The Bucharest Stock Exchange's Research Hub project will continue in a revised form, with scores on sustainability criteria to be published only with companies' consent, said Remus Vulpescu, director general of the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB), quoted by Agerpres.
„The BVB Research Hub project will certainly continue. I personally feel that it has not reached its full potential in the past years, but we have seen a lot of interest from issuers and investors and analysts. We will continue it in a form that will be a bit revised in substance and form. The ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance, n.r.) scores, as we know, were provided by two international providers. Not at this moment, but some time ago, they communicated their intention to cease their collaboration. I do not see that as a problem. ESG ratings can also be obtained in other ways”said Vulpescu.
He also said that the publication of sustainability scores should only be done with the companies' consent.
„But, where I think we need to be very careful and very determined is not to start talking about each other's ESG scores, but to let each entrepreneur play their cards as they see fit, including choosing their ESG scoring provider, publishing or not publishing on their own website or on various portals, such as the BVB Research Hub, the ESG scores of their companies. So, certainly we will try to keep visible and bring ESG and other scores to the attention of investors and analysts, but we will not do this by force, we will not do this without the consent of the issuers and I think all scores should be based on the consent of the issuers for publication”, added the BVB's Director General.