On November 28, 2024, Dr. Ma Jun, Chairman of CASI and President of IFS, attended the ASEAN-China Forum. This prestigious event was hosted by the Centre on Contemporary China and the World, The University of Hong Kong, bringing together over 100 distinguished thought leaders, and government and industrial representatives from Hong Kong, mainland China, and ASEAN countries.

The forum, moderated by Shi Han and featuring Dr. Ma and other panelists including Christine Loh and Anindya Novyan Bakrie, focused on identifying sustainable pathways for energy and development within the ASEAN region. The panel advocated for a comprehensive strategy that integrates policy, technology, and financial mechanisms to support sustainable growth. Speakers emphasized the crucial role of capacity building in ASEAN and other emerging markets, which need to embark on a rapid transition towards renewable energy sources.

A key issue highlighted during the dialogue was the uneven distribution of green investment globally. Despite considerable investments in green projects within OECD countries and China, there remains a huge financing gap in most other emerging market (EM) economies, including ASEAN.

Dr. Ma addressed one of the foremost challenges in emerging markets is the scarcity of bankable green projects that can attract MDB and private-sector financing. He said many projects presented to financial institutions do not meet the minimum requirements for financial feasibility, lack credible offtake agreements, and have limited management track record and expertise to manage project-related risks. In response to this and other capacity challenges, the Capacity-building Alliance of Sustainable Investment (CASI) was launched in 2023 and has since provided learning programs to over 5000 participants from EMDEs. CASI has already developed some e-learning modules on “origination of green projects”, and will further expand the knowledge base on this subject going forward. 

Source: Linkedin - CASI