Jean-Pierre Roth: Switzerland - an island in Euroland? Speech by Mr Jean-Pierre Roth, Chairman of the Governing Board of the Swiss National Bank, at the Bank of Greece, Athens, 21 May 2004. *  *  *  It is a great pleasure for me to talk to you today about Swiss monetary policy. Athens is the place to go to this summer. For sure, it will soon become, once again, a symbol of sport and peace, competition and fairness. Switzerland too will follow the Games with passion. But for many Swiss, your country is not just associated with sport, it is part of our culture and part of our history. In fact, Greece and Switzerland have enjoyed continuing cultural and economic ties over the centuries. Your great statesman, Ioannis Capodistrias, had retired to Geneva when he was elected Head of State of the newly created Greek Republic in 1827, and he was named honorary citizen of Lausanne and of Geneva. His friendship with the banker Eynar contributed also to the foundation of the National Bank of Greece. Later, the relationship between Greece and Switzerland strengthened further when both countries became members of the Latin Monetary Union. The Union, which led to the setting of a fixed exchange rate between Greece, Switzerland, Belgium, France, and Italy, was the first attempt in continental Europe to create an extended area where gold and silver coins could circulate freely.
The programme will (i) create a one-stop knowledge hub, (ii) forge a community of practice and innovation, (iii) deploy advisory support for green transformation, and (iv) promote green investment and financing activities. 10. As a first step, we are pleased to formally launch the Alliance’s membership programme by inviting five leading banks in Asia with demonstrated achievements in green finance to join as Cornerstone Members. 11. They are, in alphabetical order, Bank of China (Hong Kong), Citi, Crédit Agricole CIB, HSBC, and Standard Chartered. 12. The Cornerstone Members are committed to making further progress in mainstreaming green finance, achieving carbon neutrality, and having an environmental, social and climate risk management system. 13. They will also support the Alliance’s strategy and outreach plans to expand the membership network, promote green finance market and product development, and spearhead knowledge sharing and thought leadership activities. 14. The Alliance also seeks to amplify the synergy by bringing in institutions that are engaged in cutting-edge research, capacity building, and standard-setting related to green finance. 15. We are delighted to announce that Carbon Trust, the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, and the Resource and Environment Branch of China National Institute of Standardization have joined the Alliance as Global Partners. 16. We are also honoured to have the University of Chicago joining the Alliance as a Knowledge Partner to assist the Asia Chapter’s training and thought leadership efforts. 17.