2025 SBFN Asia & Pacific Roundtable and International Policy Forum on Climate Finance
The SBFN Asia & Pacific Roundtable and International Policy Forum on Climate Finance were held in Bangkok, Thailand on May 28-29, serving as a regional platform focused on advancing sustainable finance and climate policy implementation. These events were jointly organized by the Sustainable Banking and Finance Network (SBFN), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Capacity-building Alliance of Sustainable Investments (CASI), and the Bank of Thailand. The roundtable featured participation from 12 SBFN member institutions representing 10 Asia-Pacific countries, along with international and regional experts from IFC, SBFN, CASI and the World Bank.
Prior to the main events, two significant national milestones preceded. The Bank of Thailand unveiled the Thailand Taxonomy Phase II, a landmark initiative supported by IFC, which expanded coverage to four additional sectors: agriculture (including forestry), buildings and real estate, manufacturing, and waste management. Additionally, the Bank of Papua New Guinea (BPNG) signed a cooperation agreement with IFC to kick off an ESG advisory project.
On Day 1, the SBFN Asia & Pacific Roundtable focused on fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange among SBFN members and international experts. The roundtable discussions provided a platform for members to share updates on 1) current focus, key challenges, and emerging opportunities and 2) future priorities and planned initiatives.
On Day 2, the International Policy Forum addressed regional trends and innovations in climate finance. Participants engaged in discussions across several thematic topics, including taxonomy, sustainability reporting, climate physical risk assessment, and transition finance and planning.
AGENDABack to top
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| 14:00 – 14:05 | Welcome Remarks Deniz Baharoglu, EAP ESG Manager, IFC |
| 14:05 – 14:15 | Quick Round of Introduction |
| 14:15 – 14:45 | Fire side Chat: Global and Regional Sustainable Finance Trends and Opportunities Rong Zhang, Global Coordinator, SBFN Dr. Ma Jun, Founder and President of Institute of Finance and Sustainability (IFS), Chairman of CASI |
| 14:45 ––16:45 Coffee Break included at 15:30 | Roundtable Discussions: Members Update, Peer Exchanges and Technical Input SBFN members will be invited to share their progress on sustainable finance with a focus on: 1. Current focus, key challenges, and emerging opportunities 2. Future priorities and planned initiatives International experts including Dr. Ma Jun, CASI team, SBFN global and country coordinators, IFC and World Bank, will provide input and share experiences. Moderated by Wei Yuan, ESG Officer, SBFN Asia Coordinator, IFC |
| 16:45 – 16:55 | SBFN Data Portal Brief: 2025 Data Collection Approach Taeko Hagihara, SBFN Secretariat |
| 16:55 – 17:00 | Wrap-up and Closing Kate Lazarus, Asia ESG Advisory Lead, IFC |
| 17:30 – 19:30 | Reception dinner |
| 9.00 – 9.10 am | Welcome and opening remarks Mr. Somchai Lertlarpwasin, Assistant Governor of the Bank of Thailand |
| 9.10 – 9.40 am | Keynote: Role of climate finance in mobilizing funds for mitigation and adaptation: lessons learned from China Dr. Ma Jun, Founder and President of Institute of Finance and Sustainability (IFS), Chairman of CASI |
| 9.40-10.20am | From Taxonomy to Sustainability Reporting Rong Zhang, Global Coordinator, SBFN Cheng Lin, Head of Secretariat, CASI |
| 10.20-10.40 am | Break |
| 10.40-11.10 am | Physical Climate Risk Assessment in Practice: Lessons from the Financial Sectors Cherri Wang, Senior Climate Risk Expert Swiss Re |
| 11.10-12.10 am | Roundtable: Transition Finance and Transition Planning for Financial Institutions and Corporates: Implementation experiences in the Asian context Panelists: Adam Ng, Advisor to CASI and WWF Greening Financial Regulation Initiative APAC Lead Wei Yuan, SBFN Asia Coordinator and officer on Sustainable Finance Advisory Services at IFC Frances Chen, Head of Global Sustainability ASEAN, HSBC Singapore Chananun Supadulya, Financial Institutions Strategy Department, Bank of Thailand) Moderator: Dr. Kannika Thampanishvong, PIER |
| 12.10-12.25 pm | Q&Q |
| 12.25-12.30 pm | Wrap-up and next steps Dr. Kannika Thampanishvong, PIER |
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