Taishin FHC Celebrates Inclusion in Both DJSI World and DJSI Emerging Markets for Third Consecutive Year in 2020
Of great interest to global investors, the result of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) Sustainability World Index and Emerging Markets, originally scheduled for mid-September, was postponed to be unveiled on November 14 owing to the pandemic. Taishin FHC became the first financial institution in Taiwan to be selected for both the DJSI Sustainability World Index and Emerging Markets Index in 2018 and was selected for the third consecutive year this year. Welch Lin, President of Taishin FHC, stated that DJSI is one of the most trusted systems of ranking sustainability. It uses a comprehensive questionnaire to track the social responsibility performance of top companies and it serves as an important reference for global investors and investment institutions. Taishin FHC has enhanced core competencies for sustainable governance, sustainable finance, climate change strategies, FinTech, and digital innovation in recent years and continues to abide by sustainable development trends. Taishin is happy to have won recognition in the DJSI’s international evaluation and will continue to work hard for a sustainable future.
Taishin FHC has been selected as a constituent of the DJSI Sustainability Indexes and was ranked by MSCI as an AA Leader among global companies with outstanding ESG performance. We have received the highest rating among evaluated companies in Taiwan. The other institution Vigeo Eiris also evaluated Taishin FHC as one of the 100 most advanced companies in emerging markets in 2019. Welch Lin also stated that Taishin FHC has been selected as constituent stocks of the "TWSE Corporate Governance 100 Index," "Taiwan High Compensation 100 Index," and "FTSE4Good TIP Taiwan ESG Index" for consecutive years. We have received the Sustainability Excellence Award for outstanding performance from the British Standards Institution (BSI) and the Top 50 Corporate Sustainability Award from Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy (TAISE).
Furthermore, Taishin FHC also actively responds to international initiatives and actively becomes a supporter of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) in January 2019. Taishin FHC simulated scenarios for specific industries to understand the potential impact and plan response strategies. The subsidiary Taishin Bank signed the Equator Principles in November 2019 to construct a more comprehensive and systematic “project financing” credit system. We have organized the Roundtable Discussion of International Climate and Sustainability Dialogue with the Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy for three consecutive years to help companies learn about and respond to climate change issues. It is worth mentioning that Taishin FHC has voluntarily complied with the Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) to promote more responsible financial services and regulations under a sustainable development framework. We also voluntarily complied with the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) and included ESG in investment and financing evaluations. We then encouraged investees to focus on environmental protection, corporate social responsibility, and corporate governance. Taishin Bank, Taishin Securities, and Taishin Securities Investment Trust have signed the "Stewardship Principles" and regularly disclose stewardship activities and reports.
Both recent strategies of the promotion of “Green Finance 2.0” announced by the FSC and the “Corporate Governance Blueprint 3.0” proposed by Taiwan Stock Exchange Corporation embody the spirit of strengthening sustainable finance, improving the ESG ecosystem, and enhancing the international competitiveness of the capital market. Welch Lin emphasized that Taishin shall adopt more active and diverse strategies and actions in the future and make solid contributions to financial sustainability to meet the expectations of all stakeholders and become the smart partner for sustainability.