Capital markets engagement
Investors, regulators and stock exchanges are key audiences of sustainability reporting. They play a vital role in using reported information to offer responsible investment and create transparent and sustainable capital markets.
GRI brings investors, stock exchanges, and capital market regulators in dialogue with reporting organizations to support the knowledge and use of sustainability reporting and help lay the groundwork for resilient markets and sustainable finance.
Investor-relevant sustainability reporting
The GRI Standards provide information on an organization’s outward impacts: on the economy, environment and society. This information gives insight into the organization’s efforts to contribute to sustainable development. It also provides a window into financially material risks and opportunities facing the organization.
GRI engages with investors to improve their understanding of sustainability reporting and to align corporate sustainability reporting with investors’ information needs so that it can form the backbone of responsible investing and sustainable finance.
Transparent and sustainable capital markets
Resilient and responsible markets begin with transparency. Many market regulators now promote some level of ESG disclosure by companies listed on their exchanges, not just to foster transparency for better-functioning markets, but also to promote good corporate governance and encourage organizations to play their part in contributing to sustainable development.
GRI collaborates with market regulators and operators, including the Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) initiative, Ceres’s Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR), the Sustainable Working Group of the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE), and Principles for Responsible Investment (UN-PRI), increasing the uptake of sustainability reporting and helping reporting organizations meet investors’ needs for ESG information.
GRI and stock exchanges
Over 40 stock exchanges and market regulators around the world reference or require use of the GRI Standards for sustainability (or ESG) reporting by listed companies:
- Africa: Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE), Egyptian Exchange (EGX), Eswatini Stock Exchange (ESE), Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE - Kenya), Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE), Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE)
- Asia: Astana International Exchange (AIX – Kazakhstan), Bursa Malaysia, Capital Markets Development Authority of the Maldives (CMDA), Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE – Sri Lanka), Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE – Bangladesh), Hong Kong Exchange (HKE - Greater China Region), Japan Exchange Group (JPX), Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE - South Africa), Securities Exchange Commission of Pakistan, Securities and Exchange Commission of the Philippines, Securities & Exchange Board of India, Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), Singapore Exchange (SGX), Taiwan Stock Exchange (TAIEX)
- Europe: Athens Exchange (ATHEX – Greece), Bolsas Y Mercandos Espanoles (BME - Spain), Borsa Istanbul (BIST - Türkiye), Deutsche Borse (DB - Germany), Euronext (Belgium/Netherlands), Warsaw Stock Exchange (GPW – Poland), Oslo Bors (OSB - Norway), Swiss Exchange (SIX - Switzerland)
- Latin America and Caribbean: Brasil Bolsa Balcao (BBB - Brazil), Bolsa de Valores de Colombia (BVC), Bolsa Devalores De Guayaquil (BVG - Ecuador), Santiago Stock Exchange (SSE - Chile)
- Middle East: Bahrain Bourse (BHB), Boursa Kuwait (BK), Dubai Financial Market (DFM - United Arab Emirates), Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE)
- Northern America: NASDAQ (USA), US Securities & Exchange Commission, Ontario Securities Commission (OSC - Canada)
- Oceania: Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), Australian Securities & Investments Commission, New Zealand Exchange (NZX)
Investors and the SDGs
As part of our set of tools for integrating SDGs into sustainability reporting, we have provided reporting companies with guidance on addressing investor needs in business reporting on the SDGs. GRI developed this resource in partnership with UN Global Compact and PRI.