South Africa
Publications
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The Financial System We Need: Aligning the Financial System with Sustainable Development
Date: 08-Oct-2015Download the full report: [AR] [CH] [EN] [ES] [FR] [PT] [RU] Download the policy summary: [AR] [CH] [EN] [ES] [FR] [PT] [RU] This first edition of “The Financial System We Need” argues that there is now a historic opportunity to shape a financial system that can more effectively finance the development of an inclusive, green economy. This opportunity is based on a growing trend
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The Experience of Governance Innovations in South Africa
Date: 17-Jun-2016This paper explores whether the extent to which Regulation 28, CRISA and JSE Integrated Reporting Standards (referred to as governance policy innovations) have influenced the level of investment that integrates Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) in its decision making process. It finds that while governance innovations have increased actors’ awareness about interrelationship between ESG factors and financial performance it
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Green Finance for Developing Countries
Date: 15-Jul-2016This report outlines key concerns and needs of developing countries in relation to green finance, particularly focusing on developing countries that are not members of the G20. It also highlights emerging innovations, drawing in particular from engagement with practitioners and regulators from Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, Honduras, Jordan, Kenya, Mauritius, Mongolia, Morocco, Nigeria, the Philippines, Thailand
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Lessons from Inclusive Banking Experiments in South Africa and Kenya
Date: 23-Aug-2015This paper examines the experience of inclusive banking experiments in South Africa and Kenya. The Kenyan example revolves around the development of mobile money through market led innovation alongside evolutions in the legislative and regulatory process. In South Africa a different approach was taken, with the development of the multi-sector Financial Sector Charter and a National Bank Account (‘Mzansi’) Hawkins
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2nd Update Report: Insights from Practice
Date: 07-Oct-2014This is the second update report by the UNEP Inquiry, it highlights early lessons from the Inquiry’s ongoing work in more than a dozen countries. What is clear from inital engagement is that even with strong real economy policies to correct market failures and deploy public capital, some interventions in the financial system will be
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A Role for Finance Ministries
Date: 20-Oct-2015This paper investigates various roles that finance ministries can assume to promote those policies, regulations and standards which help to create a sustainable financial system. Finance ministries typically interact with the financial sector in many ways, from regulator and supervisory mandate setters to tax authority and sovereign debt issuers. All of these points of leverage
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Lenders and Investors Environmental Liability
Date: 19-Apr-2016This working paper presents an overview of Lender Environmental Liability (LEL) and Investor Environmental Liability (IEL) regimes and issues. Environmental harm and degradation is often irreparable. Therefore, our assumption is that precaution is the main objective of any international and domestic environmental legal regime. The paper explores the conditions under which LEL/IEL can be effective
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Experience and Lessons from South Africa: An Initial Review
Date: 17-Jun-2016This paper provides an outline of South Africa’s financial sector, the environmental and social issues it faces, the response of government and financial regulators and the extent to which has resulted in measurable sustainable investment flows. In South Africa environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations appear on the agenda of strategic discussions and are part of the
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4th Update Report: The Coming Financial Climate
Date: 07-May-2015This is the 4th Update Report of the UNEP Inquiry, it is focused on the challenge of financing the low-carbon transition. Many approaches and instruments will be needed to deliver the financing needed. Public finance, funded by tax revenues and international transfers, will provide part of the solution. However such finance will be inadequate. Private
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Fiduciary Duty in the 21st Century
Date: 08-Sep-2015This report is based on an analysis of investment practice and fiduciary duty in eight countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Japan, South Africa, the UK and the US. It is based on interviews, roundtables and webinars with asset owners, investment managers, lawyers and regulators and a comprehensive review of law and policy on fiduciary duty. The purpose of this
Community
South Africa has sought to meet or exceed best international practice in advancing sustainability governance across the financial sector in keeping with its ambition to retain leadership as an emerging country financial centre. Key instruments South Africa’s corporate governance King Code, with the sustainability-focused reporting requirements of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange as well as requiremenst for pensions trustees to consider sustainability factors (Pensions Act, Regulation 28), and the Code for Responsible Investing in South Africa (CRISA). South Africa also, notably, developed the Financial Sector Charger (FSC) which involved building a broad social compact to address policy objectives for black economic emplowerment.