The Asset Podcast

Transition finance is gaining a lot of attention in Asia as high-carbon companies transition toward net zero emissions in line to combat climate change. What is transition finance and which high-carbon sectors can and should subscribe to transition finance? What risks high-carbon companies face in terms of their business model as they implement changes to become greener? The Asset spoke with Shiv Sivarajah, head, energy and resources, Asia & Oceania at MUFG, Robert Johnson, head oil & gas and petrochemicals at MUFG, Nicholas Gandolfo, director, sustainable finance solutions, Asia Pacific at Sustainalytics and Michelle Horsfield, climate transitions manager at Climate Bonds Initiative about the development of transition finance in Asia.

Ray Tay, senior vice president, public, project and infrastructure finance group at Moody's Investors Service speaks with The Asset about what a green recovery means for Asia-Pacific and the institutions that would be ideally placed to support such projects in the region.

As part of market-opening reform of its capital markets, China lifted the ownership limits for overseas asset managers allowing these companies to offer products directly into the retail market. With US$16 billion to US$17 billion of assets under management, it represents one of the world's biggest business opportunity of the decade. The Asset speaks with Stewart Aldcroft, chairman, Cititrust, who shares his insights on the how China's asset management industry is likely to develop into the future.

The launch of Wealth Management Connect within the Greater Bay Area could strengthen Hong Kong's status as a global financial centre. The Asset speaks with Stewart Aldcroft, chairman, Cititrust, who shares his insights on the attractions for international financial companies.

The Asset spoke with Dr. David Hardoon, senior adviser for data and AI at UnionBank about the potential of big data and artificial intelligence in creating a better banking experience and how critical it is in the time of Covid-19. Dr. Hardoon also touched upon the important role regulators play in making sure data us handled carefully.

At a recent The Asset Events+ webinar session, we spoke with David Uy, managing director and head of power, energy & infrastructure at MUFG Bank, on renewable energy development in Asia. During the virtual event, Uy commented on a number of topics from the impact of Covid-19 on renewable energy to the prospect of additional local currency financing to fund critical projects in the region.

At a recent The Asset Events+ webinar session we spoke with Siong Ooi, managing director & co-head of debt capital markets – loans & bonds, Asian investment banking division at MUFG Bank, on the impact of the pandemic on future infrastructure projects. During the webinar, Ooi drilled down on the involvement of private credit into projects and the greater role sustainability is playing in future development.

The Covid-19 pandemic illustrated that infrastructure is vital to ensure the delivery of essential services. Yet, it exposed the lack of resilience of social infrastructure systems and highlighted the impact of business disruption on cash flow and liquidity in sectors such as transportation, issues which could trigger asset repricing and deal restructuring. With global recession in sight, financing will remain a key challenge particularly as countries already face a huge funding gap. The Asset Events+ invited Seth Tan, executive director, Infrastructure Asia, Boon Chin Hau, managing director, head of infrastructure, Asia and emerging markets, GIC; Sandeep Lakhanpal, head, M&A and business development Cube Highways & Transportation Assets Advisors; Siong Ooi, managing director & co-head of debt capital markets, loans & bonds, Asian investment banking division, MUFG Bank; Sajal Kishore, senior director, head of Asia Pacific infrastructure & project finance ratings, Fitch Ratings; and Ray Tay senior vice president, public, project and infrastructure finance group, Moody's Investors Service, to share their views.

The adoption of technology and digitalization has been underway in the asset management and servicing industry, and the Covid-19 is accelerating the process faster than ever before. Ephyro Amatong, commissioner of Securities and Exchange Commission Philippines, Rohan Singh, managing director head of asset servicing, Asia Pacific, BNY Mellon, Anand Rengarajan, head of securities services, Asia Pacific, Deutsche Bank, Jeroen Buwalda, chief operating officer of Eastspring Investments, and Dean Chisholm, regional head of operations, Asia Pacific, Invesco joined The Asset Events+ webinar last week, talking about the increasing use of technology including how it is enhancing the client experience.

