Kuala Lumpur:The Joint Committee on Climate Change (JC3) Journey to Zero Conference 2026 has underscored the financial industry's essential role in furthering Malaysia's sustainable and resilient growth agenda, as reported by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM).
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the central bank highlighted the conference's reinforcement of JC3's commitment to converting climate and nature ambitions into tangible results. This includes driving capital deployment, enhancing market capabilities, and bolstering resilience across the financial sector and the wider economy.
BNM Governor Datuk Seri Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour emphasized the urgent need to mobilize capital, drive innovation, and collaborate in developing solutions to accelerate transition efforts. He stressed the importance of financing resilience ahead of potential natural disasters and the necessity for financial institutions to integrate nature-related risks into their risk management and business strategies.
The two-day conference, which concluded on Tuesday, was themed "Building Climate and Nature Resilience for People and Business." It focused on promoting climate and nature resilience through investable projects and innovative financing solutions that yield measurable outcomes for businesses and individuals.
The event gathered over 800 participants from the financial sector, government, businesses, investors, and academia to discuss topics such as sustainable growth, energy transition financing, climate adaptation, nature-related risks and opportunities, carbon markets, and project bankability. Participants examined practical pathways to enhance project readiness, mobilize financing, and scale implementation efforts.
Masterclasses led by subject matter experts covered disclosure requirements and nature and adaptation financing to bridge theory and practice effectively. During the event, the Association of Sustainability Professionals (ASP) was announced, an initiative supported by the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC). The ASP aims to recognize and accredit sustainability competencies while enhancing standards for sustainability professionals, in line with the SC's Capital Market Masterplan 2026-2030.
JC3 is also expanding collaboration with six universities in Malaysia, including Monash University, Sunway University, Universiti Malaya, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, and Universiti Tenaga Nasional. The JC3-University Collaboration Programme seeks to bolster the financial sector's capacity to tackle climate-and-nature-related challenges through applied research, talent development, and practical solutions.
Additionally, JC3 will continue to develop a pipeline of climate and nature projects via the Climate Finance Innovation Lab, a platform designed to advance marginally bankable climate and nature-related projects towards securing funding.