Malaysia is committed to positioning ASEAN as a global leader in sustainable finance and will advocate for deeper collaboration in green financing, regional energy connectivity, and the expansion of sustainable investment frameworks, the country’s national news agency Bernama has reported.
In his speech at the 2025 ASEAN Banking and Finance Summit in Kuala Lumpur on February 25, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the bloc’s energy transition cannot occur in isolation and that no country can achieve its sustainability goals without strong regional cooperation.
“The depth of our collaboration will determine how swiftly and effectively we decarbonise our economies while safeguarding energy security and affordability,” the official said as quoted by Bernama.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) requires an estimated 1.5 trillion USD in climate investment by 2030 to align with global sustainability goals, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
The Deputy PM said sustainable finance regulations should be harmonised across ASEAN to reduce investor uncertainty and facilitate cross-border capital flows.
He also stressed on the importance of strengthening public-private partnerships (PPPs) to share investment risks and accelerate clean energy projects; utilise blended finance models by combining concessional funding with private investment to enhance the bankability of green projects; and expand carbon markets and transition bonds to unlock new sources of capital while incentivising companies to decarbonise.
Yusof said Malaysia has already taken bold strides in this direction, where the country is enhancing green investment incentives and improving corporate access to renewable energy through the Corporate Renewable Energy Supply Scheme (CRESS), among other actions.
