with Bahrain Bourse’s sustainability action plan to promote capacity building on sustainability and green finance products, as well as the importance of sustainability in the financial sector. Saudi Exchange strengthens Sustainability Commitments 24 May 2022 As Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) is rapidly gaining prominence in the global financial community, the Saudi Exchange continues to strengthen its efforts to promote ESG initiatives. PNGX: The Stock Exchange's Role In Sustainability and SMEs 24 May 2022 Papua New Guinea National Stock Exchange (PNGX) is striving towards helping develop the national capital markets, supporting sustainability initiatives for the local economy and access for SMEs to capital. NGX Regulation Urges Public, Private Sector to Implement Initiatives against Climate Change 26 May 2022 The Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Exchange Regulation Limited, Ms. Tinuade Awe, has urged all critical stakeholders to prioritize implementing initiatives that positively benefit the environment and combat climate change, based on Nigeria’s ambitious climate goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 47% by 2030. REGULATOR AND STANDARD SETTER NEWS ISSB outlines Actions Required To Deliver Global Baseline Of Sustainability Disclosures 18 May 2022 The International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB)’s global baseline presents a unique opportunity to reduce the existing and further fragmentation of sustainability disclosure requirements. Widespread use of the baseline will reduce the costs for data preparers and improve information usability for data users. The ambition of the ISSB is to have completed by the end of 2022 the necessary institutional and technical standard-setting work to establish the core elements of the global baseline, subject to feedback received from its ongoing consultation. WEF: Resilience for Sustainable Inclusive Growth 20 May 2022 The World Economic Forum and McKinsey & Company are pleased to announce Resilience for sustainable inclusive growth, which provides the context and objectives of the Resilience Consortium, a new public-private leadership effort launched at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2022. The Consortium brings together government ministers, chief executives, and heads of international organizations to accelerate collective action and investment in building global resilience. G7 gives thumbs up to ISSB Disclosure Standards Plan 20 May 2022 The finance ministers and central bank governors of the G7 countries are endorsing the work of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) to develop a “global baseline” for disclosure of the impacts of climate change, and other sustainability issues, in the capital markets. The Bank of England: Results of the 2021 Climate Biennial Exploratory Scenario 24 May 2022 The Bank of England has published the results of the Climate Biennial Exploratory Scenario to explore the financial risks posed by climate change for the largest UK banks and insurers. CBI: How US Corporates Are Meeting Their Sustainability Goals 24 May 2022 London Stock Exchange and Climate Bonds Initiative provided an insightful industry webinar delving into the development of the US green and sustainability bond market. This session will provide tangible insights relevant to market stakeholders, corporate treasurers and sustainability officers embarking on a sustainability journey. US SEC Proposes Rule Changes to Prevent Misleading or Deceptive Fund Names 25 May 2022 The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposed amendments to enhance and modernize the Investment Company Act “Names Rule” to address changes in the fund industry and compliance practices that have developed in the approximately 20 years since the rule was adopted. US SEC Proposes to Enhance Disclosures About ESG Investment Practices 25 May 2022 The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposed amendments to rules and reporting forms to promote consistent, comparable, and reliable information for investors concerning funds’ and advisers’ incorporation of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. ESG INDICES AND PRODUCTS CME Group presents its Q1 2022 ESG Update 31 April 2022 CME Group identified that interest and participation in sustainable investments continuing to rise, E-mini S&P 500 ESG futures experienced record volume in March. Moreover, CME Group launched Core Global Emissions Offset futures, a new contract built on the success of Global Emissions Offset (GEO) futures and Nature-Based Global Emissions (N-GEO) futures launched in 2021. FTSE Russell and JPX launch New Net Zero Climate Indices 31 April 2022 As climate transition benchmarks are becoming an important tool for investors, the FTSE JPX Net Zero Japan Index Series, based on JPX’s well-tracked TOPIX 500 is combined with FTSE Russell’s expertise in climate data, target exposure methodology, and index design. FTSE Russell survey 2021: How Asset Owners