SINGAPORE, 9 September 2020 (Wednesday) – Singapore Management University (SMU), through its Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics (SKBI) at the Lee Kong Chian School of Business (LKCSB), has joined  the Global Research Alliance for Sustainable Finance and Investment (GRASFI).  It is the first university in Southeast Asia to join the Alliance. 

The Alliance was founded in 2017 to promote multi-disciplinary academic research on sustainable finance and investment. Comprising global research universities, the Alliance aims to develop academic collaboration among researchers working on sustainable finance and investment, and nurture the growth and development of graduate students and junior academics working in these fields of research.

Professor Lily Kong, SMU President, said, “'Sustainable Living' is a strategic priority area for SMU. Becoming a GRASFI member will enhance the university's ability to contribute to the global flow of academic ideas that can generate solutions for managing the challenge of climate change."

Professor Dave Fernandez, SKBI Director said, ”The mission of GRASFI aligns both with the institute's broad mandate to conduct applied research that is relevant to finance practitioners and our decision to focus on specific research areas, one of which is Sustainable Finance."

Dr. Ben Caldecott of University of Oxford, Co-Chair of GRASFI, said "We are delighted to welcome SMU into the Global Research Alliance for Sustainable Finance and Investment. SMU is our 27th Member University and brings special perspectives and capabilities to the Alliance. We look forward to working with Dave Fernandez and his team to ratchet up the quality and quantity of research and teaching on sustainable finance.”

Professor Dr. Rob Bauer of Maastricht University, Co-Chair of GRASFI: “We are excited to welcome the Singapore Management University (SMU) who as a young, vibrant and premier university in Asia that can bring high quality research and education to the Global Alliance."

As a member of the GRASFI Alliance, SKBI will expand the Alliance’s outreach to Southeast Asia and Singapore, and complement Singapore’s roadmap to become a leading centre for green finance.

In addition to multi-disciplinary collaborations involving the SMU community, SKBI also attracts research talent from around the world and brings on board industry and public-sector partners for its projects, programs, and initiatives.  It hopes to generate a body of research and activities that will not only bring about academic advancement but will be useful for the industry and policy-making in Asia. The Institute aspires to be a major think tank in areas of strategic relevance to Singapore and beyond. 

Going forward, the Institute will focus its efforts on the areas of financial inclusion and education, sustainable finance, financial technology, and data and governance. To maintain its relevance to finance practitioners and policy-makers, SKBI also adopts a view on Asian and global economic trends.

Please refer to the Annex for recent research and education programmes by SMU and SKBI in “Sustainable Finance”.