Against the backdrop of global climate commitments, this presentation will delve into the critical nexus between increased renewable energy manufacturing and the imperative of a just energy transition, through a diversified supply chain for renewable energy industry development in Southeast Asia. The session will uncover unprecedented opportunities the region holds in solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, electric vehicles (EV) and battery manufacturing, leveraging its human capacity advantages and sustainable use of resources. As countries like Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam spearhead EV production, fuelled by high vehicle demand, others such as Malaysia and the Philippines strategically prioritise battery energy storage systems (BESS), leveraging competitive storage costs and abundant renewable energy opportunities. By presenting evidence-based approaches for ASEAN countries, this session will unfold as a compelling journey, envisioning Southeast Asia as a key export hub and a leading contributor to global decarbonisation efforts, including green hydrogen industry development.

This speech will tell the story of Yunhe Centre, a decade-long endeavour to bring nature education and community engagement projects to remote communities in China, and how they integrated innovative, goal-driven, and action-based approaches to address environmental issues and biodiversity crises in China. Education is a key tool; business is the main driver; SMEs are the backbone of success. The speech will also discuss how Yunhe works with cross-industry stakeholders collectively to achieve financial sustainability. This speech will tell the story of Yunhe Centre, a decade-long endeavour to bring nature education and community engagement projects to remote communities in China, and how they integrated innovative, goal-driven, and action-based approaches to address environmental issues and biodiversity crises in China. Education is a key tool; business is the main driver; SMEs are the backbone of success. The speech will also discuss how Yunhe works with cross-industry stakeholders collectively to achieve financial sustainability.

Ampd Energy, with a presence across seven regions globally, is a growth-stage technology company that pioneered the wide-scale adoption of energy storage systems in heavy industries, driving the transition of industries toward an emissions-free future. This talk explores how strategic funding initiatives from Hong Kong enabled Ampd Energy to swiftly capture over 50% of a major global city's construction sector, highlighting replicable approaches for other regions to accelerate decarbonisation through private sector adoption and supportive public policies.

Meeting net-zero emissions goals by 2050 while also meeting the global need for secure, reliable and affordable energy is a key challenge for governments and companies. This presentation discusses both opportunities in a global and regional context, including examples of technologies and strategies deployed to date globally by innovative companies as they pursue reductions in their GHG emissions, and the bank’s role in supporting them.

In a world striving to stay below a 1.5°C temperature rise, greening supply chains is not just vital—it’s imperative. It’s about cutting Scope 3 emissions, halting deforestation, safeguarding biodiversity, and fostering a Just Transition. Yet, as supply chains become more intricate, they mirror the complexity of our evolving world. Join us in exploring the pivotal questions businesses face and uncover the essential steps they can take to harmonise growth with sustainability, embarking on a journey that rebalances supply chains for the future.

Sustainability reporting has undergone an extensive transformation over the past few years. For a long time, sustainability reporting has been called the ‘Alphabet Soup’ of reporting. With the alignment of the various standards by the EFRAG, the GRI and the ISSB, take a whirlwind tour through the latest developments on those standards. In this 20 minutes talk, we will deep dive into key concepts to understand how to prepare your next sustainability report using this new recipe.

Join SMBC for a discussion on driving changes in manufacturing and construction processes to reduce embodied carbon in the construction sector. With real estate contributing to 39% of global emissions and 11% attributed to building material manufacturing, we will explore the role of banking and finance in enabling decarbonisation. The session will feature insights from Lendlease's green initiatives and SMBC's support for building materials manufacturers, new developments, and retrofitting projects to promote sustainability and achieve "Absolute Zero."

In this fireside chat, the importance of transforming energy systems for achieving net zero emissions and deploying innovative technologies to decarbonise challenging sectors will be discussed. To reach global net zero emissions by 2050, critical technologies such as sustainable aviation fuels, low-emission hydrogen, and direct air capture and storage must significantly expand in the next few years. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that scaling up these technologies will require substantial investment, with an annual investment of USD 4.5 trillion by the early 2030s, mostly sourced from private finance, to accelerate the adoption of clean energy technologies.

