Green bond issuers in Singapore could have greater access to European Union (EU) and Chinese investors. This could happen if their debt instruments align with a newly updated taxonomy. The taxonomy, launched on November 14 at the COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, now includes Singapore.
It enables capital market participants to assess which economic activities the EU, China, and Singapore consider green.
Also read: COP29: Indonesia and Japan Launch Bilateral Carbon Trading Agreement
Multi-Jurisdiction Common Ground Taxonomy (M-CGT)
The newly expanded taxonomy is called the Multi-Jurisdiction Common Ground Taxonomy (M-CGT). It includes 110 economic activities across eight sectors. These activities, drawn from the EU, China, and Singapore taxonomies, could qualify for green financing.
The M-CGT builds on the 2022 version of the bilateral Common Ground Taxonomy (CGT) between the EU and China. The earlier version included 72 activities across seven sectors.
Also read: COP29 Hosts Second Annual Business, Investment & Philanthropy Climate Platform for Private Sector Climate Action
Aligning Global Green Finance Standards
The EU and China, the world’s two largest green finance markets, saw the need for aligned taxonomies in 2020. Both nations recognized that having comparable definitions for green economic activities would improve sustainable financing. The new M-CGT is an extension of these efforts, including Singapore’s national taxonomy for the first time. This step builds upon last year’s mapping release at COP28 in Dubai.
Supporting Cross-Border Green Capital Flow
A joint statement from the People’s Bank of China, the European Commission, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) emphasized the significance of the M-CGT.
Although the M-CGT is not legally binding, investors across the three markets can consider green bonds and funds that align with its criteria. The taxonomies map to the M-CGT, enabling easier cross-border investments, subject to the laws and regulations of each jurisdiction.
Facilitating Global Green Bond Market
The M-CGT aims to solve the issue of varying standards in sustainable financing, which has hindered cross-border capital flows. With this new alignment, investors can more easily identify green financing opportunities across different markets.
Although it currently involves only three jurisdictions, the M-CGT is designed to incorporate more taxonomies in the future. It will act as a reference for other regions developing their green taxonomies.