MOP109 billion ‘green bond’ for sale in Macau

As of end-February, the city has seen green bonds reaching the value of MOP108.8 billion available in Macau, a 40% increase year-over-year, head of the local banks association said yesterday.

Yesterday saw the opening of the 2024 Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition (MIECF) at the Cotai Expo. An event named Green Business Opportunities and Cooperation Day was held, at which Ip Sio Kai, head of the Macau Association of Banks, made these comments.

He added that the association will continue to increase its support for the role of finance in green and low-carbon transformation, leverage its advantages in internal and external connectivity, and deepen cooperation in the field of green finance in the Greater Bay Area.

This year, it will take the lead in establishing a China-Portugal Green Financial Connectivity Working Group to provide GBA, Portugal and even the EU with extensive exchanges opportunities.

Keynote speaker Sun Shouliang, director of the General Affairs Department of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, suggested strengthening demonstrations and leadership to promote in-depth cooperation within the framework of the GBA Ecological Environmental Protection Cooperation and Exchange Mechanism.

He also suggested working together to promote the development of the ecological and environmental protection industry and continuously injecting new ideas into the GBA development. Moreover, the construction of a “beautiful Macau” should be promoted. Schools, enterprises and communities should be encouraged to promote the concept of ecological culture and green development.

Meanwhile, at the opening ceremony of the MIECF, director of Environmental Protection Tam Wai Man said during his speech that he hopes participants can master forward-
looking and innovative environmental protection, and explore green business opportunities through a series of high-profile thematic conferences, green forums, project promotion meetings and green matching arrangements at the expo.

He added that climate change has become a major international issue today, and that achieving the “double carbon” goal is a long-term and extensive task. In the future, the SAR government will use the Macau Long-term Carbon Reduction Strategy as a guide to systematically advance carbon reduction work and “work with all local residents to build a green and low-carbon city.”