This year, CFA Society Singapore is running “ESG Year 2021” to provide structured environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) learning for members and finance professionals.

The local society found that feedback from the ground indicated a sizeable portion of finance professionals needed to start from ground zero on ESG issues in Singapore. The quarterly-themed programme, therefore, kicked off with “ESG 101”. The subsequent quarters have something for everyone, including those already on the ESG path.

The local society is confident that if participants follow its programme, they will be well prepared to embark on their respective ESG journeys by December 2021. For those who are already on that path, CFA Society Singapore hopes to increase individuals’ confidence and provide the necessary tools to succeed.

As part of this effort, CFA Society Singapore has developed an ESG Year 2021 hub to aggregate ESG content and resources from various organisations. With structured learning, courses, webinars and events, the local society hopes members and finance professionals take the opportunity to learn, incorporate, and put into practice what is indeed needed to build a better society in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region.

Victor Ong, CFA, Board Member at CFA Society Singapore said, “To this end, we are optimistic of rolling out a CFA Society Singapore ESG micro-credentialling programme, similar to the CFA Institute programme, later this year to enhance understanding of the financial markets. We are also confident that the CFA Institute disclosure standards on ESG matters, which will be rolled out in the near future, would complement and make better sense of the array of disclosure requirements on ESG.”

To support the campaign, the local society recently had an article published in the Business Times in Singapore entitled “Sustainable (or ESG) investing: Are we on the same page?” by Daniel Soon, a member of CFA Society Singapore.