■Summery

Proxy Watcher Inc. held a webinar for institutional investors/press on the topic of “Transition Finance” (2023/03/08).

Transition finance refers to investments and loans that support the transition from carbon-intensive business activities that emit large amounts of carbon dioxide to the decarbonized business.

Hydrogen and ammonia-related technologies, which are being promoted in the electricity and power sector, are currently attracting attention as an investment destination for transition finance in Japan. In fact, many Japanese companies have raised funds from financial institutions and investors through transition bonds.

While these technologies seem to be the Japan’s trump card in the energy transition by many, the others are concerned about their effectiveness in reducing emissions, as well as their profitability and price competitiveness.

In this webinar, experts in economic and financial analysis of financial institutions delivered keynotes and held discussions.

We thankfully welcomed over 80 participants including professionals involved in responsible investment and members of the press, to discuss how Transition Finance.

For those who’ve joined the webinar, thank you very much for participating!

■ Archive Video

(Eng)

(JP)

*Please note that due to a problem with the simultaneous interpretation system, there are some audio malfunctions.

■Panelists & Moderators

Miho Kurosaki, Analyst on Climate Change and ESG

Ms. Kurosaki used to be the leader of research branch on energy economy and policy in Japan at Bloomberg NEF. In public sector, she has also served as a member of the Expert Council for the Promotion of Climate Change of Prime Minister’s Office, the Coal-Fired Power Fact-Finding Study Group of Ministry of Environment, and the Expert Group on Climate Change of Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She had worked as an environmental research analyst at Trucost in the UK since 2007, then she launched the Bloomberg ESG analysis platform and worked to promote ESG to the financial industry in 2009. She is now an independent advisor to RE100 since 2021.

Sean Kidney, CEO of Climate Bond Initiative

Mr. Kidney is the CEO of the Climate Bond Initiative (CBI) since 2010, a UK-based organization that promotes the flow of funds to solve climate change issues and provides policy advice. He is one of the world’s leading experts on green bonds and green finance. His organization’s insights are always in the spotlight of the financial industry and media in Europe and Japan.

Jacqueline Tao, Analyst of TransitionZero

Ms. Tao is Analyst at TransitionZero, a think tank promoting zero carbon in the power industry and other sectors. She used to conduct research for Wood Mackenzie, a leading energy data analysis firm, on gas and LNG markets in Southeast Asian countries. She was also a senior analyst at research giant IHS Markit. In the past, she has worked for ESI, an energy policy think tank affiliated with the National University of Singapore (NUS), on ASEAN power market integration and the related topics. Recently she has published a report with TransitionZero, titled Coal-de-sac: Advanced Coal in Japan: The Role of Advanced Coal Technologies in Decarbonising Japan’s Electricity Sector.

Sachi Suzuki, Senior Manager Investment Stewardship, HSBC Asset Management

Previously, she worked at Federated Hermes, a UK-based asset management firm, where he focused on ESG and conducted engagements to create long-term value. She was co-chair of the Engagement Policy Working Group of the Asia Investor Group on Climate Change (AIGCC), a group of financial institutions and investors in the Asia-Pacific region, and a member of the advisory committee for the PRI-led engagement on palm oil and sustainable forestry. She also served as a member of the PRI-led advisory committee on palm oil and sustainable forestry engagement.

Isshu Kikuma, Analyst of Bloomberg NEF and author of Cost Issues

Mr. Kikuma is an analyst for the energy sector at Bloomberg NEF. Focusing on the renewable energy and transportation sectors in Japan, his works forecast the Japanese electricity market up to 2050, as well as the trends and projections of power generation costs. His works offer information on what Japan needs for mass adoption of renewable energy as main source of power to the market.

Emily Faithfull, Australia National University, Former ISS ESG analyst

Ms. Faithfull worked as Climate Change analyst at ESG investment-related unit of Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), a leading voting advisory firm in the United States. Moving to Australian National University in January 2023, her main research focus is on the opportunities and risks due to climate change, as well as the hydrogen technologies from academic perspective. She wrote an analyzing report titled Horses for Courses: H2 in a Net Zero Economy when working for ISS.

 

■Host: Proxy Watcher

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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/prox…
HP: https://proxywatcher.jp/

 

(Disclaimer)

This is not investment advice.

This webinar communication, or any oral communication made in connection with the shared materials, is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be and should not be construed as investment advice or a recommendation to make an investment decision based on an analysis of the value of any security under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law. It is not intended to be, and should not be construed as, investment advice or a recommendation to make an investment decision based on an analysis of the value of securities.

 

Not a Joint Voting Right

Neither this webinar communication nor any oral communication made in connection with the shared materials is intended to constitute an agreement or consent to, or an application for or acceptance of, the joint exercise of voting or other shareholder rights within the meaning of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law or the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law. It is not and should not be construed as such. For the avoidance of doubt, each shareholder exercises its voting rights and other shareholder rights independently based on its own judgment, and no liability is created by a breach of consultation with the other party, even if the result of the exercise of voting rights or other shareholder rights differs from that discussed between the two shareholders.

No Solicitation of Proxy Votes

Neither this webinar communication nor any oral communication made in connection with the shared materials is intended to be, and should not be construed as, a solicitation of proxies for voting rights within the meaning of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act or the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act. The shareholder who is the speaker is not soliciting proxy votes at the meeting and is not accepting any proxy vote or other shareholder right from any other shareholder.