CGS International Accelerates Sustainability Efforts and Unveils Second Sustainability Report
Notable progress was made on its eight Sustainability Focus ('8SF') areas, including the launch of its ESG Incorporation Framework ('ESGIF') to guide the development of ESG-labelled products and services.
Starting 2025, the Group will focus on further ESG incorporation into its products and services, tracking Scope 3 emissions, and integrating climate risk into its risk management framework.
SINGAPORE, July 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — CGS International Securities Pte Ltd ('CGS International') has published the second edition of its sustainability report, reaffirming its commitment to sustainable practices in its business and operations. The 2024 Sustainability Report is aligned with globally recognised sustainability reporting standards, Global Reporting Initiative ('GRI'), as well as the International Financial Reporting Standards S2 on climate-related disclosures.
'CGS International remains committed to future-proofing our business by embedding sustainability in our strategy. We are focused on creating long-term value for our stakeholders and giving back to the communities we serve.
At the same time, we continue to facilitate capital flows between China and ASEAN, some of which could be channeled to sustainable development areas that address climate and biodiversity risks in the ASEAN region,' said Ms Carol Fong, Group CEO of CGS International.
Promoting Bilateral Relations and Mutual Growth
In an increasingly fragmented and volatile global economy, it is important for Asian countries to forge closer regional cooperation to increase collective influence and trade resilience. The Group strengthened its role as a China-ASEAN nexus, facilitating not only capital flows, but also bilateral relations. In 2024, several high-impact conferences were organised across Southeast Asia and China, including the CGS SEA Bilateral Investment Forum 2024 in Hainan, which brought over 300 business leaders from China and ASEAN together. The Group also fostered closer relations between China and Malaysia, including a letter of intent between the governments of Hangzhou and Kuala Lumpur, and hosting high-level delegates to deepen bilateral cooperation.
A notable initiative within the Group was the launch of a secondment programme between CGS International and its parent company, China Galaxy Securities, with the aim to facilitate cross-cultural exchanges and strengthen intra-group ties.
Deepening ESG Integration Across the Group
The 2024 report highlights meaningful progress across the Group's 8SF areas and marks a milestone in its Vision 2025 Strategy and Business Plan, the five-year roadmap that places sustainability at the heart of its strategic direction:
Made material progress in emissions tracking, where Scope 2 emissions tracking was extended to international offices.
Developing reduction targets and plans for Scope 1 and 2 for Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand offices in 2025 and 2026.
Laid the groundwork with the continued measurement of Scope 3 emissions Category 1 (Purchased Goods and Services) from previous years
Embarking on other Scope 3 categories covering business travel and finance-related activities in future years.
In 2024, CGS International advanced its 'Sustainable Finance' focus by introducing the ESGIF, developed and endorsed by the Group's Sustainability Committee. This framework aims to provide direction and harmonisation for the development of ESG products and services. It establishes clear mechanisms for measurement, tracking, and reporting to support strategic decision-making.
Furthermore, CGS International's Malaysia office launched ESG Margin Financing to promote investment in companies with strong ESG performance. Customers investing in constituents of the FTSE4Good Bursa Malaysia Index with high ESG ratings received preferential financing rates, with total loans extended reaching RM4.88 million. The Group's presence in Shariah-compliant markets across ASEAN also drove over S$6 million in revenue from faith-based products.
Fostering Collaborative Impact
'At CGS International, we believe that knowledge sharing and collaboration are essential to driving meaningful progress on critical sustainability issues. By working closely with our partners and stakeholders, we aim to create a stronger collective catalyst for sustainable finance across Southeast Asia, and mobilise the industry towards greater climate action across ASEAN,' said Mr Kevin Lee, Group Head of Sustainability.
One such initiative is the ASEAN Institute of Carbon Neutrality ('AICN'), launched in late 2023. AICN aspires to mobilise capital towards sustainable development in the ASEAN region to address issues such as climate change. This is done through education and engagement with the business community on sustainability issues through knowledge sharing and thought leadership. The AICN has collaborated with the Sustainable and Green Finance Institute ('SGFIN') from the National University of Singapore since 2024, which resulted in two white papers published on the topics, Just Energy Transition Partnership in Indonesia and Renewable Energy Imports for Singapore. AICN also hosted two webinars on related topics in 2024, including one on nature-related risks for corporates. In the pipeline are three joint research reports with SGFIN in 2025.
For more details about CGS International's sustainability initiatives: https://www.cgsi.com.sg/sustainability/our-commitment
– END –
About CGS International Securities
CGS International Securities Pte. Ltd. ('CGS International') is an award-winning and market leading integrated financial services provider, ranked among the top securities houses in Asia.
CGS International taps on our wealth of global and ASEAN insights to offer equities trading, leveraged products, wealth management, investment banking, equities research, Shariah-compliant financing, fixed income, currency and commodities, structured products and prime brokerage services in over 15 countries and regions.
Along with its parent organisation China Galaxy Securities, a leading securities house in China, CGS International is trusted by close to 18 million customers globally.
Find out more at www.cgsi.com.
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