THE Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) plans to make its listed companies quantify and reveal more about their climate-related risks, starting in January.

The proposed new disclosures would be stricter and more extensive than Hong Kong’s current “comply or explain” framework, which asks companies to make disclosures or justify their absence. They would align the market with rules being developed by the International Sustainability Standards Board, established by the London-based IFRS Foundation as a complement to its International Accounting Standards Board.

Under Hong Kong’s new rules, companies will have to report details of transition plans, measure and disclose Scope 3 emissions, and elaborate for investors the risks and opportunities presented by climate change. For the first two years, companies can describe some of these measures without quantifying them, but as of 2026, they must be fully compliant, HKEX said in a consultation paper on Friday (Apr 14).

IPO applicants will also have to disclose material ESG information in their prospectuses.

The proposal, which is open for feedback until Jul 14, would make Hong Kong one of the world’s first exchanges to try to align compulsory disclosures with the ISSB. Singapore has mandatory climate reporting for some industries while others are only expected to “comply or explain”. China is considering mandatory ESG disclosures, starting with state-owned enterprises, and Australia is working on a standard for climate-related financial disclosures.

“Hong Kong’s early adoption of climate-related corporate reporting requirements will consolidate its position as a leading green and sustainable finance hub,” Julia Leung, CEO of the Securities and Futures Commission, said in a statement. BLOOMBERG

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