Author: Tina Zhang

04 Aug INSIGHTS | China Green Bond Principles: Unified Criteria for the Domestic Market

Posted at 16:50 by Tina Zhang

The China Green Bond Principles (the Principles) is a framework for Chinese green bond issuers to follow best practices in the domestic market. Since 2015, China’s green bond market has expanded rapidly. In 1H22 alone, China issued RMB400.6bn (USD59.4bn) of green bonds and green asset-backed...

14 Jul INSIGHT | China’s Green Electricity Market and Certificates, Explained

Posted at 17:22 by Tina Zhang

On May 23, the Beijing Power Exchange Center published new rules for green power trading, in line with the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)’s policy on green electricity trading pilots in August 2021. As China is still exploring effective approaches to upgrade its energy...

09 Jun INSIGHTS | How insurance can contribute to a sustainable economy: the case of China [Part 2]

Posted at 17:54 by Tina Zhang

Green insurance is an important component of China’s green finance. Chinese government and regulators have published a series of policies to guide the development of green insurance and build a comprehensive green insurance system. By 2020, the total premium of green insurance in China amounted...

02 Jun INSIGHTS | How insurance can contribute to a sustainable economy: the case of China [Part 1]

Posted at 17:04 by Tina Zhang

China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) recently Releases the Green Finance Guidelines for Banking and Insurance Sectors (hereinafter referred to as the Guidelines), which requires banking and insurance institutions to develop green finance, to better assist in pollution prevention and control, and to promote...

19 May BRICS Nations Issues a Joint Statement on Tackling Climate Change

Posted at 12:17 by Tina Zhang

The BRICS countries released a joint statement on May 13 during the virtual BRICS High-level Meeting on Climate Change, as reported by Xinhua on May 14. The meeting was chaired by Huang Runqiu, Minister of China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), and attended by...

19 May Tata Power Work with Hyundai Motor to Facilitate India’s EV Charging Stations

Posted at 12:00 by Tina Zhang

Tata Power [TPWR:IN], India’s largest power generation company, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Hyundai Motor’s [005380:KS] local arm Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) on May 17, as reported by the Economic Times on the same day. The MoU establishes that the two parties will...

12 May INSIGHTS | Get Ready for EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)

Posted at 16:40 by Tina Zhang

On April 21, 2021, the European Commission adopted the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) proposal, which would amend the existing requirements of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD). The CSRD envisages the adoption of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). It identifies the European Financial Reporting...

14 Apr INSIGHTS | EU’s Two Big Moves to Improve SFDR Standards

Posted at 15:09 by Tina Zhang

The European Union (EU) has entered the second year of implementing the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), a part of a legislative package on sustainable finance. The measures also include the Regulation (EU) 2020/852 (Taxonomy Regulation, hereinafter referred to as “TR”). In order to provide...

31 Mar INSIGHTS | How China is Leveraging Blue Carbon for a Net-Zero Future [Part.2]

Posted at 10:29 by Tina Zhang

Part I of this article has introduced the concept of “blue carbon”, its application in China, and China’s policy rollout that enabled the establishment of the international carbon trading center (the Center) in Hainan. This part is going to discuss international blue carbon trading regulations...

24 Mar INSIGHTS | How China is Leveraging Blue Carbon for a Net-Zero Future [Part.1]

Posted at 16:52 by Tina Zhang

According to the officials of the Hainan provincial government, the Hainan International Carbon Emission Trading Center (the Hainan Center) has been approved to set up in the Free Trade Port in Sanya. The Center is scheduled to start operation in 2H22 and will provide a...

03 Mar INSIGHTS | Shanghai Stock Exchange Releases its Low-Carbon Action Plan during the 14th FYP

Posted at 17:43 by Tina Zhang

On March 1, the Shanghai Stock Exchange published an official document titled the Programme of Action on Carbon Neutrality and Action during the "14th Five-Year Plan" (the Programme of Action). To align with China’s “30-60” Decarbonization Goals, the Programme of Action proposed six main initiatives...

10 Feb Overview of SFDR Updates: Regulatory Technical Standards

Posted at 17:40 by Tina Zhang

The European Union’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) is established to facilitate ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) investing as it has become the mainstream of the world of finance and investing. According to Bloomberg’s analysis, the global sustainable financial assets under management (AUM) reached USD37.8tr by...

09 Dec New SBTi Guidance for Private Equity Firm to Approach to Net-zero

Posted at 17:29 by Tina Zhang

Development of SBTi in the Financial Sector The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) regards the financial sector as a crucial part in promoting the global decarbonatization and green economy transition. Through lending and investing, they have the power to reallocate resources to sustainable solutions and the...