How has the pandemic impacted wealth in the Asia-Pacific? Asia's relative success in containing Covid-19 means that coming out of it, the region is in a better shape than Europe and North America and is the new epicentre of wealth growth. That is the view of Arjan de Boer, head of markets, investment and structuring Asia at Indosuez Wealth Management who spoke to The Asset in this podcast. During this period of the pandemic and other uncertainties, De Boer believes wealth managers are facing their biggest test in preserving the assets of clients. He also shares how the pandemic is magnifying a trend in ESG that is accelerating further. He also recommends investors to remain defensive during this period, and to take a long-term view. As for Hong Kong, despite the range of challenges facing it, he is confident it will remain one of the main global wealth management centres for the foreseeable future.

The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board partnered with Mercatus, a data platform for private investors, to introduce a consistent ESG data measurement and reporting ability. The Asset spoke with Haresh Patel, CEO of Mercatus to understand how ESG data could be integrated into private equity investments.

By The Asset In this era of market uncertainty, record low returns, and more volatility in the global fixed income market, Asian bonds can potentially offer better value, more stable returns, and greater diversification.

By The Asset The Asset speaks to Madhu Gayer, head of Investment Analytics & Sustainability, APAC at BNP Paribas Securities Services, on how Asian asset owners are incorporating the Principles of Responsible Investments (PRI), new financial disclosure regulations, and alternative investment strategies into their sustainability investments.

By The Asset The Asset speaks to Madhu Gayer, head of Investment Analytics & Sustainability, APAC at BNP Paribas Securities Services, on how the convergence of ESG topics, sustainable development goals, and classic market risk and market theory is changing strategic sustainable asset allocation among asset managers.

In this episode Bayani Cruz, executive editor of The Asset seaks with Mitch Reznick, head of Research and Sustainable Fixed Income at Hermes Investment Management, on the challenges and differences betweeb ESG investing in fixed versus equities in Asia. Reznick also talks about how Hermes integrating ESG into its investment strategies.

In this episode, Bayani Cruz, executive editor of The Asset, speaks with Mitch Reznick, head of Research and Sustainable Fixed Income at Hermes Investment Management, on the latest trends of ESG investing in fixed income versus equities in Asia. Reznick also talks about the progress in the level of penetration of ESG investing in the region.

In this episode Daniel Yu, editor-in-chief of The Asset speaks with Madhu Gayer, head of investment analytics & sustainability, Asia-Pacific at BNP Paribas Securities Services on transparency and benchmarks around ESG investing. During the conversation Gayer highlights how BNP Paribas Security Services is approaching various data points to assess the sustainability framework of a company. Moreover, Gayer speaks about how embracing ESG practices can be a differentiator for both corporates and asset managers.

As the international arm of one of China's largest asset managers, Harvest Global Investments is pursuing a strategy to grow from its base in China where it has US$130 billion in assets under management to become a leader in the competitive global asset management business. The Asset's editor-in-chief spoke with James Sun, CEO, who shares his approach to achieving a 30% internal rate of growth in the coming three years.

The Asset's Darryl Yu chats with Daniel Cotti, CFO and bank partner relations at TradeIX and Farooq Siddiqi, global head of trade finance in transaction banking at Standard Chartered about new trade finance technology including blockchain. During the conversation participants touch upon several topics such as the challenges in modernizing trade finance. More from The Asset: Twitter: twitter.com/TheAssetMag LinkedIn: hk.linkedin.com/company/the-asset

