Just over 12 months on from joining forces in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) focusing on sustainable finance and education, the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (LuxSE) and the West African regional exchange Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières (BRVM) were reunited in Abidjan, Ivory Coast last week to take the next, concrete steps in their cooperation.

LuxSE CEO Julie Becker and Head of Sustainable Finance Laetitia Hamon travelled to Abidjan to foster financial literacy and sustainable finance education within the financial ecosystem in the West African region. The visit included a full day of sustainable finance training as well as events and meetings with public authorities interested in learning more about LuxSE’s pioneering role in sustainable finance.

“Investor protection is a crucial part of the mission of exchanges, and education is key to investor protection. This is the reason why we established the LGX Academy three years ago. We are committed to scaling up sustainable finance in low- and middle-income countries by sharing knowledge and building capacity. Sustainable finance education is one of the foundations of the agreement we signed with BRVM. It illustrates how exchanges can work together to foster sustainable finance initiatives in regions where financing for sustainable development is needed the most,” commented LuxSE CEO Julie Becker during the visit to Ivory Coast.

Global awareness campaign

LuxSE’s sustainable finance training in Abidjan was organised during the global, week-long campaign Ring the Bell for Financial Literacy, which brought together 49 stock exchanges from around the world to raise awareness of the importance of financial education, investor protection and financial inclusion. This campaign is part of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO)’s World Investor Week, which every year gathers financial regulators on all six continents around different initiatives contributing to investor education and protection. This year, the World Investor Week campaign focused on investor resilience, crypto assets and sustainable finance. 

Education that powers sustainability

BRVM is one of the cornerstones of the West African Economic and Monetary Union, which works towards greater integration between Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo. In 2019, BRVM announced the launch of the BRVM Academy to educate financial professionals and the general public from the Western African Economic and Monetary Union in key theories behind capital markets and stock exchanges.

LuxSE is home to the Luxembourg Green Exchange (LGX), the world’s first and leading platform dedicated to sustainable finance. Since the establishment of the LGX Academy in 2020, LuxSE’s sustainable finance experts have trained hundreds of financial professionals and market participants and contributed to fostering and developing sustainable finance issuances and initiatives with a special focus on emerging markets.