Switzerland Proposes Green Labelling Rules

Switzerland has proposed new rules covering the labelling of sustainable financial products traded in the Alpine nation’s markets. The Swiss Federal Council said it will require issuers of the products to be able to justify the use of descriptive terms such as “green” and “ESG”. Among other requirements, the council proposes that issuers include disclosures on their products’ approach to sustainability and provide third-party verification of their credibility.

IFRS to Open China Office as Asia Base for ISSB

The IFRS Foundation has signed an agreement to open an office in China from which it will base Asian operations of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB). The three-year memorandum of understanding was signed with the Chinese Ministry of Finance and will initially be the office of ISSB member Bing Leng. “The announcement of the Beijing office is an important step towards the establishment of our global footprint in the ISSB’s inaugural year,” said ISSB chair Emmanuel Faber.

Australia Announces Plans for Mandatory ESG Disclosures by 2024

Australia has become the latest country to announce it is drawing up plans for mandatory ESG reporting by financial institutions and corporates. A consultation plan was issued by the government Treasury, with a framework proposal expected and a phased implementation from 2024. It follows similar announcements this year by the US and UK.

HK Companies Urged to Prepare for TCFD, ISSB Reporting Rules

Listed companies in Hong Kong should start planning and installing the technology and data provisions to meet more stringent disclosure rules, the city’s Stock Exchange has said. The HKSE is in the process of formulating reporting rules in line with the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) frameworks.

ICE Service Enables Disclosure According to TCFD Framework

Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) has unveiled a tool that helps its financial institution clients disclose their sustainability performance in line with Taskforce for Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). The new service pulls in ICE’s climate transition data and analytics, corporate-entity and green bond data.

EFRAG Gives Nod to EU Corporate Sustainable Reporting Standards

ESG reporting standards for European companies have been approved. The European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) gave its backing to the final version of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), which will prescribe how companies must disclose their ESG performance.

European Parliament Adopts CSRD

The European Union’s parliament has endorsed the creation of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the regulation that’s intended to oblige larger non-financial companies to disclose their ESG performance. The parliament overwhelmingly approved the formation of the framework, which is to be implemented by the end of next year.

CDP Adopts ISSB-Created Reporting Template

CDP will integrate into its disclosures platform a newly created template that’s likely to form the basis of a global reporting standard for climate-related performance. CDP will use the IFRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures that’s being drawn up by the International Sustainable Standards Board. The board was created at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, last year to unify ESG reporting frameworks.

Financial Institutions Spend $1,500 to $3,000 to Complete One Client KYC Review

Financial institutions are spending millions of dollars every year inefficiently onboarding and maintaining clients, according to research from Fenergo, a provider of Know Your Customer (KYC) and Client Lifecycle Management (CLM) software solutions. A global study of over 1,000 C-level executives across corporate and institutional banks found that, on average, over half are spending between $1,500 and $3,000 to complete just one client KYC review.

The findings also show over half of financial institutions spending between 61 and 150 days on KYC reviews for clients, much of which is spent gathering and inputting data across multiple systems. Overall, more than 80% of respondents have between 1,000 and 2,500 employees working on KYC tasks. Some 90% said labour-intensive KYC impacts their ability to make better risk decisions. However, the data also shows financial institutions now focusing investment on automation with 62% prioritising spend for technology.

ESMA Makes ESG Data and Markets a Priority

Europe’s markets overseer has placed improving the quality and access to ESG data and financial markets among its priorities for the next five years. The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) said also in its 2023-2028 Strategy report that it was ready to put the European Union’s sustainability regulations in place and act as supervisor of them.