所屬分類：新聞動態發佈時間：2025-12-02
Hong Kong ESG trends
DFSA and HKMA co-host second Joint Climate Finance Conference, showcasing opportunities to accelerate sustainable finance through innovation
As the flagship initiative of the DFSA-HKMA partnership to support and enable climate finance in the Middle East and Asia, this year’s conference focused on financial risks arising from climate change and innovation. It featured a series of dynamic discussions on how the two regions can leverage their strengths in finance and technology to collaborate on the development and deployment of innovative products and solutions, to facilitate energy transition and other sustainable development goals of the region and beyond.
The conference also provided a deep dive into the findings of the DFSA-HKMA joint research “Scaling Sustainable Debt in Emerging Markets” (published on 18 December), developed with knowledge partner BloombergNEF, on the role of sustainable debt in scaling up climate finance in emerging markets.
Lianhe Green Insights
The 2nd Joint Climate Finance Conference co-hosted by Dubai and Hong Kong stands as a model of cross-regional collaboration in addressing climate challenges. With finance and technology as the link, the two cities have focused on risk mitigation and innovative practices, while leveraging a joint report to break new ground in climate financing for emerging markets. As the second consecutive edition of this twin-city climate finance gala, the conference has further strengthened the Asia-Middle East cooperation bond: it not only facilitates the flow of cross-regional capital and knowledge, but also delivers a "Twin-City Solution" for the transparency and efficiency of global climate finance through a regularized collaboration mechanism, fully demonstrating the sustained responsibility and firm commitment of the two international financial centers in tackling global climate challenges.
International ESG trends
Commission proposes improvements to SFDR
On 19 November 2025, the European Commission proposed a set of amendments to the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), the EU’s transparency framework for financial products integrating environmental or social aims. The changes are designed to address current shortcomings by making the rules simpler, more efficient, and better aligned with market realities.
This initiative aims to achieve two objectives: first, to make information more practical and accessible for investors; second, to reduce duplicate reporting requirements, thereby alleviating the burden on financial product providers. The European Commission stated that these reform measures will consolidate Europe’s position in the sustainable finance sector while enhancing the participation in capital markets under the framework of the EU’s Capital Markets Union (CMU) for savings and investments.
Source: https://finance.ec.europa.eu/news/commission-proposes-improvements-sfdr-2025-11-21_en
Lianhe Green Insights
Lianhe Green holds that the EU's comprehensive revision of the SFDR framework marks a shift in its sustainable finance regulation from "complex rules" to "efficiency and transparency." The core of this reform lies in simplifying disclosure requirements and reducing corporate compliance costs, while providing clearer classification guidelines for ESG products. It aims to enhance market credibility and capital allocation efficiency, essentially strengthening the EU's rule-setting leadership and market governance capacity in the sustainable finance sector.
Mainland China ESG trends
Chinese Delegation Attends UN Climate Change Conference in Belém
From November 10 to 22, 2025, the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC, hereinafter referred to as the "Convention") was held in Belém, the capital of Pará State in northern Brazil. A total of approximately 56,000 participants registered for the conference, including 194 Parties, 2,214 observer organizations, and 1,457 media outlets. During the conference, the Chinese delegation hosted a series of events at the "China Pavilion," featuring 19 thematic side events, 14 special activities, and 4 exhibitions. Senior officials such as the Conference President, the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, dignitaries from various countries, and high-level representatives of international organizations attended these events. These initiatives effectively showcased China's actions and achievements, disseminated China's concepts and voices, facilitated people-to-people climate diplomacy, and told compelling stories of China's proactive response to climate change.
The conference concluded one day later than scheduled, ultimately adopting the Belém Package – a set of political outcomes anchored by the theme "Global Mutirão: Uniting All Humankind to Address Global Climate Change." It adopted a series of decisions on the implementation of the Convention, its Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement, sending a strong positive political signal that the trend of green and low-carbon development is irreversible, multilateralism is unshakable, and international cooperation must not be weakened. Against the backdrop of geopolitical turbulence, the outcomes demonstrated the determination of all parties to unite and cooperate in addressing climate change, injecting certainty and positive momentum into the comprehensive, effective, and sustained implementation of the Convention and the Paris Agreement over the next decade.
