To deepen and expand Asia-focused climate research and training and develop a strong pipeline of local sustainable finance talents, MAS has anchored three Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in Singapore, each offering a unique value proposition with research areas that complement each other.

Download the Centres of Excellence infographic

Singapore Green Finance Centre

Singapore Green Finance Centre (SGFC) is Singapore’s first centre of excellence dedicated to green finance research and talent development. It was launched in October 2020 by Imperial College Business School and Singapore Management University’s Lee Kong Chian School of Business, supported by MAS and nine founding industry partnersBank of China Limited, BNP Paribas, Fullerton Fund Management, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Schroders, Standard Chartered Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and UBS AG.. SGFC’s research includes regional climate risk modelling and impact assessment and measurement. In March, SGFC held their inaugural Climate Academy for executives and key representatives from decision making functions across capital markets origination, risk management and asset management based in Singapore or across Asia Pacific.

Read the SMU-Imperial SGFC press release

Sustainable and Green Finance Institute 

Announced in September 2021, Sustainable and Green Finance Institute (SGFin) is hosted by the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School and collaborates with other faculties within NUS to produce multi-disciplinary research and training targeted at shaping sustainability outcomes and policy-making across the corporate and financial sectors. SGFin will be developing a sustainability impact measurement and assessment framework for corporates in Singapore and Asia, which aims to capture and translate granular ESG and impact data to determine the monetary value of companies’ environmental and social performance.

Sustainable Finance Institute Asia

The Sustainable Finance Institute Asia (SFIA) is an independent research and capacity building institute that aims to catalyse and support the implementation of sustainable finance policy ideas in Asia, beginning with ASEAN, through advocacy and engagement activities. SFIA is the host of the ASEAN Taxonomy Board, which is developing a multi-tiered ASEAN Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance that will identify economic activities that are sustainable and help direct investment and funding towards a sustainable ASEAN.

MAS and the Institute of Banking and Finance Singapore (IBF) has outlined a set of 12 technical skills and competencies needed for individuals to perform various roles in sustainable finance. 

The Sustainable Finance Technical Skills and Competencies (SF TSCs) set out robust, common standards of proficiency, knowledge and abilities needed to perform various job roles in sustainable finance. IBF will work with industry to curate training programmes and onboard training providers in line with the SF TSCs. Participants who enrol in IBF-accredited training programmes can defray up to 90% of training expenses under the IBF-Standards Grant Training Scheme.

Read the IBF-MAS SF TSCs press release