Prioritize Action On Climate Change 04 May 2022 In this special report, FTSE Russell examines how asset owners around the world are prioritizing positive action on climate change and how they are actively engaging as shareholders to encourage corporates to accelerate their own climate-focused initiatives. BNDES and CBI sign Agreement To Promote Sustainable Finance in Brazil 04 May 2022 The partnership will make it possible to share best practices in the sustainable finance market based on the Climate Bonds Standard's sector criteria, a system that details management and reporting processes with clear requirements for the use of proceeds in the issuance of green bonds. Nasdaq partnering to Scale Carbon Removal 04 May 2022 Nasdaq and Puro.earth have launched a first-of-its-kind index family that tracks the price of removing carbon from the atmosphere. This is the outcome of a collaboration that combines Nasdaq’s expertise in finance and global reach with Puro.earth’s experience in carbon and climate tech. Euronext launches the OBX® ESG index 06 May 2022 Euronext has launched the OBX® ESG index which is a selection of 40 blue-chip companies listed in Norway demonstrating best Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices. Capital Markets Malaysia: Positioning Corporate Malaysia for a Sustainable Future 09 May 2022 Positioning Corporate Malaysia for a sustainable future, a research publication released by PwC Malaysia and Capital Markets Malaysia highlights that the capital market is in a unique position to drive meaningful change in sustainability practices among corporates. FTSE Russell: Investing in The Green Economy 20 May 2022 This report discusses key trends and insights in the global green economy based on FTSE Russell Green Revenue data – a unique source providing granular, bottom-up information on corporate revenues from green products and services. FTSE Rusell: Mind the gaps - Clarifying Corporate Carbon 09 May 2022 In the report, FTSE Rusell surveys the current state of corporate carbon disclosure and explores the challenges facing investors in using estimation strategies. It also proposes an improved estimation strategy, combining the strengths of several existing methodologies, and introduces a new FTSE Russell carbon emission dataset for c. 10,000 companies based on a hierarchical, multi-model approach. ICE Launches its First Nature-Based Solutions Carbon Credit Futures Contract 09 May 2022 Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), announced that it has launched a Nature-Based Solutions carbon credit futures contract (NBS future). The NBS future physically delivers Verified Carbon Unit credits certified under Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use Projects with Climate, Community and Biodiversity Certification. BIVA: IFC Supports Sustainable Bond Issued by GF Mega to Boost SME´s Growth in Mexico 18 May 2022 IFC gives support to a new investment that will help increase access to finance for small businesses, especially women-owned firms, while promoting sustainable projects in Mexico. The sustainable bond issued by Operadora de Servicios Mega (GF Mega), a leading Mexican leasing company specialized financial solutions to small- and medium-sized enterprises (Spanish version). ADX marking the First Green Bond To Be Listed On The Exchange 19 May 2022 Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) welcomed the secondary bond listing of $700 million of fixed-rate amortizing senior secured green bonds and has announced that it is making access easier to its exchange for investors registered on other UAE financial markets. Euronext launches a Futures Contract on the CAC 40 ESG index 30 May 2022 Euronext has announced the launch of a futures contract on the CAC 40® ESG index. The new contract, based on the ESG version of the French national benchmark index, provides institutional investors with an additional tool to contribute to the accelerating development of sustainable investment. BVC invites Investors In A New Era Of Sustainable And Inclusive Economy 30 May 2022 The Cape Verde Stock Exchange (BVC) is taking important steps to support the economy in the region and exploring new partnerships to develop sustainable finance services as it enters a new era with the construction of the Blu-X platform, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) aiming to attract regional and global investment for a sustainable and inclusive economy through the listing of sustainable financial instruments. GENDER EQUALITY LuxSE and UN Women join Forces To Advance Gender Finance 10 May 2022 The Luxembourg Stock Exchange (LuxSE) and UN Women have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen their cooperation and promote joint initiatives to advance financing for gender equality and women’s empowerment. ESG round-up: BlackRock teams up with UN to Promote Gender Lens Investing 26 May 2022 BlackRock has signed a memorandum of understanding with UN Women to cooperate in promoting the growth of gender lens investing.