Hosted by NCCU’s College of Commerce, co-organized by Business Weekly, and sponsored by the NCCU Amundi Investment Innovation Research Center, the “Green Finance Innovation Summit – Forum for Sustainability” was held on December 15 at the Public Administration and Enterprise Center. The event fostered exchange among industry, government, and academia on emerging trends in Taiwan's green bonds, ESG finance, global ESG investment, and green financial innovation, contributing to sustainable investment development in Taiwan.
In his opening remarks, FSC Securities and Futures Bureau Director Chen-Shan Chang noted that Mark Carney, the UN Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance, emphasized at COP26 that “investment toward net-zero emissions is the new source of value creation.” He highlighted that finance plays a crucial role in driving decarbonization and economic transformation. Taiwan’s FSC, accordingly, launched the “Green Finance Action Plan 2.0” and the “Corporate Governance 3.0 – Blueprint for Sustainable Development” in August 2020 to align with these goals.
NCCU FinTech Research Center Director Li-Ling Wang stressed the importance of platforms that foster collaboration between government policy and industry. She highlighted NCCU’s active engagement in fintech, ESG investment, and aging society research. The university partnered with Amundi, a leading European asset manager, to establish the NCCU Amundi Investment Innovation Research Center, creating a platform to share global experience.
Amundi Taiwan CEO Jih-Kang Huang explained that Amundi, Europe’s largest and a global top-ten asset manager, has over 30 years of ESG investment experience and was an early signatory of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) in 2006. He emphasized the company’s commitment to advancing ESG investing in Taiwan.
In a keynote speech, Director Chang discussed “The Development of ESG Sustainable Finance in Taiwan,” outlining regulatory support for ESG-related financial products. He explained how the FSC integrated various regulations into the “Guidelines for Sustainable Bonds,” consolidating rules for green, sustainability, and social bonds. The FSC also launched incentives to encourage the development of green funds and improve ESG fund transparency and comparability.
Director Wang presented on “Global ESG Investment and Green Finance Innovation Trends,” noting that governments and corporations are increasingly prioritizing green finance in response to the pandemic and climate change. During the pandemic, social bonds were issued to support medical relief and financial aid for disadvantaged groups.
Joining remotely from Amundi’s headquarters in France, Deputy CIO Vincent Mortier noted that Amundi has been a leader in ESG investment for over a decade, offering top-tier solutions backed by a strong and experienced team.
Amundi’s Chief Responsible Investment Officer Elodie Laugel and Head of Business Development Bertrand Pujol also shared via video Amundi’s commitment to ESG and responsible investing, introducing a new open-architecture mutual fund advisory platform launched in October and its risk-control mechanisms aligned with ESG principles.
Amundi Greater China Chairman Xiao-Feng Chung highlighted that Amundi Taiwan is the only Taiwan-based fund management firm with French origins. The company plans to continue investing in the Taiwan market and deepen its commitment to responsible investing and financial innovation.
Amundi Taiwan’s Head of Discretionary Investment Management, Chia-Yu Liu, shared the green bond evaluation process at the summit. He explained that three elements—issuer ESG analysis, bond eligibility, and pre/post-issuance impact assessments—are key to ESG-integrated bond analysis. Amundi has a team of nearly 40 ESG specialists, including analysts dedicated to green bond evaluation and issuer engagement.
Chailease Holding Executive Vice President and CSO Ying-Chih Liao shared the company’s experience issuing green bonds for the first time. He emphasized the importance of using green bonds to finance climate and energy initiatives, and how achieving financing efficiency is essential to realizing ESG strategies and environmental sustainability goals.
With Taiwan’s cumulative issuance of green and sustainable bonds exceeding NT$100 billion in 2021—a 60% increase—there is still considerable room for growth compared to the global issuance of US$370 billion. The summit’s roundtable invited Director Wang, EVP Liao, Investment Head Liu, and First Commercial Bank GM Mei-Ling Cheng to discuss the future of green bonds and sustainable finance in Taiwan, including carbon tax trading, internal strategies for green bond issuance, and the role of banks in supporting ESG initiatives.
In her closing remarks, Director Wang emphasized that this summit was the first in Taiwan to detail green bond screening mechanisms. The NCCU FinTech Research Center and Amundi Investment Innovation Research Center plan to offer resources to the financial market over the next 3–5 years. In partnership with National Tsing Hua University, Fu Jen Catholic University, Feng Chia University, and Tamkang University, NCCU will hold further academic and industry events focused on integrating net-zero carbon goals with financial technology to support business decarbonization solutions and inspire financial and corporate innovation.
Related Link
Original article (Chinese): NCCU Campus News
