KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 11): The Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) hosted the inaugural Asean Regulatory Sustainability Summit to examine how the region’s capital markets can respond to mounting economic and sustainability pressures.
The closed-door summit was organised in collaboration with Durham University’s Centre for Sustainable Development Law and Policy and supported by the Asian Development Bank on Sept 9 in Durham, England.
It brought together more than 40 senior policymakers, capital market regulators, academics and industry experts from the UK, the US and the Asia-Pacific region.
Regulators from the Asean Capital Markets Forum (ACMF) also attended the summit. The forum comprises capital market regulators from all 11 Asean member countries — Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Timor-Leste, Thailand and Vietnam.
The summit builds on the ACMF Action Plan 2026–2030, which sets out the regional grouping’s priorities for developing more connected, inclusive and sustainable capital markets.
Discussions under the theme “Building resilience while navigating global shifts” examined how countries, markets and companies can strengthen their ability to withstand emerging risks.
Participants also considered ways to mobilise private, concessional and philanthropic capital to finance climate adaptation and the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Another focus was the changing structure of voluntary carbon markets and the measures needed to strengthen their integrity as financial markets. Voluntary carbon markets allow companies and other entities to purchase carbon credits to compensate for their emissions, but concerns over the quality, transparency and credibility of credits have increased scrutiny of the sector.
SC chairman Datuk Mohammad Faiz Azmi said capital markets and regulators had an important role in narrowing the gap between the risks faced by economies and their preparedness to manage them.
“Resilience is the balance between the risks we are exposed to and our preparedness for them. This gap is precisely where capital market and regulators can and must act on.”
He said he hoped the discussions would lead to concrete measures across the region.
“I hope this summit translates into meaningful action across Asean capital markets. Asean recognises that resilience is not a commitment reserved for good times, but one that can sustain us even in difficult circumstances,” he said.
Professor Petra Minnerop, associate pro-vice-chancellor for sustainability and founding director of the Durham centre, emphasised the role of partnerships between universities, regulators and the financial sector in advancing sustainable development.
“Durham University is striving to implement sustainability across teaching, research, impact and engagement. We deeply appreciate our partnership with the Asean capital markets regulators and the Securities Commission Malaysia, and our international collaboration, including across the industry and the financial sector, to support the implementation of the UN SDGs through sustainable developmentprojects,” said Minnerop.