Companies in Asia still need to improve transparency in communicating with investors especially in fleshing out details such as business transformation and strategy. Christine Chow, director at Hermes EOS, notes that while boards and the chairman of companies are able to articulate the big picture, how they then go about to execute the plan may not be all that clear. Transparency, she explains is about good quality, hard data, third party verified and followed through with an implementation plan on how goals are to be achieved. Founded in 2004, Hermes EOS provides stewardship services for responsible investing on behalf of asset owners and managers representing 330.5 billion pounds of assets investing in more than 10,000 companies worldwide. Photo: Hermes Investment More from The Asset: Twitter: twitter.com/TheAssetMag LinkedIn: hk.linkedin.com/company/the-asset

Takayoshi Futae takes the helm at MUFG Bank as the regional executive for Asia starting July 2018. Based in Singapore, his new responsibility now covers China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan. In a recent conversation with The Asset's editor-in-chief Daniel Yu, Futae explains the role of transaction banking and why MUFG Bank is sitting on a gold mine given the US$8 billion it has invested in the past four years into Asian institutions such as Krungsri Bank in Thailand, Security Bank in the Philippines and Vietinbank in Vietnam. Together with its proposed acquisition of a 40% stake in Bank Danamon in Indonesia and its 24.9% investment in Morgan Stanley, MUFG Bank he says, is a new hybrid animal in Asia with a global footprint, strong links to Japanese multinationals and able to access a network of local banks to serve small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the region. More from The Asset: Twitter: twitter.com/TheAssetMag LinkedIn: hk.linkedin.com/company/the-asset

The Asset's Darryl Yu continues his discussion with Rahul Ghosh of Moody's on the advantages for both issuers and investors on utilizing green bonds. Ghosh also touches upon where green bonds proceeds will be allocated towards this year and what is needed to continue the growth of the global market. Recorded 15 June 2018 in Hong Kong More from The Asset: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/theassetvideo LinkedIn: hk.linkedin.com/company/the-asset Twitter: twitter.com/TheAssetMag Future events: theasset.com/events

The Asset's Darryl Yu chats with Rahul Ghosh, senior vice president, ESG & green bonds on the development of green financing within Asia over the past several years. According to Moody's Investors Service in around US$30.4 billion worth of green bond were raised during Q1 2018 with over a quarter of proceeds coming from Asian issuers. During the discussion they touch upon the challenges facing issuers looking at green bonds for financing and how certain geographies such as China are pushing green to be the industry standard in this region. More from The Asset: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/theassetvideo LinkedIn: hk.linkedin.com/company/the-asset Twitter: twitter.com/TheAssetMag Future events: theasset.com/events The Asset Online Magazine: theasset.com/news The Asset Awards: theasset.com/awards Asset Benchmark Research: theasset.com/research The Asset e-briefings: theasset.com/e-briefings

The Asset's Daniel Yu speaks with Dinh Quang Tri, acting president of Vietnam Electricity (EVN), the country's biggest power company. EVN generates and distributes electricity, plus it invests in and buys power from independent power producers. Working with the World Bank and Mizuho Bank, EVN is the first government-linked non-bank company to get an international rating from Fitch Ratings. The company plans to raise between US$200 million and US$500 million from the international bond market. Tri says EVN will increase its renewable energy output from solar and wind. Clean energy will boom in Vietnam, he adds. More from The Asset: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/theassetvideo LinkedIn: https://hk.linkedin.com/company/the-asset Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheAssetMag

Part two of our series The Asset's Daniel Yu speaks with Zainal Izlan Zainal Abidin of Securities Commission Malaysia about the country's strategy for socially responsible and sharia-compliant investing. In this podcast Zainal talks about the challenges in making Malaysia a global Islamic finance centre. He sees great potential for Malaysia as it rolls out new products, such as a sukuk ETF. Zainal believes the gradual harmonizing of Sharia definitions will fuel more cross-border transactions between Malaysia and the Middle East. More from The Asset: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/theassetvideo LinkedIn: https://hk.linkedin.com/company/the-asset Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheAssetMag Future events: https://theasset.com/events The Asset Online Magazine: https://theasset.com/news The Asset Awards: https://theasset.com/awards Asset Benchmark Research: https://theasset.com/research The Asset e-briefings: https://theasset.com/e-briefings

