Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited (“SCBHK”) is pleased to announce that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with Allied Sustainability and Environmental Consultants Group (“AEC Group”) to jointly promote sustainable finance in real estate and infrastructure sectors in ASEAN and other Asian markets.

According to the MOU, Standard Chartered's clients will enjoy complimentary sustainability, climate change, carbon neutrality feasibility study and technical support services provided by AEC Group during these clients’ application of sustainable finance or other sustainability-linked financing with the Bank .The clients will also enjoy privileged fee for AEC Group's consultancy services which will help them comply with their reporting and monitoring obligations under the sustainable financing.

Also, Standard Chartered and AEC Group will jointly conduct sustainable finance workshops to increase clients' awareness about sustainability and sustainable finance in different markets, including Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam where AEC Group and its affiliates have a presence in.

Aligning with the growing momentum of environmentally responsible business practices, this collaboration aims to encourage innovative environmental solutions while promoting green building certifications, green infrastructure certifications, sustainability and climate change solutions, carbon neutrality, and Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (“GRESB”) for sustainable finance. The parties also seek to promote and encourage the integration of numerous green building and ESG certifications and frameworks such as EDGE, BEAMPlus2.0, LEED, BREEAM, China Green Building Label, and GRESB.

Tracy Wong Harris, Head of Sustainable Finance, Asia, Standard Chartered said: “At Standard Chartered, we are fully committed to promoting sustainable finance and meeting our clients' aspirations for sustainability. As an international financial market with robust financing platforms and world-class professional services, Hong Kong is well positioned to help close the sustainable financing gap and facilitate the transition to net zero carbon emissions in other markets like the fast-growing economies in ASEAN. We look forward to working closely with AEC Group to help our clients invest in sustainable projects and promote Hong Kong as a sustainable financing hub in Asia.”

Dennis Wu, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of AEC Group said: “We are excited to partner with SCBHK in driving sustainability in the finance sector. By leveraging our technical expertise in green building certifications, sustainable finance, carbon neutrality, environmental specialist, and ESG advisory, we aim to foster the sustainability momentum not only for industry players but also for outsiders, accelerating the journey towards carbon neutrality in Hong Kong and the ASEAN region. Together, we will make sustainable finance in real estate and infrastructure more realistic and achievable.”

Grace Kwok, Chairman and Executive Director of AEC Group, added, “This collaboration signifies a significant step towards a greener future. Our technical capabilities combined with SCBHK's commitment to sustainable finance will create transformative opportunities for our clients. We look forward to working closely with them to achieve their sustainability goals.”