Indeed, in contrast to what usually happens in legislative or transformative processes, the private sector has spearheaded many of the sustainability-related initiatives, such as the development of the green bonds market, arising in response to growing demand for responsible investment, regardless of supervisors. The cooperation of the private sector is also manifest in expert groups, which are helping authorities to define legislation and actions relating to this issue. Examples include, in the European arena, the EU High-level Group on Sustainable Finance, set up by the Commission in 2018 to advise on sustainability matters; turning to the Financial Stability Board (FSB), the creation of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) in 2015 is particularly noteworthy. Indeed, regulators and supervisors have also recently stepped up their involvement. And they have done so significantly. This conference organised by the CNMV is a good example of this. As you are all aware, the Climate Change and Energy Transition Law is in the process of being approved by parliament; this Law envisages that a huge volume of investment (around € billion over the coming decade) will be needed to successfully undertake the energy transition. The banking sector's participation will be essential to mobilise such a volume of investment which, in turn, represents a clear incentive for credit institutions to become involved in this challenge.
The popular media sometimes calls Singapore the “Switzerland of Asia”. We have always taken the comparison as a great compliment. Switzerland is known the world over for its stability, prudence, efficiency, and diligence – all attributes that we in Singapore also aspire to. Both Switzerland and Singapore are small trading nations with a shared interest in promoting free trade and maintaining an open, rulesbased global economy. Switzerland is an important economic partner to Singapore. Many Swiss multinationals have a strong presence in Singapore and they are a source of high value-added investments. Similarly, Singapore companies are actively making direct investments in Switzerland. Today, Switzerland is our 5th largest trading partner in Europe while Singapore is Switzerland’s 4th largest trading partner in Asia. As central banks, SNB and MAS share some common challenges. Since the financial crisis, the openness, financial soundness, and strong fundamentals of our two countries have made us highly attractive to global capital, with implications for monetary and exchange rate policies, on which we exchange views. Our two institutions also have to manage a growing pool of official foreign reserves in a global market that is increasingly uncertain. The opening of SNB’s Singapore branch is an important milestone in the strong friendship and good relations between Singapore and Switzerland, and between MAS and SNB. Through this branch, our two institutions will come even closer together and I look forward to new areas of cooperation. BIS central bankers’ speeches  1  We value highly our relationship with SNB.