Boracay island: The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Philippines is set to host the 44th ASEAN Capital Markets Forum (ACMF) Chairs' Meeting on Boracay Island this Thursday. This event underscores the SEC's commitment to fostering regional capital market integration, inclusivity, and robust enforcement, which are crucial for the advancement of Southeast Asia's capital markets.
According to Philippines News Agency, as the Chair of ACMF, the SEC Philippines will bring together chief securities regulators from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Vietnam. The meeting will build on discussions from the previous ACMF Deputies' Meeting held in Coron last January, offering strategic guidance on enhancing market connectivity, sustainable finance, corporate governance, and digital assets.
SEC Philippines Chairperson Francis Lim highlighted in a news release that ASEAN Member States aim to offer innovative and expanded investment opportunities. Lim emphasized that achieving this requires safeguarding investors' funds amid an evolving financial landscape. The ACMF Chairs' Meeting represents a collaborative opportunity to devise tangible measures that advance regional capital markets, including cross-border investor protection mechanisms to combat fraud, thus strengthening public trust and promoting ASEAN as a global investment hub.
The SEC Philippines' chairship is anchored on the 'RISE' agenda, focusing on Regional integration, Inclusivity, Sustainable finance, and collaborative Enforcement. This aligns with the Philippines' ASEAN 2026 Chairship theme, 'Navigating Our Future, Together,' and the ACMF Action Plan 2026 to 2030. The SEC aims to achieve the Priority Economic Deliverable on Sustainable and Resilient Capital Markets through initiatives like establishing the ASEAN Knowledge Network of Supervisory and Enforcement Directors and publishing an ASEAN Code of Conduct for External Verifiers in Sustainable Finance.
Additionally, the SEC plans to expand the ASEAN Corporate Governance Scorecard Regional Assessment and complete the next phase of the mitigation co-benefit and Adaptation for Resilience (mARs) Guide, promoting ASEAN as an asset class. Formed in 2004 under ASEAN finance ministers' guidance, the ACMF strives to create a 'deep, liquid, and integrated regional capital market,' enabling member states to engage in regional activities based on market readiness while acknowledging the diverse development levels across ASEAN markets.
