ASEAN regulators, policymakers and market experts are exploring how capital markets can help finance climate adaptation and transition as the region faces growing economic and sustainability pressures.
The issue was at the centre of the inaugural ASEAN Regulatory Sustainability Summit hosted by the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) in collaboration with Durham University’s Centre for Sustainable Development Law and Policy on Sept 9.
The closed-door summit, supported by the Asian Development Bank, brought together more than 40 senior policymakers and capital market regulators from the ASEAN Capital Markets Forum (ACMF), alongside academics and industry experts from the United Kingdom, United States and Asia-Pacific.
Held under the theme “Building Resilience while Navigating Global Shifts”, the summit examined how countries, markets and companies could strengthen resilience while responding to emerging economic and sustainability risks.
Discussions focused on mobilising private, concessional and philanthropic capital for climate adaptation and transition, as well as strengthening the integrity of voluntary carbon markets as their role in climate finance evolves.
The summit builds on the ACMF Action Plan 2026-2030 and aims to advance regulatory and market thinking on sustainability challenges facing ASEAN and the wider international financial community.
SC chairman Datuk Mohammad Faiz Azmi said capital markets and regulators had a critical role in bridging the gap between growing risks and preparedness.
“Resilience is the balance between the risks we are exposed to and our preparedness for them. This gap is precisely where capital market and regulators can and must act on.”
The summit provides a regional platform for regulators, policymakers and market participants to exchange views on emerging sustainability risks and develop approaches to strengthening the resilience of ASEAN capital markets. - September 11, 2026
