To encourage domestic investment institutions and companies to value the effects and opportunities that socially responsible investment (SRI) have on business operations, the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE), PwC Taiwan, and PwC Sustainable Development Services will be jointly hosting a seminar on July 27, 2015 to discuss “Socially Responsible Investment – CSR Shareholder Activism”.

TWSE launched the “Corporate Governance Evaluation” last year and the “TWSE CG 100 Index” this year. The main goal is to guide institutional investors to invest in companies with good corporate governance and prompt TWSE and TPEx listed companies to strengthen corporate governance, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of Taiwan's capital market. According to the 2014 statistics of the Association for Sustainable & Responsible Investment in Asia (ASrIA), the number of Asian SRI funds has been increasing each year. There are currently 500 Asian SRI funds, reaching a total of USD $49.9 billion, at a growth rate of 22%. Thus, financial performance is no longer the only consideration of the investing public. Corporate governance, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and social care have become the major considerations of investment decisions, further prompting the trend of SRI.

Wang Li-ling, the vice chairperson of the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC); Dexter Chang, chairman of PwC Taiwan; and Michael Lin, the president of TWSE, were invited to this seminar to give speeches. Naikuan Huang, the senior executive vice president of TWSE; Daniel Chu, chairman of PwC Sustainable Development Services; and Linda-Eling Lee, Global Head of ESG Research of MSCI, will be giving three keynote speeches. Then, Li Zhehong, president of UBS Taiwan, will present a case study before the seminar concludes with Daniel Chu presiding over a comprehensive discussion. Through the development status of international investment trends, domestic experts from the industry and government will share practical experiences in the seminar. The informative and exciting content is something to look forward to.