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Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)

Name Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)
Country Australia
Number of listed companies 2147
Domestic market capitalization 2537664 million US$
SSE Partner Exchange Yes
Has annual sustainability report Yes

The sustainability report is included in the annual report since 2020

ESG reporting required as a listing rule No

  • However recommendation 7.4 of the ASX Corporate Governance Council’s Principles and Recommendations states that “a listed entity should disclose whether it has any material exposure to economic, environmental and social sustainability risks and, if it does, how it manages or intends to manage those risks”.
  • Listing Rule 4.10.3 requires all listed entities to publish annually a corporate governance statement that discloses the extent to which the entity has followed the recommendations set by the ASX Corporate Governance Council during the reporting period. Listed entities that do not follow a particular recommendation, are required to disclose that fact and provide the reasons why (“if not, why not” reporting).

Has written guidance on ESG reporting Yes

Offers ESG related training Yes

In 2022, ASX provided training on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD recommendations) in collaboration with the SSE, CDP and IFC. (source)

Market covered by sustainability-related index No

Has sustainability bond listing segment No

Has SME listing platform Yes

  • NSX, since 2005

Women on boards mandatory minimum rule No

Additional information
  • ASX lists a range of responsible investing and ethically managed ETFs and managed funds.
  • ASX publishes an environment, social and governance section in its Annual Report 2016 (pages 14 to 16).
  • ASX also has a corporate social responsibility section on its website.

Organizational model of stock exchange
  • Listed, shareholder-owned for-profit public company; demutualized and self-listed in 1998.
  • Vertically integrated exchange offering trading in both equity and derivatives markets as well as the clearing and settlement for these markets.

Regulatory bodies

Regulatory model
  • ASIC supervises the real-time trading across all domestically licensed equities and futures markets. It is also responsible for the supervision of operators of financial markets and clearing and settlement facility (CS facilities) providers like ASX. ASIC also supervises ASX’s compliance as a listed public company on its own market.
  • RBA has formal responsibility for ensuring that CS facilities conduct their affairs in a way that is consistent with financial system stability.
  • ASX Compliance, a wholly owned subsidiary of ASX Limited, is responsible for monitoring and enforcing compliance by listed entities with the ASX Listing Rules.
  • The ASX Corporate Governance Council publishes principles and recommendations that set the standards of corporate governance for Australia’s listed entities.

About the stock exchange

Location: Sydney, Australia

  • The ASX Group’s origins as a national exchange go back to 1987. The Australian Stock Exchange Limited was formed in 1987 after the Australian Parliament drafted legislation that enabled the amalgamation of six independent state-based stock exchanges. Each of those exchanges brought with it a history of share trading dating back to the 19th century. In 2006 The Australian Stock Exchange merged with the Sydney Futures Exchange and originally operated under the name Australian Securities Exchange. Later, however, ASX launched a new group structure to better position it in the contemporary financial market environment. From 1 August 2010, the Australian Securities Exchange has been known as the ASX Group. Source
  • ASX is a multi-asset class, vertically integrated exchange group whose activities span equity, derivative and OTC markets. It offers primary and secondary market services, including the raising, allocation and hedging of capital flows, trading, central counterparty risk transfer, and securities settlement. See ASX for more details.
  • Ownership: Shareholders of more than 10% shares includes HSBC Custody Nominees (Australia), BNP Paribas Nominees Pty Ltd. and JP Morgan Nominees Australia Ltd.

Criteria for Stock Exchange Database

The SSE maintains a database of sustainability activities for all stock exchanges that are either members of the SSE initiative and/or members of the World Federation of Exchanges. This database is the most comprehensive database of stock exchanges worldwide and contains data on all main stock exchanges. The information in this database is intended to inform investors and other stakeholders on the work stock exchanges are undertaking to advance sustainability in their respective markets.

The information provided in this database is based on publicly available information prepared by the SSE Secretariat with input from stock exchanges in most instances. Sources and explanatory notes on sustainability information have been included in individual Stock Exchange Fact Sheets. The criteria for each category can be found below.

While every effort is made to keep the information in this database up to date, please be aware that certain factors change frequently and therefore may not be exact, such as the number of listed companies or market cap.

Field

Criteria Considered

Country Country of primary residence or registration
Has signed the SSE Commitment Letter? To be considered an SSE Partner Exchange, the CEO or Chairperson of the exchange must sign an SSE commitment letter. Contact the SSE for more information if your exchange would like to join.
Has annual sustainability report? For a yes, stock exchanges must report, either in a stand alone report or integrated into their financial report, on their environmental and social impact and corporate governance.
ESG reporting required as a listing rule? For a yes, all three factors have been considered (environmental, social and governance) within the listing rules for some or all listed companies. This requirement may come from the regulatory authority or the exchange, depending on the market.
Offers written guidance on ESG reporting? For a yes, all three factors have been considered (environmental, social and governance). The SSE has developed a model guidance that all exchanges can use to develop their own guidance to issuers. For more details, click here.
Offers ESG related training? For a yes, training must have taken place in the previous 12 months, and must be interactive. The topic of the training must be on some area of sustainability.
Market covered by sustainability-related index? Sustainability-related indices may include environmental or social  indices, or ESG indices. This could include specific themes, such as low carbon indices, or general sustainability indices. The index must be specific to the market the exchange operates in (a region or world index is not included).
Has sustainability bond listing segment? For a yes, the exchange has developed the rules and regulations allowing for sustainability bonds to be listed, and provides a separate segment for listing making the bonds easy to find and identify.
Has an SME listing platform? For a yes, the exchange offers a listing platform specifically for Small-and-Medium sized enterprises.
Additional Information Additional Information captures exchanges’: sustainability section of websites,  sustainability products not captured under indices; information on future sustainability commitments and other information on the exchange
Organizational model of stock exchange Whether the exchange is listed or not, and when it was demutualized
Regulatory bodies The regulatory authority that sets listing requirements and capital market regulation for the exchange's market
Regulatory model

The extent to which exchanges have regulatory authority in their market. This may include:

  • Limited exchange SRO
  • Strong exchange SRO
  • Independent member SRO
  • Government (Statutory)
  • Non-SRO
About the stock exchange The location of the headquarters of the exchange, and any additional details about the stock exchange.