MSCI: 26% of A-share companies' ESG ratings were upgraded in 2024, reaching a record high.

With the introduction of the "Guidelines for Sustainable Development Reporting of Listed Companies in 2024", the disclosure of sustainable information by listed companies has entered a new stage of standardized development, and A-share listed companies have shown a significant increase in enthusiasm for disclosing ESG reports. "In recent years, the ESG ratings of A-share listed companies in the stock market have continued to rise. MSCI data shows that in the past five years, the speed of rating upgrades for A-share companies far exceeded the speed of downgrades, with 26% of A-share companies receiving rating upgrades in 2024, setting a historical record," said Wang Xiaoshu, head of MSCI's Asia-Pacific Sustainable and Climate Research Department, in a recent media conference call. She added that overall, in the past five years, Asia-Pacific region listed companies have made significant progress in improving their ESG performance, especially with emerging market listed companies seeing a continual rise in ESG ratings, a trend that has continued into 2024.