Temi Popoola Urges Collaborative Efforts to Boost Sustainable Capital in Emerging Markets
Temi Popoola, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Exchange Group, has emphasized the need for closer collaboration among regulators, stock exchanges, and international partners to channel sustainable capital more effectively across emerging markets. His comments came during a panel session on “Capital Mobilisation for Sustainability, Transition and Resilience” at the International Finance Corporation conference in Cairo.
Popoola shared insights on the challenges and opportunities for developing economies as they navigate structural considerations such as building ESG data and reporting infrastructure, establishing consistent policy frameworks, managing funding costs, and improving market liquidity. He highlighted that addressing these factors is crucial for positioning emerging markets as attractive destinations for sustainable investments.
Highlighting a rising global appetite for sustainable assets, Popoola pointed to innovations in labeled financial instruments and improvements in regulatory standards. “Emerging markets have a significant opportunity to contribute to the future of sustainable capital flows. Realizing this potential calls for constructive alignment, robust disclosure standards, policy consistency, and synergy across the capital market ecosystem,” he said.
He stressed the importance of stronger disclosure frameworks, noting that improved transparency and reporting can help investors assess risk more accurately and make long-term commitments. According to Popoola, well-structured disclosure standards serve as a foundation for building confidence in emerging market investments.
Using Nigeria as a case study, Popoola highlighted the country’s pioneering green and sustainable bond market. Africa’s first certified sovereign green bond was issued in 2017, and the market has since expanded to include sovereign, sub-national, and corporate issuers. The repeated oversubscription of these bonds reflects growing investor confidence and demonstrates the potential of emerging markets to drive sustainable finance.
source: This day