On 29 January, Hang Seng Indexes Company Limited launched five new indexes, namely the Hang Seng Hong Kong-Listed Banks Index, Hang Seng SCHK China Central SOEs ESG 40 Index, Hang Seng SCHK China Central State-owned Enterprises ESG Enhanced Index, Hang Seng SCHK China Central State-owned Enterprises ESG Index, and Hang Seng SCHK SOEs High Dividend Yield ESG Index. Yuexiu Property (00123.HK) was included as a constituent stock of the Hang Seng SCHK SOEs High Dividend Yield ESG Index, and is one of the initial members of the index.
About Hang Seng SCHK SOEs High Dividend Yield ESG Index
The Hang Seng Index is one of the world's major stock indexes and has become an important indicator of Hong Kong's stock market performance since its launch in 1969. The Hang Seng SCHK SOEs High Dividend Yield ESG Index is launched to reflect the overall performance of high-yield securities listed in Hong Kong that have Chinese government entities as their largest shareholder and have better ESG performance. The index integrates ESG elements in the constituent stock selection process, with 40 state-owned enterprises eventually selected for inclusion and an annual constituent stock review conducted.
Yuexiu Property has always regarded ESG as an important part of its corporatework and a strategic focus for its future development. Yuexiu Property has set up an ESG Committee under the Board of Directors, chaired by the Chairman of the Board, to ensure that Yuexiu Property's ESG strategy is in line with its overall development strategy. Meanwhile, Yuexiu Property has continuously strengthened its ESG governance structure by setting up the "TCFD Working Group" and the "Green Office Working Group", which are responsible for climate-related disclosure and green office-related work respectively. Yuexiu Property has made efforts to promote the digitalisation of ESG, and has launched the ESG Management System of Yuexiu Property, which empowers ESG management through digitalisation, helps to improve the efficiency and quality of ESG data collection, and supports the management in making ESG management decisions. At the same time, Yuexiu Property has continued to make great efforts in ESG information disclosure. In addition to releasing annual ESG reports with high quality, Yuexiu Property has also set up a "Sustainability" section through its official website and official WeChat account, which provides a more convenient and comprehensive channel for stakeholders to understand the progress of Yuexiu Property's ESG work.
Yuexiu Property's efforts and performance in ESG work have been recognised by authoritative international ESG rating agencies: The Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) 2023 has awarded Yuexiu Property a "4-star" rating, an one-time jump of two grades and full scores in the governance dimension, ranking second in the Eastern Asia residential category. The inclusion of Yuexiu Property as an initial constituent stock in the Hang Seng SCHK SOEs High Dividend Yield ESG Index is another recognition of Yuexiu Property's ESG performance.
Looking ahead, under the leadership of the management, Yuexiu Property will continue to improve its ESG governance and sustainability capabilities, and strive for even better ESG performance with the corporate value of "Beyond excellence" to attract the attention of more ESG investment institutions and the recognition of authoritative ESG ratings agencies, further enhance its visibility in the capital market, and create even greater value for all stakeholders.