Hong Kong, 12 September 2025 - The CASI Sustainability Forum, themed “Building Capacity for a Transition Finance Ecosystem in Asia”, concluded successfully on September 12—the final day of Hong Kong Green Week—cementing its role as a pivotal platform for advancing sustainable finance collaboration across the region.
Co-organized by the Capacity-building Alliance of Sustainable Investment (CASI), Hong Kong Monetary Authority Infrastructure Financing Facilitation Office (HKMA-IFFO), HKU Jockey Club Enterprise Sustainability Global Research Institute (the Institute), and CFA Institute - with support from a broad network of industry and academic partners, the forum brought together over 150 in-person attendees and nearly 300 online participants spanning 40 jurisdictions across Asia and beyond. This diverse gathering included thought leaders, policymakers, financial practitioners, and industry experts, all united to address transition finance: a critical priority for Asia, where economies remain heavily dependent on fossil fuels and industrial sectors carry high carbon intensity.
The forum featured flagship keynote speeches and interactive panel discussions, focusing on three core pillars of transition finance: robust transition planning, transition-related disclosures, and innovative financial products.
Dr. Ma Jun, Chairman of CASI, emphasized CASI’s rapid growth—now boasting 70 global members—and its leadership in sustainable finance capacity-building and knowledge sharing. Over the past 18 months, CASI has delivered training to 6,500 professionals across 90+ jurisdictions, with a strategic focus on supporting emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs). Highlighting Asia’s rising influence in sustainable investment, he noted the region accounts for 70% of the world’s newly installed renewable energy capacity. Ma Jun called for collective action to scale funding capabilities and develop more bankable green projects, urging stakeholders to prioritize solutions that accelerate Asia’s low-carbon transition.
Prof. Guojun He, Director of HKU Jockey Club Enterprise Sustainability Global Research Institute, remarked in his welcome address: “We are delighted to host the CASI Sustainability forum jointly with HKMA-IFFO and CFA Institute to advance sustainable finance in the region. This initiative will strengthen Hong Kong’s position as an international green financial center and provide a robust foundation for global collaborations.”
Arthur Yuen, Deputy Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA):
Mr. Yuen reaffirmed the HKMA’s commitment to positioning Hong Kong as an enabler of Asia’s green transition. He stated: “At the HKMA, we firmly believe that Hong Kong can and should play an enabling role in Asia’s green transition. We will continue to collaborate with like-minded institutions such as CASI to ensure that the industry is equipped with the knowledge and know-how to facilitate this transition.”
Paul Moody, Managing Director, Global Partnerships & Client Solutions, CFA Institute, underscored Hong Kong’s leadership in shaping global sustainability agendas, noting: “Events like today’s Forum, together with Hong Kong Green Week, demonstrate that Hong Kong isn’t just hosting the conversation—it is helping to shape the sustainability agenda.”
A key milestone of the forum was the soft launch of the HKGFA-CASI Certificate in Sustainable Finance—a new program tailored for the Hong Kong market, designed to upskill professionals in sustainable finance. Developed with content curated by top global experts organized by CASI, the program will be primarily delivered online and include self-paced training courses covering global transition finance trends, standards, and practices, exclusive access to webinars featuring industry leaders, and in-person networking events with green finance professionals. The certificate will officially launch in October 2025, with details on registration, examinations, and certification to be announced in subsequent updates.
In his concluding remarks, Dr. Ma Jun distilled critical lessons from the forum, outlining actionable priorities for building a resilient transition finance ecosystem in Asia:
· Incentivize leadership, address laggards: Effective climate transition requires systems that reward leaders (e.g., increased market share, lower financing costs) and mitigate risks for laggards.
· Adopt clear transition taxonomies: Standardized taxonomies reduce ambiguity and lower identification costs for eligible transition activities, unlocking more capital.
· Leverage open-source tools: Tools like transition plan templates and government-hosted carbon ledgers can reduce barriers to accessing transition finance.
· Focus on supply chain impact: Prioritize large firms that drive supply chain change, while extending green supply chain finance to SMEs in transition leaders’ value chains.
· Strengthen policy incentives: Central bank re-lending facilities, capital relief programs, interest subsidies, and low-cost clean energy in industrial parks are critical to accelerating transition activities.
Looking ahead, Dr. Ma announced that CASI will host its next Sustainability Forum in Brazil during COP30 (early November 2025), continuing its mission to foster global collaboration and boost capacity on sustainable finance.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Jessica Tsang
jessica.tsang@sprinkles.org.hk
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About CASI
The Capacity-building Alliance of Sustainable Investment (CASI) is an international cooperation platform launched at COP28 in December 2023. With over 65 institutional members across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, CASI delivers high-quality sustainable finance training and capacity-building, particularly for emerging and developing economies. CASI supports the G20’s Transition Finance Framework (TAAP) by serving as a global aggregator of sustainable finance knowledge. Since its official launch in December 2023, CASI has over 60 member institutions including financial companies, associations, NGOs, service start-ups and higher education institutions, covering Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and other emerging markets. For more information about our members and CASI, please visit our website: www.casi.net .
About HKMA-IFFO
Established by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority in 2016, the Infrastructure Financing Facilitation Office (IFFO) aims to facilitate investments and financing of sustainable infrastructure and green development by working together with a cluster of key stakeholders through providing a platform for information exchange and experience sharing, building capacity and knowledge, promoting market and product development, and facilitating investment and financing flows.
About CFA Institute
As the global association of investment professionals, CFA Institute sets the standards for professional excellence and credentials. We champion ethical behavior in investment markets and serve as the leading source of learning and research for the investment industry. We believe in fostering an environment where investors’ interests come first, markets function at their best, and economies grow. With more than 200,000 charterholders worldwide across more than 160 markets, CFA Institute has 9 offices and 158 local societies.
About HKU Jockey Club Enterprise Sustainability Global Research Institute (the Institute)
HKU Jockey Club Enterprise Sustainability Global Research Institute was established by HKU Business School and funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. The institute brings together distinguished global scholars from diverse fields, to foster a multidisciplinary approach to sustainability research and training, as well as to forge partnerships with private and public sectors for sustainability initiatives and responsible leadership advocacy. As a leading institute in sustainability research, we are dedicated to creating meaningful, lasting impact through pioneering studies, sustainability index development, and start-up incubation. Our objective is to equip the next generation of professionals and leaders with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote responsible and sustainable growth. We are committed to facilitating dialogues and cooperation among regulators, corporates, NGOs, and academics. Together, we aim to shape a more sustainable, equitable, and responsible future for all stakeholders.
