.jpg)
The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) continues to underline its commitment to develop Thai listed firms’ quality towards sustainable growth by conducting an annual exchange-wide sustainability assessment. Listed companies with outstanding assessment scores on environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspects will be included in the Thailand Sustainability Investment (THSI) list while those with exceptional sustainability performance will also be granted the notable SET Sustainability Awards 2016 by this year’s end.
SET President Kesara Manchusree stated that SET would announce the Thailand Sustainability Investment 2016 list and grant SET Sustainability Awards 2016 in Q4/2016, following the successful launch last year. The project has highlighted SET’s endeavors to further drive the capital market towards sustainability by enhancing listed firms’ quality, encouraging them to operate their businesses with good corporate governance practices and take stakeholders’ benefits into account.
“Sustainable investing has significantly influenced global investors’ decision-making, proven by the sharp increase of investment aligning the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) worth of USD 59 trillion in 2015, jumping from only USD 4 trillion in 2006. Thailand is no exception, there are a rising number of newly-launched local funds which not only focus on financial returns but also take ESG performance into consideration in the recent years,” Kesara added.
To facilitate sustainable economic and social development, SET continues to conduct its annual sustainability assessment, using an updated questionnaire and assessment criteria in accordance with international standards and local context to evaluate listed firms’ ESG performance. The participating companies that can achieve scores of no less than 50 percent in economic, environmental and social dimensions and meet the qualification criteria will be included in the THSI. In addition, firms with exceptional sustainability performance will also be granted the notable SET Sustainability Awards. These firms, regarded as quality stocks with long-term potential, will be promoted as attractive alternatives for individual and institutional investors.
