The Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission announced a cooperation agreement with the International Finance Corporation to support the 30by30 Zero Philippines Program, a flagship initiative intended to accelerate sustainable finance in the Philippines. Under the agreement, the SEC and IFC will run capacity-building initiatives for thematic bond issuers, investors and domestic external reviewers, conduct a stocktaking survey on the Philippine Thematic Capital Market, and explore additional areas for collaboration. The programme, developed by IFC and the World Bank with funding from the German government’s International Climate Initiative, targets climate-related lending by financial institutions reaching 30% of total portfolio on average with near zero coal exposure by 2030. The cooperation agreement was signed at a ceremony on 21 January.