Biodiversity loss is one of the greatest threats to the future of our planet. Tropical rainforests cover only 6% of the Earth’s surface but are home to an estimated 50% of all terrestrial plant and animal species. Restoring them holds the key to safeguarding our future. Join us on an immersive journey through ClimateForce’s operation in the world’s oldest rainforest - The Daintree as we organically regenerate fallow farmland back to high biodiversity rainforest. Come with us as we collect seeds on the rainforest floor, raise them in our nursery then plant them and manage the land while collecting high quality data to build trust and catalyse reforestation at scale. We are building a blueprint that supports land diversification and profitable biodiversity markets for rural communities

Beyond ARR and REDD+ projects, there are a wider array of possible nature-based solutions for emissions management. Traditional agriculture is the one of the largest contributor of carbon emissions in the World. Monoculture farms degrade soil quality unsustainably through the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Soil degradation in turn leads to Increased water runoff and reduced water quality in surrounding water bodies.

Regenerative Agriculture has the ability reduce the total emissions from traditional smallholder agriculture by restoring the quality of the soil. At the same time, it can also be a method of improving the underlying livelihoods of the farmers themselves through the sale of VCCs generated from such projects.

Join us as we explore how regenerative Agriculture can be a win-win for all stakeholders. Through strategic co-creation, Tsao Pao Chee (TPC, formerly known as IMC Pan Asia Alliance) and Varaha are looking for mission-driven collaborators to join our journey of environmental restoration.

AACM, as the first private sector-led body in the region, advocates for cross-border efforts in carbon market development, fostering a regional ecosystem and facilitating international partnerships through capacity building and technical assistance. AACM has actively promoted the ecosystem at global events such as NY Climate Week, Asia Climate Summit, APEC Summit, and COP28. The upcoming presentation hosted by AACM in collaboration with Equatorise Advisory, aims to highlight the importance of the Southeast Asia carbon alliance in scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets and supporting compliance market implementation across ASEAN.

“The status quo doesn’t work. Today, the failure of natural systems is our single biggest risk​: To businesses, economies and societies at large. It is time to reverse the downward spiral and to track, fund, and manage natural capital (biodiversity, carbon, soil, water) based on scalable, auditable market infrastructure. A new generation of NatureFinTechs (such as The Landbanking Group) is using Earth Observation, in-situ and AI technology and innovative financial innovations to establish Natural Capital Accounts (NCAs) for every polygon of the planet, to link these dynamically and traceably to nature contracts and to establish a new trusted asset class - “Nature Equity”.

Explore the ground-breaking and transformative potential of blended finance in Southeast Asia's energy transition at this exclusive dialogue. Hosted by Luca Tonello, Co-General Manager of Structured Finance Department APAC at SMBC, the fireside chat will delve into the strategic deployment of blended finance targeting the financing of Managed Phase-Out (MPO) and Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM) initiatives in the region.

This exchange promises deep insights into the financial mechanisms driving sustainable change, offering a nuanced understanding of how blended finance can play a pivotal role in navigating the complexities of energy transition.

Developed by Convergence Blended Finance (Convergence), in partnership with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and other private and public donors, the Asia Climate Solutions Design Grant (ACS Design Grant) provides funding for feasibility studies and proof of concept work on innovative blended finance solutions in target sectors that are significantly under-capitalised in Asia, such as early-stage climate adaptation and mitigation technology, clean energy access, sustainable transport, and nature-based solutions. This will help to build a pipeline of investible projects for investment.

This interactive session will introduce the ACS Design Grant, covering its key features such as what it aims to solve, how it works, and examples of key success stories. It will also feature the inaugural cohort of the ACS Design Grant, who will share about their projects (covering energy transition and nature based solutions projects) and experiences in developing and executing blended finance structures in Asia. Convergence will also conclude with a call for action, for the next round of ACS Grant application.

Fullerton Fund Management has partnered with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to develop a Sustainability Management Framework for private equity climate investing, using the SDG Impact Standards as a foundation. Join the session for insights on how this Sustainability Management Framework can guide climate investors to align their strategy, management, transparency and governance practices, to achieve their decarbonisation goals.

The Just Transition Finance Lab (JTFL), based at the London School of Economics (LSE), aims to collaborate with institutions in Asia on financial instrument design, performance metrics, policy reforms, and breakthrough innovations. The Lab focuses on national and sub-national level transformations, with a particular emphasis on the UK and India in 2024. Through this presentation, the Lab team will showcase their work on bonds and their contributions in India, while exploring potential contributions in the ASEAN region.