Regulation, ESG and Investment: The China Story

The story of China over the past few years has been one of slowing growth and an increasingly tightening regulatory environment. The onset of Covid-19 was an obvious driver of the slowdown, but a string of unexpected regulatory moves from policymakers has also contributed to the more challenging business environment and impacted overall market optimism.

But perhaps one of the most important policy drivers of the past few years has been around ESG. Financial institutions and corporates alike are under increasing pressure to incorporate ESG principles into their business practices and help pursue the lofty goal of carbon neutrality. But a lack of maturity in the ESG space means the strategy is often underdeveloped and reliable information tends to be hard to come by.

Meanwhile, policymakers have continued to pursue initiatives to open up domestic financial markets to global market participants, enabling easier access to China’s bond and stock markets and introducing new derivatives products to enhance firms’ ability to hedge currency and market risk.

In this webinar, our panel will consider recent regulatory and policy initiatives, how these are impacting the investment climate and contributing to market growth, and the challenges and opportunities for foreign firms.