Within the framework of initiatives aimed at developing the market’s working mechanisms and enhancing its investment attractiveness, the Qatar Stock Exchange and MSCI International hosted an explanatory seminar dedicated to companies listed on the Qatar Stock Exchange with the aim of helping them understand the classification methodology underlying the “Qatar Stock Exchange Sustainable Companies Index”, which was jointly launched by the Qatar Stock Exchange. Qatar and MSCI International in November 2021, which includes the top 20 securities within the MSCI-Qatar index (which includes many Qatari companies listed on IMI) that have the best practices in the field of environmental, social, and governance sustainability, or what is known for short as ESG.
It is worth noting that environmental, social and institutional governance (ESG) has become an integral part of the infrastructure of global capital markets, as it affects how decisions are made about allocating capital and directing investments and pumping them into specific markets and specific stocks that meet global standards in environmental, social and institutional sustainability.
On this occasion, Mr. Abdulaziz Nasser Al Emadi, Acting CEO of the Qatar Stock Exchange, expressed his welcome to work with MSCI to increase understanding about these products and services, adding that the Qatar Stock Exchange has worked closely and continuously with listed companies over the past five years as part of a comprehensive awareness program on sustainability. And preparing non-financial reports. He said that today’s symposium is another element of our ongoing commitment to ensure that listed companies have the necessary knowledge to adopt best practices in the future.
For her part, Beth Byington, Global Head of ESG Sustainability, noted that MSCI provides many solutions and services related to ESG and sustainability practices in order to meet the growing demand by investors for responsible investment. She added that sustainability includes a constructive dialogue between the managements of listed companies on the one hand and investors on the other hand, which made MSCI work to enhance companies’ knowledge of the practices of this dialogue and make it more effective. She added that the participation rate of exporters in emerging markets has now reached 50%, pointing out that the seminar held by the Stock Exchange and MSCI for companies listed on the Qatar Stock Exchange forms part of this participation.