The third and final day of the MARC MALAYSIAN BOND & SUKUK CONFERENCE 2021 began with a discussion on environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG). The conversation was centred around the development of ESG policies, with all panellists agreeing that factoring ESG into investment decisions is unavoidable. The panellists featured were:
- Mr. Amarjit Chhina, Chief Corporate Officer, Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad
- Mr. Christian Fang, Vice President - Senior Analyst, Sovereign Risk Group, Moody's Investors Service
- Ms. Hildah Hamzah, Head, Business Banking Group II, Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Berhad
- Mr. Ahmad Feizal Sulaiman Khan, Chief Business Officer, MARC (moderator).
The conference closed with a conversation on the collective aspirations for the domestic bond and sukuk market. The general consensus was that the market remains resilient, with new issuances expected to increase. However, access to the market remains limited to big players, with smaller players being edged out, which is a cause for concern.
Going forward, the bond and sukuk market is expected to see an increased focus on ESG, with technology expected to play a key role in driving the digitalisation of the capital market as a whole. Partnership and innovation remain the key buzzwords with game-changing collaborations, products and services expected to drive the domestic capital market to greater heights. Participants in this conversation included:
- Mr. Meor Amri Meor Ayob, Chief Executive Officer/ Executive Director, Bond Pricing Agency Malaysia
- Mr. Raja Amir Shah Raja Azwa, Head, Debt Capital Markets, Global Banking, HSBC Bank Malaysia Berhad
- Ms. Nor Masliza Sulaiman, Senior Managing Director & Regional Head, Capital Markets, CIMB Investment Bank Berhad
- Mr. Rajan Paramesran, Chief Rating Officer, MARC (moderator).
Moody's Investors Services served as the strategic sponsor for this conference, with Danajamin Nasional Berhad having served as the silver sponsor.
Contacts:
Lalitha Sivanesan, +603-2717 2953/lalitha@marc.com.my;
Nurfarain Mohd Dom, +603-2717 2925/farah@marc.com.my.
