Writer: Matthew Chan

Insights

05 Aug, 2026

Maturity is not equivalence: Asian sustainable finance for EU and UK investors

While sustainable finance frameworks in maturing, their growing sophistication does not necessarily imply equivalence with EU and UK frameworks. As EU and UK investors expand their holdings and market ESG products with underlying assets in Asia, their product claims remain judged strictly against home-market rules and expectations, including the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), the EU Taxonomy, Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), and UK Sustainability Disclosure Requirements (SDR). However, a core […]

29 Apr, 2026

Hong Kong’s evolution as an international finance centre

Konrad Lee Lisa Ross Matthew Chan Oriane Voets

Hong Kong’s third place ranking in the latest edition of the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI), closely following New York and London, underscores its ongoing global significance – and change. As the Special Administrative Region (SAR) prepares its first five-year plan (5YP) for 2026-2030, Hong Kong’s policymaking is increasingly being shaped by shifts in financial activity as supply and demand for capital intermediated through the international finance centre (IFC) evolves. Located on the front doorstep of one of the world’s largest evolving sources of capital, issuers and wealth, Hong […]

11 Sep, 2025

Navigating the Uncertainty: Developments and Risks Impacting the APAC Region

Cheryl Low Lisa Ross Matthew Chan

Although US and EU policy often sets the tone and parameters for global regulatory and policy debate, treating APAC as either distinct or a passive rule-taker is a miscalculation. The APAC region is characterised by its own unique dynamics across geopolitics, the push-and-pull of regional alignment, and domestic politics, policy and regulation. Success in the […]

18 Aug, 2025

The global spotlight on Non-Bank Financial Intermediaries (NBFIs)

Bhavini Parmar David Wright Fiona Wright Laurence Van der Loo Matthew Chan Michael Pedroni Tomasz Krawczyk

Non-Bank Financial Intermediaries (NBFIs) from asset managers, private credit providers, insurers now account for nearly half of global financial assets. Operating outside of the traditional banking sector, these firms offer critical financial services and credit without taking deposits. As their influence in global market grows, so does regulatory attention. Policymakers and standard setters are ramping […]

31 Jul, 2025

Is Climate Action, ESG, and Sustainable Finance Dead in Financial Services? A Flint Global Perspective from APAC (Part B)

Gwenda Ang Lisa Ross Matthew Chan

Building on Part A of our analysis of regulatory developments on climate, sustainability and ESG in financial services, Part B looks at how financial institutions (FIs) are adapting to the changing regulatory environment and more nuanced regional and stakeholder demands in APAC. Public-private partnerships and innovative finance mechanisms are playing an increasingly important role in […]

24 Jul, 2025

Is Climate Action, ESG, and Sustainable Finance Dead in Financial Services? A Flint Global Perspective from APAC (Part A)

Gwenda Ang Lisa Ross Matthew Chan

With the return of the Trump administration, the US has moved beyond rhetoric to policy in its backlash against climate action, corporate sustainability, and environmental, social and governance (ESG) frameworks, including withdrawal from multilateral efforts such as the Paris Agreement. Climate regulations are being rolled back, and ESG investing is often portrayed as ideological overreach; […]

News and media

13 Apr, 2026

Flint Partner Matthew Chan quoted in the International Financing Review

Matthew Chan

“All else being equal, I do not think longer timelines in Hong Kong will necessarily lead issuers to collectively move onshore” - Matthew Chan on Hong Kong's long IPO queue.

16 Apr, 2025

Matthew Chan contributes to The Economist APAC risk report

Matthew Chan

Partner Matthew Chan contributed commentary to the latest Economist report, Sight unseen: navigating out-of-sight risks in Asia-Pacific, which uncovers the most overlooked threats.

Podcast

16 Mar, 2026

The Middle East conflict: implications for Asia

Heidi Venamore James Crabtree Matthew Chan

The conflict in the Middle East is colliding with an already fragile global economy. While much of the immediate focus has been on Europe and the US, the second-order effects for Asia may prove more enduring. In this episode, Flint experts examine how renewed instability in the Middle East could reshape the outlook for Asia’s […]

Flint advises international businesses and investors on policy, politics, regulation and competition.

Writer: Matthew Chan

Insights

Maturity is not equivalence: Asian sustainable finance for EU and UK investors

Hong Kong’s evolution as an international finance centre

Navigating the Uncertainty: Developments and Risks Impacting the APAC Region

The global spotlight on Non-Bank Financial Intermediaries (NBFIs)

Is Climate Action, ESG, and Sustainable Finance Dead in Financial Services? A Flint Global Perspective from APAC (Part B)

Is Climate Action, ESG, and Sustainable Finance Dead in Financial Services? A Flint Global Perspective from APAC (Part A)

News and media

Flint Partner Matthew Chan quoted in the International Financing Review

Matthew Chan contributes to The Economist APAC risk report

Podcast

The Middle East conflict: implications for Asia

Follow us

Quick links

Sectors

Follow Us