Source: https://www.mee.gov.cn/ywdt/hjywnews/202511/t20251130_1135254.shtml
Lianhe Green Insights
Lianhe Green believes that COP30 and China's in-depth participation have sent a clear signal: the continuous strengthening of global green rules. For enterprises, this translates into dual certainties: first, domestic carbon constraints and environmental disclosure requirements will become increasingly stringent; second, green technologies, standards, and cross-border cooperation will open up new markets. Transforming climate governance from a compliance cost into a core competitiveness has become the key to enterprises' long-term survival and development.
First Unified Environmental Benefit Disclosure Standard for Green Bonds in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Officially Released
On November 21, the Shenzhen Green Finance Association, in conjunction with China Government Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation Limited (CGSDTC) Shenzhen Branch, released the Specifications for Environmental Benefit Information Disclosure Indicators of Green Bonds. Guided by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Green Finance Alliance, the standard was jointly formulated by over 20 institutions from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, with strong support from GBA regulatory authorities and market institutions. Ultimately, it was issued as a group standard and successfully upgraded to the first "GBA Standard" in the green bond sector. Based on the national financial industry standard Indicator System for Environmental Benefit Information Disclosure of Green Bonds (JR/T0322—2024), the standard fully absorbs mainstream domestic and international green bond standards and disclosure practices, innovatively providing a unified cross-border disclosure framework for 276 green industries in the GBA green bond market.
Source: https://www.szgfa.com/news_view.aspx?nid=2&typeid=28&id=2563
Lianhe Green Insights
Lianhe Green believes that the release of this standard has effectively promoted the standardization of green finance. By providing a unified information disclosure framework, it has successfully addressed the key pain points of inconsistent standards and non-comparable data, while positively encouraging issuers to proactively and comprehensively disclose the environmental benefits associated with green bonds. For issuers, it is necessary to strictly comply with the standard requirements, standardize the calculation methods and data sources of core environmental information indicators, and take into account requirements such as third-party verification to ensure that information is verifiable and traceable. This not only consolidates their own compliance foundation but also enhances the credibility and investment-attractiveness of green bonds in the market.
MEE Releases 3 CCER Methodologies, Newly Incorporating Oilfield Gas Sector
On November 21, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) and the National Energy Administration (NEA) jointly released three methodologies for greenhouse gas voluntary emission reduction (CCER mechanism) projects, namely: Recovery and Utilization of Associated Gas from Offshore Oilfields, Recovery and Utilization of Test Gas and Vent Gas from Onshore Gas Fields, and Recovery and Utilization of Low-Volume Associated Gas from Onshore Oilfields. This marks the third batch of CCER mechanism project methodologies, following the first batch (four methodologies covering afforestation carbon sinks, grid-connected concentrated solar power, grid-connected offshore wind power, and mangrove afforestation) and the second batch (two methodologies for the utilization of low-concentration coal mine gas and ventilation air methane, and highway tunnel lighting). To date, the updated methodologies since the launch of the CCER mechanism have expanded to nine.
Source: https://www.mee.gov.cn/xxgk2018/xxgk/xxgk06/202511/t20251121_1134574.html
Lianhe Green Insights
Lianhe Green believes that the release of these methodologies has filled the gap in emission reduction pathways for traditional high-carbon sectors. The inclusion of oil and gas associated gas/vent gas recovery has expanded the coverage boundary of the CCER mechanism; the clarification of emission reduction calculation and data standards has enhanced the recognition of outcomes; and the "emission reduction + carbon asset income" model has guided the industry to shift from passive carbon reduction to proactive deployment of low-carbon technologies.
返回
當前位置：
