TDCC initiative underlines importance of environmental, social and governance factors on financial performance

TAIPEI — After environmental, social and governance (ESG) investments surged in the Asia-Pacific region in 2020, Taiwan Depository and Clearing Corporation (TDCC) was invited to give an hour-long talk at the Asian and Oceanian Stock Exchanges Federation’s (AOSEF) very first ESG webinar, where a TDCC speaker introduced its pioneering ESG Dashboard which finance professionals recommend sourcing data for ESG and sustainable investing.

Today, there is heightened awareness in the market that environmental, social and governance factors can have a material impact on the financial performance of businesses. This recognition has become even more noticeable since the coronavirus outbreak, as social and environmental crises have become more acute.

TDCC has long been dedicated to promoting sustainable investing and in 2019 it launched an Investor Relations Platform (IR Platform) to serve issuers, institutional, and retail investors.

In 2020, the platform expanded to incorporate ESG ratings for locally-listed companies by globally trusted rating agencies, including FTSE Russell, ISS ESG, MSCI, and Sustainalytics.

The service is open to the public, free of charge, and is today known as "ESG Dashboard" by the finance professionals and market participants who need this information to mitigate risk.

As a result, Wallace Chu, product manager for TDCC's ESG investment solutions, has been invited to speak with AOSEF members about the ESG Dashboard on Thursday (Oct. 28), which is also the federation’s first ESG webinar, sharing how it can be effectively integrated into the market infrastructure.

"We accepted their invitation to give this talk and tapped into the opportunity to build influence in the ESG investing community, as well as to market Taiwan around the world. Looking into the future, TDCC will proactively explore and leverage climate-related data for its ESG Dashboard to better serve corporate issuers and investors," said Jane Huang, the head of the TDCC's issuer services department.

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About TDCC

Taiwan Depository and Clearing Corporation (TDCC) digitalized the capital market of Taiwan with its establishment as the central securities depository (CSD) in 1989. Today, TDCC leads Taiwan market with its innovative custody, securities settlement, and issuer services. TDCC ESG solutions aim to encourage sustainable investing and enhance companies’ performance on ESG issues. TDCC seeks to achieve this goal through cooperating with leading research agencies, providing data-driven ESG solutions, and facilitating stakeholder dialogues.

More information available at the TDCC IR platform (https://irplatform.tdcc.com.tw/)

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About AOSEF

The Asian and Oceanian Stock Exchanges Federation (AOSEF) is a federation of stock exchanges located in the Western Pacific, up to Mongolia in the north and up to India/Pakistan in the west. Founded officially in 1990 as a regional federation of stock exchanges, AOSEF began as EAOSEF (East Asian and Oceanian Stock Exchanges Federation) in 1982 as an informal organization. It currently has 18 members.

AOSEF facilitates the exchange of information and promotes mutual assistance among its members, as well as represents the common interests of members and communicates them to external parties, with a view to developing the securities markets in the region.

For more information, please visit the AOSEF website (https://www.aosef.org/)