Singapore, 7 May 2024 – The Investment Management Association of Singapore (IMAS) has launched the Sustainable Investment Management and Sustainable Stewardship Development course on the iLearn platform – the centralized training hub for investment management professionals. The launch follows the release of Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Institute of Banking and Finance (IBF)’s Sustainable Finance Job Transformation Map (JTM). Supported by Workforce Singapore (WSG), the roadmap highlights the imminent impact of sustainability trend on jobs in the financial services sector. Key findings from the JTM study can be found here.

Most notably, the JTM study estimates that the sustainable finance market in ASEAN will amount to S$4 to 5 trillion in the next decade. A workforce with the necessary capabilities and skillset can capitalize on this opportunity to serve the growing sustainable finance market. Across the industry, more than 65 new executive courses and a new executive master’s program in sustainable finance will debut this year, offered by institutes of higher learning, centres of excellence, and training providers.

IMAS has highlighted five out of the 12 SF TSCs set out in 2022 as areas to be prioritized for the upskilling of fund managers. The five recommended SF TSCs selected by IMAS are:

• Change Management
• Sustainability Reporting
• Sustainability Risk Management
• Sustainable Investment Management
• Sustainable Stewardship Development

Part of IMAS’s Sustainable Finance Suite (SF Suite), both online courses were developed by the Singapore Green Finance Centre (SGFC), a joint initiative between the Lee Kong Chian School of Business (LKCSB) at Singapore Management University and the Imperial College Business School, with reference to IBF and MAS Sustainable Finance Technical Skills and Competencies (SF TSCs):

• SGFC Sustainable Investment Management is tailored for professionals keen to drive sustainable investment strategies within their organisations. It equips participants with expertise to seamlessly integrate sustainable practices into portfolio management.
• SGFC Sustainable Stewardship Development empowers financial professionals to lead effective sustainability stewardship strategies within organizations.

Carmen Wee, CEO of IMAS said, “With the launch of the sustainable suite on our iLearn platform, we have provided four out of our five recommended SF TSCs. IMAS remains committed to partnering with industry stakeholders to offer comprehensive training programs, transform the local workforce, and advance sustainable practices in the industry.”

Courses under the IMAS SF suite, developed with reference to SF TSCs, include:

Additionally, the IMAS iLearn platform hosts the following courses to strengthen the industry’s sustainable finance practices:

• ASFI Academy: Responsible Investment 101: How to get started
• ASFI Academy: Sustainable finance across Agriculture Forestry Fisheries (AFF) supply chain (asset manager edition)
• MAS Guidelines and Information Paper on Environmental Risk Management (EnRM) for Asset Managers and MAS Disclosures and Reporting Guidelines for Retail ESG Funds
• Sustainable Investing in Practice – An Introduction
• Sustainable Investing Across Asset Classes

Course subsidies are available under the IBF Standards Training Scheme (IBF-STS) for self-sponsored individuals and Financial Institution/ FinTech Firm-sponsored individuals.

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About the Investment Management Association of Singapore (IMAS)

The Investment Management Association of Singapore (IMAS) was founded on 22nd September 1997 by 10 major financial institutions in Singapore and has since grown to include more than 160 members. As a representative body of investment managers, IMAS spearheads the development of the industry in Singapore, by fostering high standards of professionalism amongst practitioners and creating public awareness of, and interest in the industry. We act as a forum for members, promote exemplary best practices, represent members collectively, educate investors, and improve standards of research and fund management expertise, as a collective drive to promote the investment management industry.

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