In an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post on September 3, 2017, global CEO of MSCI Henry Ferndandez disclosed that MSCI “aims to finish assigning environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance ratings on the mainland’s 222 listed firms to be included in its widely tracked Emerging Markets Index, within two years to meet rising global investor demand.”
“Investors are increasingly scrutinising listed companies’ contribution to sustainable development and their impact on society, besides looking at the hard numbers on their profitability and financial health.”
In the interview, Mr. Hernandez also noted that MSCI “is unhappy with the level of suspensions in trading of mainland shares, which he said was ‘unfair to shareholders whose shares get frozen.’”
You may read the article/interview on the South China Morning Post internet site.