6 The Bank of England set out in its July 2019 FSR its intention to test the UK financial system’s resilience to the physical and transition risks of climate change. It will gather views on the design of the exercise and, as a first step, will publish a discussion paper in autumn 2019. More information available at: https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/-/media/boe/files/financial-stability-report/2019/july-2019.pdf. 3  All speeches are available online at www.bankofengland.co.uk/news/speeches  3  Such “tilt” investment strategies, which overweight high environmental, social and governance (ESG) stocks, and “momentum” investment strategies, which focus on companies that have improved their ESG rating, have outperformed global benchmarks for close to a decade.7 The mainstreaming of such strategies and the tools to pursue them are essential. At present, one of the biggest hurdles to doing so is the inconsistent measurement of ESG. We need a common taxonomy to help financial markets rigorously identify environmental outperformance and to direct investment accordingly. The EU’s Green Taxonomy and the Green Bond Standard are good starts, but they are binary (dark green or brown). Mainstreaming sustainable investing will require a richer taxonomy – 50 shades of green. One promising option, highlighted in this week’s initiative of UN’s Climate Financial Leaders, is the development of transition indices composed of corporations in high-carbon sectors that have adopted lowcarbon strategies.8 Such approaches are essential for our citizens to make sure their money is invested in line with their values.
Muhammad bin Ibrahim: Raising awareness of financial knowledge in Malaysia Welcoming remarks by Mr Muhammad bin Ibrahim, Governor of the Central Bank of Malaysia (Bank Negara Malaysia), at Karnival Kewangan 2017, Kuala Lumpur, 13 January 2017. * * * It is my honour to be here this morning for the Opening Ceremony of the inaugural Finance Carnival. The carnival is an initiative formed through the collaboration of various ministries, agencies and financial institutions. It aspires to raise the level of public awareness in three important areas: financial services; knowledge of financial management; and consumer protection. I would like to extend my appreciation to Yang Berhormat Datuk Johari bin Abdul Ghani, Second Finance Minister, who has graciously agreed to join us today in officiating the Carnival. Finance has the power to transform lives The pursuit of financial knowledge is a key economic imperative. It also has the ability to transform lives. In today’s world, the ability and knowledge to save, invest and borrow are essential life skills, be it for individuals or businesses. For businesses, including small enterprises, financial knowledge is particularly important in generating income and to secure financing. Various efforts have been undertaken to improve financial inclusion in Malaysia. The results so far are promising. Currently, the majority of Malaysians (over 90 percent) have access to formal financial services. 92% of adults have a savings account, while 98% of users have performing financing accounts.