Part one of our series The Asset's Daniel Yu talks to Zainal Izlan Zainal Abidin of Securities Commission Malaysia about the country's strategy for socially responsible and sharia-compliant investing. Zainal, who was appointed the deputy chief executive in April 2018, says the combination of green and shariah compliance enables issuers to achieve finer pricing when issuing a sukuk. As Malaysia is the leading global centre for sukuks, it has a natural advantage to lead global activity for green sukuks. Zainal also believes that when combining socially responsible investing and Islamic finance, it is important to make the economic arguments. More from The Asset: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/theassetvideo LinkedIn: https://hk.linkedin.com/company/the-asset Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheAssetMag

Editor-in-chief of The Asset Daniel Yu speaks with President of Saturna Malaysia Monem Salam about an integrated approach to ESG investing. CORRECTION: Saturna launched the ICD Global Sustainable Fund in July of 2017, not June. More from The Asset: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/theassetvideo LinkedIn: https://hk.linkedin.com/company/the-asset Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheAssetMag Future events: https://theasset.com/events The Asset Online Magazine: https://theasset.com/news The Asset Awards: https://theasset.com/awards Asset Benchmark Research: https://theasset.com/research The Asset e-briefings: https://theasset.com/e-briefings Music: Dispersion Relation by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-fre…isrc=USUAN1100258 Artist: incompetech.com

We are at the nascent phase of developing enough metrics to measure companies' adherence to ESG standards, believes, Gary Greenberg, head of emerging markets at Hermes Investment Management. Greenberg, who manages the US$3.4 billion Hermes Global Emerging Markets fund since July 2011, reckons that over the next ten years as the internet-of-things become prevalent there will be sensors and demand-side companies that can be deployed to help measure compliance. More from The Asset: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/theassetvideo LinkedIn: https://hk.linkedin.com/company/the-asset Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheAssetMag Future events: https://theasset.com/events The Asset Online Magazine: https://theasset.com/news The Asset Awards: https://theasset.com/awards Asset Benchmark Research: https://theasset.com/research The Asset e-briefings: https://theasset.com/e-briefings

Rob Wilson, research analyst at US-based MFS Investment Management, discusses how ESG factors are guiding fund managers in valuing securities. More from The Asset: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/theassetvideo LinkedIn: https://hk.linkedin.com/company/the-asset Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheAssetMag Future events: https://theasset.com/events The Asset Online Magazine: https://theasset.com/news The Asset Awards: https://theasset.com/awards Asset Benchmark Research: https://theasset.com/research The Asset e-briefings: https://theasset.com/e-briefings Music: Dispersion Relation by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-fre…isrc=USUAN1100258 Artist: incompetech.com

The Asset speaks with Abhilash Mudaliar, research director of the Global Impact Investing Network, who shares the key findings from its latest survey on the topics driving conversations. More from The Asset: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/theassetvideo LinkedIn: https://hk.linkedin.com/company/the-asset Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheAssetMag Future events: https://theasset.com/events The Asset Online Magazine: https://theasset.com/news The Asset Awards: https://theasset.com/awards Asset Benchmark Research: https://theasset.com/research The Asset e-briefings: https://theasset.com/e-briefings Music: Dispersion Relation by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-fre…isrc=USUAN1100258 Artist: incompetech.com

Daniel Yu, editor-in-chief of The Asset, asks Steve Liberatore, managing director and fixed income portfolio manager at TIAA Investments, his views on ESG fixed income investing. More from The Asset: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/theassetvideo LinkedIn: https://hk.linkedin.com/company/the-asset Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheAssetMag Future events: https://theasset.com/events The Asset Online Magazine: https://theasset.com/news The Asset Awards: https://theasset.com/awards Asset Benchmark Research: https://theasset.com/research The Asset e-briefings: https://theasset.com/e-briefings Music: Dispersion Relation by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100258 Artist: http://incompetech.com