A ground-breaking new report and technical appendix, Unlocking Capital: Aligning Asia Pacific's Green Building Rating Tools to the ASEAN Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance, provides the first focused analysis of how green building certification systems align with sustainable finance principles and the ASEAN Taxonomy's environmental objectives (technical screening criteria and do no significant harm criteria). The report goes deeper than any before offering a credit-by-credit analysis of 32 rating tools across 16 schemes, covering all of Asia Pacific and beyond.
Developed by the World Green Building Council's (WorldGBC) Asia Pacific Regional Network (APN) and OCBC, this report fills a critical knowledge gap between technical building performance and investor expectations.
The report was officially launched during WorldGBC's fourth #BeBoldOnBuildings COP30 webinar Unlocking Impactful Finance', which took place on 9 September 2025 during World Green Building Week (WGBW). Catch up on the recording to find out more here.
Cristina Gamboa, CEO, WorldGBC, said:
"Aligning green buildings with sustainable finance is essential to accelerate the transition we need. This report gives investors and policymakers clarity to channel capital into buildings that deliver both climate impact and economic resilience."
Mike Ng, Group Chief Sustainability Officer, OCBC, said:
"At OCBC, we believe that accelerating sustainable finance in the built environment requires not just capital, but clarity. This collaboration with the World Green Building Council reflects our commitment to bridging knowledge gaps and fostering alignment between green building rating tools, sustainable financing principles and Taxonomies. By providing practical insights and regional context, this guide empowers stakeholders to make informed, climate-aligned investment and financing decisions, helping to scale impact across Asia Pacific and beyond."
The comprehensive technical appendix offers an unprecedented level of transparency and granularity, mapping each tool's criteria, credit by credit, against the ASEAN Taxonomy's Technical Screening Criteria and "Do No Significant Harm" principles. This detailed alignment provides stakeholders with exceptional visibility into how the built environment can meet sustainable finance expectations. As such, the appendix serves as an un-paralleled and invaluable resource for stakeholders across geographies seeking to advance green buildings and mobilise capital for the transition.
Key findings:
- Rating tools show strong alignment with climate mitigation environmental objectives, particularly in relation to energy performance.
- Gaps, however, remain in some rating tools around climate adaptation, circular economy, and tackling construction site activities, which are being addressed increasingly as rating tools update their criteria.
- 32 rating tools from 16 certification systems were analysed across new construction, acquisition and ownership, and renovation/retrofit of buildings.
- Australia's Green Star Buildings and Singapore's Green Mark 2021 green buildings rating schemes demonstrated strongest alignment with the criteria in the ASEAN Taxonomy.
- Cross-sector collaboration will be essential to improve interoperability between green building frameworks and financial disclosure requirements.
A call to action for Asia Pacific
The report outlines practical recommendations for rating tool developers, policymakers, and investors, including enhanced transparency, integration of adaptation and resilience criteria, and development of clear performance roadmaps aligned with national climate goals. It is complemented by a Technical Annex and an Insights Report for high-level decision-makers. Launched on 11 July 2025, the Unlocking Capital: Aligning Asia Pacific Green Building Rating Tools to the ASEAN Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance' joint report by WorldGBC and OCBC maps how green building standards align with sustainable finance frameworks across Asia Pacific.
Download the report and technical appendix
About WorldGBC
The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) is the largest local-regional-global action network leading the transformation to sustainable and decarbonised built Environments.
Together, with over 75 Green Building Councils and industry partners from all around the world, we are driving systemic changes to achieve:
- total decarbonisation of the built environment
- healthy, equitable and resilient buildings, cities and communities
- regeneration of natural systems and thriving circular economy
We work with businesses, organisations and governments to deliver on the ambitions of the Paris Agreement and UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs).
Find out more www.worldgbc.org
About OCBC
OCBC is the second largest financial services group in Southeast Asia by assets, and the longest established Singapore bank, formed in 1932. It is one of the world's most highly rated banks, with Aa1 by Moody's and AA- by both Fitch and S&P. Recognised for its financial strength and stability, OCBC is consistently ranked among the World's Top 50 Safest Banks by Global Finance and has been named Best Managed Bank in Singapore by The Asian Banker.
Learn more at www.ocbc.com
For media enquiries:
Tessa Eydmann-Peel, Marketing and Communications Manager, WorldGBC, teydmannpeel@worldgbc.org
