The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) officially launched its 2025 Sustainability Week, initiating a robust capacity-building series designed to deepen awareness and accelerate the adoption of green finance practices among capital market players in the Philippines. This comprehensive initiative underscores the SEC’s commitment to fostering a more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient capital market ecosystem.
Responding to strong stakeholder feedback, the SEC commenced the week with a focused training session on the Philippine Sustainable Finance Taxonomy Guidelines (SFTG) held at the SEC Headquarters in Makati City on June 23. This session, co-organized with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank Group, and the International Finance Corporation, provided participants with a detailed walkthrough of the SFTG and practical exercises to assess sustainable finance transactions and map bank investments.
SEC Chairperson and CEO Francis Ed. Lim emphasized the critical importance of integrating sustainability into the core of financial systems. “This training is not just about understanding a new framework. It is about embedding sustainability into the heart of financial practice,” stated Lim. “The real value of the Philippine SFTG lies in how well we apply it—in structuring financial products, shaping disclosures, guiding investment decisions, and delivering real-world impact.”
The initial session also featured a dynamic panel discussion moderated by Sustainable Finance Institute Asia CEO Eugene Wong, with insights from key figures including Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas ESG Surveillance and Supervision Group Head Rhodora M. Brazil-De Vera, Sustainable Banking Network Asia Coordinator Wei Yuan, and BDO Unibank Inc. Vice President and Head of Sustainability Office Marla G. Alvarez.
Building on this momentum, the second day of Sustainability Week saw the SEC, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), host a crucial capacity-building session on Sustainable Investments for Non-Bank Financial Institutions (NBFIs). This initiative directly addresses findings from the Capacity Assessment of NBFIs to Finance Nature-Based Solutions, which revealed that nearly half of surveyed NBFIs are “Cautious Practitioners” in green finance integration.
A subsequent panel discussion, “Navigating the Path to Green Finance Success,” moderated by SGV & Co. Climate Change and Sustainability Partner Bonar Laureto, explored strategic levers to bridge the financing gap and unlock investments in nature-based solutions. The discussion aimed to encourage NBFIs to transition toward more proactive and sustainable finance practices. Panelists included Agnes De Jesus (First Philippine Holdings Corporation), Jomar Lacson (ATRAM Asset & Wealth Management), Sophia Ong (ecoCarbon Capital Group), Jojo Joson (Kennemer Eco Solutions), and Mohamed Shahidh (UNDP).
In his closing remarks, SEC Commissioner McJill Bryant T. Fernandez highlighted the pivotal role of NBFIs. “As financial intermediaries and facilitators of investment flows, NBFIs are uniquely positioned to catalyze change—not just in markets, but in the communities and ecosystems that need it most,” he remarked.
Through these vital engagements, the SEC reaffirms its steadfast commitment to fostering a more robust and environmentally conscious financial landscape in the Philippines.
